Northern Illinois vs Kent State Picks and Predictions: Nothing Gold Can Stay

Midweek college football MACtion is one of the reasons November is so great, and we get an awesome matchup as division leaders face off when the Northern Illinois Huskies visit the Kent State Golden Flashes.

The Huskies look like the class of the MAC so far with a 6-2 record, which includes 4-0 in conference play, but are 3.5-point road underdogs against the Flashes, who are 3-0 at home this season.  

Find out who we like with our free college football betting picks and predictions for Northern Illinois vs. Kent State on November 3.

Northern Illinois vs Kent State odds

Odds via the Covers Line, an average comprised of odds from multiple sportsbooks.

Kent State opened this MAC matchup as 4.5-point home favorites but it has been NIU seeing the early money, moving the line down to -3.5. The total hit the board at 67 and has been bet down slightly to 66. 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.

Northern Illinois vs Kent State picks

• Northern Illinois +3.5 (-110)
• Under 66 (-110)

Picks made on 11/2/2021 at 4:10 p.m. ET.
Click on each pick to jump to the full analysis.

Northern Illinois vs Kent State game info

• Location: Dix Stadium, Kent, OH
• Date: Thursday, November 3, 2021
• Time: 7:00 p.m. ET
• TV: ESPN 2

Northern Illinois vs Kent State betting preview

Weather

Be sure to monitor the gametime conditions with our NCAA football weather info.

Key injuries

Northern Illinois: Cole Tucker WR (Questionable), Harrison Waylee RB (Questionable), John Richardson K (Questionable). 
Kent State: No key injuries to report.
Find our latest NCAA football injury reports.

Betting trend to know

Northern Illinois is 7-0 ATS in its last seven games following a bye. Find more NCAA betting trends for Northern Illinois vs. Kent State.

Northern Illinois vs Kent State predictions

Northern Illinois +3.5 (-110)

Northern Illinois has been an under-the-radar great story in college football this season. After going 0-6 in their abbreviated season a year ago, the Huskies have gotten off to a 6-2 start which includes 4-0 in conference play, and have solid wins over Central Michigan and Toledo. NIU has also been one of the better bets in college football this season going 5-2-1 ATS.

On the other side, Kent State has bounced back after a slow start to the season thanks to an offense that has taken off since the start of conference play. The Flashes are 3-1 in MAC play with wins over Ohio and Buffalo. But the one loss was an ugly one, falling 64-31 to Western Michigan. 

The Kent State offense is led by quarterback Dustin Crum but this is a balanced unit, passing for 259 yards per game and rushing for 203. The Huskies will have to do a better job of pressuring Crum if they want to succeed, as they rank near the bottom of the conference in sacks. That said, Crum could have some issues against a defense that ranks fourth in the conference in defensive pass efficiency.

But the key to this game for NIU will be the ground attack. There are no surprises with the Huskies. They are going to hand the ball off and then hand the ball off some more. NIU ranks 10th in the country, rumbling for 232.8 yards per game, and is going against a Kent State defense that gives up more than 200 yards per game on the ground. In fact, the Flashes allowed more than 300 yards on the ground against Buffalo and Western Michigan.

While the Huskies don’t pass a lot, quarterback Rocky Lombardi has been solid when called upon. The Michigan State transfer has a 132.2 passer rating and has rushed for another 324 yards and five scores. 

However, running the ball is the name of the game for the Huskies here. They rank in the Top 10 in time of possession and will use the ground game to milk to clock and keep the ball out of Crum’s hands. On top of that, NIU is the better team in the red zone this season, ranking fourth to Kent State's 97th.

We lost a bit of value with the early money coming in on the Huskies but getting more than a field goal with what appears to be the better team is too much to say no to.

Under 66 (-110)

These are two of the best offenses the MAC has to offer this season, so it’s no surprise to see a total of 66 for this game. That said, the number appears a little too high. As we were just talking about, Northern Illinois will try to play the ball control game in order to keep the Kent State offense off the field as much as possible. 

While the Golden Flashes' offense is as explosive as any in the MAC, they still rely on the run game, attempting the fourth most rushes in the conference. And even though the Huskies' defense has improved quite a bit over the last month, the best way to attack them is still on the ground. So, with the running game being the emphasis for both teams, expect the clock to run quite a bit in this one and sneak Under the total.

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