Western Kentucky @ Marshall preview

Marshall is one win away from locking up a perfect regular season. The Thundering Herd will try to improve to 12-0 when they host Western Kentucky in the regular-season finale on Friday. Marshall and defending National Champion Florida State are the only teams remaining without a loss, and the Thundering Herd are in the running for a New Year’s Six bowl game if they can hold off the Hilltoppers.

Marshall is having a hard time cracking the College Football Playoff rankings due to the strength of its schedule but is dominating the opponents in front of it and has already clinched the top spot in the Conference-USA East Division. Western Kentucky is bowl eligible as well after notching three straight wins by an average of 24.7 points. “For us, now we're in the championship game,” Hilltoppers coach Jeff Brohm told reporters of the magnitude of the matchup with the Thundering Herd. “We get to play a championship game against an undefeated team on their home turf with a lot of implications for them riding on this game. It's a great opportunity for us.”

TV: 12 p.m. ET, Fox Sports 1. LINE: Marshall -21

ABOUT WESTERN KENTUCKY (6-5, 3-4 C-USA): Quarterback Brandon Doughty’s ability to limit turnovers has been one of the keys to the winning streak, during which he has thrown 11 touchdown passes without an interception. The senior is coming off a 346-yard, five-TD performance and is looking to go out with a bang along with the rest of the seniors. “You look forward to games like that, especially to knock off an undefeated team,” Hilltoppers DB Cam Thomas told reporters. “I feel like we've got the guys to go out and complete the job.”

ABOUT MARSHALL (11-0, 7-0): The Thundering Herd had won each of their games by at least 15 points and were averaging 47.1 points before finally running into trouble and squeezing out a 23-18 win at UAB on Saturday. “If winning was easy, there would be a lot more people in this position than us and Florida State,” Marshall coach Doc Holliday told reporters. “At some point, you have to grind them out.” Running back Devon Johnson has gone over 100 yards in all but one game this season and helped keep the Thundering Herd in the game with 171 last week.

EXTRA POINTS

1. All eight of Doughty’s INTs have come on the road.

2. Marshall QB Rakeem Cato has thrown at least one TD pass in an FBS-record 43 straight games.

3. The Thundering Herd are trying to secure their first undefeated season since going 13-0 in 1999.

PREDICTION: Marshall 48, Western Kentucky 24