It’s bowl season, which means we have a lot of football to watch between Dec. 13 and Jan. 19! Ohio State, Utah, Georgia Southern, Army, Texas A&M — and just about everyone in between — will take part in a total of 47 games that will ultimately conclude with the 2026 CFP National Championship.
NESN has you covered with previews for each and every game — with our next contest providing a little piece of Mardi Gras:
2025 New Orleans Bowl
Matchup: Western Kentucky Hilltoppers vs. Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles
Date: Tuesday, Dec. 23, 2025
Kickoff: 5:30 p.m. ET
Stadium: Caesars Superdome — New Orleans, La.
TV: ESPN
Game Overview
The New Orleans Bowl couldn’t hold onto a sponsorship deal, so that kind of tells you everything you need to know about the prestige of this one.
Western Kentucky and Southern Miss will be taking this one seriously, though, so let’s explore their individual chances with the same respect as other games.
Story continues below advertisement
Team Overviews
Western Kentucky Hilltoppers
Conference: Conference USA
Head Coach: Tyson Helton
Record: 8–4
Western Kentucky is one of the rare teams who seemingly will enter their bowl game with everyone at their disposal — no head coaching changes, no opt-outs, no major injuries.
Story continues below advertisement
The Hilltoppers don’t have very mych to flex in terms of game-changing talent — punter Cole Maynard was the only All-Conference USA team member — though they’ve been competitive on both sides of the ball and finished 6-2 against Conference USA.
Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles
Conference: Sun Belt
Head Coach: Blake Anderson
Record: 7-5
Southern Miss does have one major change to worry about — with head coach Charles Huff already gone after accepting the same gig at Memphis.
Story continues below advertisement
Blake Anderson will take over, not only in the interim but full-time. The Golden Eagles will hope that move carries some momentum as his return to coaching this season carried with it an offense that averaged 29.8 points per game (49th of 136).
Anderson, for what it’s worth, was previously dismissed at Utah State for allegedly being non-compliant with university rules regarding the reporting of complaints of sexual misconduct.
Players to Watch
Western Kentucky
QB Maverick McIvor
RB Marvis Parrish
WR K.D. Hutchinson
WR Matthew Henry
DL Mackavelli Malotumau
LB Jaylen Wester
Story continues below advertisement
Southern Miss
QB Braylon Braxton
RB Jeffery Pittman
RB Elijah Metcalf
WR Carl Chester
DL J’Mong Tapp
LB Chris Jones
DB Josh Moten
Key Notes
Story continues below advertisement
Southern Miss is making its sixth appearance in this game, second most behind Louisiana (seven).
Betting Lines
DraftKings Sportsbook: Western Kentucky -2.5 | O/U 57.5
FanDuel Sportsbook: Western Kentucky -2.5 | O/U 57.5
BetMGM Sportsbook: Western Kentucky -2.5 | O/U 57.5
Story continues below advertisement
The Pick: Under 57.5
Featured image via Kirby Lee/Imagn Images
