Despite entering 2021 as the defending MAC champions, Ball State is sitting at just 4-4 after an underwhelming start to the campaign. The Cardinals can get back to their winning ways with a road matchup — as nearly three-touchdown college betting favorites — against a 2-6 Akron team that is perennially near the bottom of the conference standings.
With four weekday conference games remaining on the schedule, will Ball State be able to turn the season around, or will Akron play spoiler at home?
Find out the answer to that question and more in our picks and predictions for Ball State vs. Akron on Tuesday, November 2.
Ball State vs Akron odds
Odds via the Covers Line, an average comprised of odds from multiple sportsbooks.
Ball State opened -19.5. The line has been bet up to -20 across most books at the time of this writing. Use the live odds widget above to track any future line movements right up until kickoff and be sure to check out the full college football odds before placing your bets.
Ball State vs Akron picks
Picks made on 11/1/2021 at 9:58 p.m. ET.
Click on each pick to jump to the full analysis.
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Ball State vs Akron game info
• Location: InfoCision Stadium, Akron, OH
• Date: Tuesday, November 2, 2021
• Time: 7:00 p.m. ET
• TV: CBSSN
Ball State vs Akron betting preview
Weather
Be sure to monitor the gametime conditions with our NCAA football weather info.
Key injuries
Ball State: Tye Evans RB (Out), Dylan Koch TE (Questionable), Kaleb Slaven OL (Questionable).
Akron: Kato Nelson QB (Questionable).
Find our latest NCAA football injury reports.
Betting trend to know
The Cardinals are 6-2 ATS in their last eight conference games. Find more NCAA betting trends for Ball State vs. Akron.
Ball State vs Akron predictions
Ball State -20 (-110)
Ball State has underwhelmed expectations, there’s no doubt about that. After soaring to a 2020 MAC Championship run behind a superb offense that averaged 447 yards and 34 points per game, the Cardinals have managed only 24.5 ppg en route to a .500 record this season.
Still, it’s important to keep preseason expectations in mind when questioning the caliber of this team whilst handicapping. The Cardinals returned a boatload of experience and still have dangerous weapons offensively. Mike Neu has built a reputation as one of the better coaches in the MAC, and the final four conference games give the team a chance to salvage the season.
Expect this team to look refreshed coming off a bye week and focused on the conference schedule ahead. After a rocky start, Ball State has gone 3-1 over its last 4 games and could conceivably run the table with a manageable schedule remaining.
Plus, is a team like Akron really going to be an insurmountable obstacle? The Zips are last in scoring offense in the MAC with only 19.9 ppg. Things have been even worse defensively, where they rank 126th in the country in scoring defense (38.9 ppg against).
Akron lost by more than 20 points to more notable names such as Temple (3-5) and Buffalo (4-5), so the ball is in the Cardinals’ corner to find a cover here. The Zips were last seen losing 45-10 to the aforementioned Bulls, where they allowed 11 sacks in that game — the most of any FBS team since these same Zips gave up 12 to Miami (Ohio) in 2019.
Akron has problems on both sides of the ball and no clear end in sight.
Ball State Team Total Over 38.5 (-110)
This Akron defense has been really, really bad and Veteran Ball State quarterback Drew Plitt should pick apart a Zips secondary allowing 210 passing yards per game. He has three dangerous receiving options that should give the Zips trouble, with All-Conference star Justin Hall joining Yo’Heinz Tyler and Jayson Jackson to form a formidable trio.
This is a great spot for the Cardinals' offense to get back on track. After scoring at least 30 points in seven of eight games last season, there have been signs of life lately after a slow start. The Cardinals scored 45 against Western Michigan and 38 against Eastern Michigan in mid-October and the pieces are finally starting to click.
A matchup against an Akron team that has allowed at least 45 points four times already this year should be a perfect get-right spot for a still-dangerous Cardinals offense that has been asleep at the wheel for most of the season.
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