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Some bowl games can feel pointless. You could end up with two random teams from opposite sides of the college football universe that don’t want to be on the field. Fortunately, that won’t be the case for Friday’s Myrtle Beach Bowl between Western Michigan and Kennesaw State.

This one is a dandy. Both of these teams defied the odds by winning their respective conference championships this season, and now they get to try to put a cherry on top at Brooks Stadium in Conway, S.C.

Western Michigan is a 3-point favorite for this clash of champions.

Just getting to a bowl game is a massive accomplishment for Kennesaw State. The Owls were projected to be among the worst teams in the country this season, but they flipped that script by going 6-1 in games decided by one possession.

That isn’t to say Kennesaw State was a fluke, but just that the Owls’ record could have looked quite different if they didn’t come up big in the critical moments.

Winning tight contests is not a bad thing, and could certainly help the Owls in their first-ever bowl game, but they’re going to be up against it on Friday. Western Michigan should be well-equipped for this stylistic matchup.

Kennesaw State’s magic mostly derived from its offense. The Owls boasted one of the best offenses in Conference USA, averaging 5.8 yards per play, 28.4 points per game and 408.8 yards per contest, but they’re going up against arguably the best defense in the Group of 5.

Western Michigan allowed just 18.6 points per game (13th in FBS), 304.2 yards per game (13th) and 4.8 yards per play (22nd). The Broncos were especially strong in pivotal moments, and finished the season as the 14th-best defense on third down and the 34th-best inside the red zone.

The Broncos have shut down tougher offenses than Kennesaw State, so I have no issue laying the three points with the MAC Champions.

The Play: Western Michigan -3 (-110, bet365)

Michael Leboff is a long-suffering Islanders fan, but a long-profiting sports bettor with 10 years of experience in the gambling industry. He loves using game theory to help punters win bracket pools, find long shots, and learn how to beat the market in mainstream and niche sports.