Betting college football MACtion will be a sprint in 2020, not a marathon. That means teams that opened their season with a loss can’t afford to go 0-2 if they have hopes of a division crown.
That’s exactly the spot the Northern Illinois Huskies finds themselves in when they host the Central Michigan Chippewas Wednesday. But it will be no small task, as sportsbooks have the Huskies pegged as 7.5-point home underdogs.
Let’s take a look at our best college football predictions for Central Michigan vs Northern Illinois, with kickoff scheduled for Wednesday, November 11 at 8:00 ET.
Central Michigan Chippewas at Northern Illinois Huskies Betting Preview
Weather
It will be a chilly night in DeKalb for this edition of MACtion. The forecast is calling for temperatures hovering just above the freezing mark for game time. However, it should be a clear night with minimal wind. Be sure to monitor the gametime conditions with our NCAA football weather info.
Key Injuries
Central Michigan: David Moore QB (Questionable).
Northern Illinois: Jevyon Ducker RB (Out).
Find our latest NCAA football injury reports.
Betting Trend to Know
Central Michigan has been the dog to back in this matchup, going 6-0 ATS in the last six meetings against Northern Illinois. Find more NCAA betting trends for Central Michigan vs. Northern Illinois.
Against the Spread (ATS) Pick
Central Michigan survived a tough test in its opener, outlasting Ohio 30-27 winning outright as 2.5-point underdogs. Redshirt freshman QB Daniel Richardson stepped in nicely for suspended David Moore, going 23-41 for 243 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions, while adding another score on the ground in the win.
Richardson also got the help of 184 yards in the ground game, which could be important considering Northern Illinois is coming off a game where it allowed 179 rushing yards at a clip of 5.4 yards per carry against Buffalo. The Huskies lost that game 49-30 and didn’t cover as 14.5-point underdogs, in a game that wasn’t as close as the score.
The Huskies will need to cut down the turnovers if they want to keep this one close, after giving up the ball five times against Buffalo. Now, they face a Central Michigan defense that ranked second in the MAC in yards per game last season.
Not for nothing, Central Michigan trounced NIU 48-10 last season, and while the score may not be that lopsided this time around, the Chippewas should be able to cover the 7.5-chalk in this matchup.
PREDICTION: Central Michigan -7.5 (-110)
Over/Under Pick
The total for this matchup is on the board at a nice round 60. But let me tell you why that number may be a little too high.
Yes, Northern Illinois scored 30 points and actually outgained Buffalo in last week’s loss, but as mentioned, the score was closer than that game indicated. The final two Huskies’ touchdowns and a big chunk of those yards came with less than five minutes to go in the fourth quarter.
On the other side, Central Michigan limited what should be a solid Ohio offense to 27 points and 345 yards, while causing two turnovers in the process. On a chilly night, this matchup should be a little lower-scoring.
PREDICTION: Under 60 (-110)
First Quarter Spread Pick
Northern Illinois was a team that struggled to start games last season, averaging just 4.9 points per first quarter against FBS opponents in 2019, and that carried over into the Huskies’ opener, putting up just three points against the Bulls.
While Central Michigan allowed just 5.6 first-quarter points per game last season, which was second-best in the MAC. Huskies QB Ross Bowers looked uncomfortable in last week’s game and it could take him and the NIU offense a while to settle into this game. Take the Chippewas on the first-quarter spread.
PREDICTION: Central Michigan first quarter -3.0 (-115)
Central Michigan vs Northern Illinois Betting Card
- Central Michigan -7.5 (-110)
- Under 60 (-110)
- Central Michigan first quarter -3.0 (-115)
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