The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers will take on the Delaware Blue Hens in college football on Friday night. The Hilltoppers are off to a 2-0 start in Conference USA play and will try to extend their conference winning streak behind their potent passing attack. Here, they face a Delaware team that won its first-ever CUSA game in its last outing against FIU. Before kickoff from Delaware, continue reading to get my Western Kentucky vs Delaware prediction for Friday’s game.
Our Western Kentucky vs Delaware Pick
- Pick: Western Kentucky Moneyline
- Confidence: 3/5
Game Snapshot
- Matchup: Western Kentucky Hilltoppers vs Delaware Fightin’ Blue Hens
- Date & Time: Friday, October 3, 2025, 7:00 PM ET
- Venue: Delaware Stadium, Newark, DE
- Broadcast: CBSSN
Western Kentucky vs Delaware Odds
| Odds | Line |
|---|---|
| Spread | Delaware -1.5 |
| Moneyline | WKU +104 / DEL -124 |
| Total | Over/Under 51.5 |
Key Storylines
- Delaware’s FBS start: The Fightin’ Blue Hens are 3–1 and have already notched two FBS wins. Their offense has been driven by quarterback Nick Minicucci, running back Jo Silver, and receiver Kyre Duplessis and has shown it can score in bunches. Delaware is averaging 31 points per game with its defense yielding 26.3 ppg. They got their first conference win by beating FIU in their last game and will look to go to 2-0 in CUSA with a win here.
- WKU’s offense: Western Kentucky is averaging 35 points per game, while allowing 22.6. Their passing attack tends to drive the identity of their team, and they’ll want to push tempo against a Delaware unit that hasn’t seen a passing attack this good yet in its first FBS season.
Quarterback Play
On Delaware’s side, Nick Minicucci has been efficient and a big reason for Delaware’s early success. He has thrown for 1,065 yards, eight touchdowns, and two interceptions. Western Kentucky’s Maverick McIvor has been one of the best quarterbacks in college football this season. He has thrown for 1,474 yards, 11 touchdowns, and two interceptions. The FCS transfer has looked excellent in Conference USA play and will try to keep it that way this week.
Betting Trends & H2H
- Western Kentucky is 4–1 against the spread in its first five games.
- Delaware is 2–1–1 against the spread so far this season.
- The Blue Hens are 1-2-1 on over/unders to begin the year.
- Western Kentucky has gone over the total in three of its first five games.
- Delaware is 2-0 all-time against Western Kentucky. Those two matchups took place in 1981 and 1982 and aren’t relevant to this matchup in the slightest.
Western Kentucky vs Delaware Model Projection
Score Projection: Western Kentucky 30 — Delaware 26
Win Probability: WKU 58%, Delaware 42%
Final Thoughts
This should be a competitive game and I am not dismissing Delaware as an FBS debutant this year. The Blue Hens have more than proven that they belong at this level of competition so far this year. But I think that the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers will win this game as a slight underdog on the road. The passing game of the Hilltoppers is explosive and should make the difference. I’ll take WKU to cover the spread on the road on Friday night.
