There’s about 40 minutes before kickoff here, and the fans are starting to filter in. ACU’s got a pretty late-arriving crowd, so with maybe 3,000 here already on the home side it looks like it oughta be a big crowd today.

West Texas, I hope, travels well. I expect that they should with as well as the team is doing this season and as big a game as this is. So far they’ve got maybe a hundred folks over there.

As far as my thoughts on the game …. I still think ACU’s my favorite here.

You can talk all you want about the offense and the defense and which one is better. But when it comes down to it, the defenses are probably fairly even. The offenses, too, are even, I think - except that I think the Wildcats may have a bit of an edge there just because they are much more balanced and have shown the ability to strike with multiple players. WT just depends so much on Keithon Flemming. I know he’s a great player and I’m looking forward to seeing him live, but if the Cats can key on him and, somehow, shut him down, they’re taking a huge step toward a win.

Let’s call the punt and punt return teams equal. Kickoff groups, too.

One thing that may count in this one, as tight as it may be, are field goals. WT’s got an average of 70 percent there. ACU is at just under 89 percent. Edge, ACU.

Where else is ACU at an advantage? Turnover margin (+13 to +4), penalties (roughly 60 ypg to 120) and sacks allowed (5 to 12). The differences there may not be huge, and sacks allowed may not seem like that big a deal. But a little difference here and there in this one may be the deciding factor. And the sacks allowed is actually pretty significant, because it means the o-line has had some struggles for WT, at least in pass protection. That mean’s Keith Null may be running around with Travis Carpenter and Cody Stutts on his tail a bit today. Edge, ACU.

Throw in what is sure to be a rowdy homecoming crowd, and every little edge seems to go to ACU. All told, I figure those little things adding up to four points.

ACU 42, WT 38