Wednesday’s MACtion Tip Sheet

Yesterday's MAC picks went 2-1, as Akron was able to cover the number against Eastern Michigan and Ohio and Miami of Ohio teamed up to score more than 51 points in order to push their game over the total. Let's keep it rolling on Wednesday night with three more best bets.

Northern Illinois Huskies vs. Western Michigan Broncos

Date: Wednesday, November 9
Time: 7:00 p.m. ET
Venue: Waldo Stadium
Location: Kalamazoo, Michigan

Line: Western Michigan -1, O/U 49.5
Best Bet: Under 49.5

If the Western Michigan Broncos don't win their final three games this season, Tim Lester will finish with a losing record for the first time in his six years at the helm of the program. Lester took over in Kalamazoo in 2017 after being one of the best quarterbacks in school history in the late 1990s. His offenses have tended to be pretty good, but the Broncos have one of the worst offenses in the MAC this season, ranking 120th in SP+.

Four different quarterbacks have thrown at least five passes for the Broncos this year as Lester tries to make anything work. Jack Salopek has been the starting quarterback for most of the season, but he was replaced by true freshman Treyson Bourguet two weeks ago. In his two starts, Bourguet has completed 32 of 60 passes for 314 yards (5.2 YPA) with a touchdown and an interception.

Northern Illinois has a worse record than Western Michigan, but the Huskies are a better team than the Broncos. Although they also have used four quarterbacks at different points, they have been able to move the ball with 29.3 PPG and 389.9 YPG. Rocky Lombardi and Ethan Hampton seem to be unlikely to play due to injury, so look for freshman Nevan Cremascoli to be the starter for the second straight week. Cremascoli completed under 40% of his passes in his first start, so the Huskies will look to keep the ball on the ground.

The Under is the best bet in this game given the inexperienced quarterbacks under center.

Buffalo Bulls vs. Central Michigan Chippewas

Date: Wednesday, November 9
Time: 7:00 p.m. ET
Venue: Kelly/Shorts Stadium
Location: Mount Pleasant, Michigan

Line: Central Michigan -2.5, O/U 54
Best Bet: Buffalo +2.5

The Buffalo Bulls are looking to keep place with the Ohio Bobcats for first place in the MAC East Division. They will go on the road for the last time this season when they face the Central Michigan Chippewas on Wednesday night. Buffalo has won five of its last six games, but Central Michigan is the team favored to win here.

Daniel Richardson has looked great at times for Central Michigan. Richardson is completing 56.6% of his passes for 1,893 yards (6.2 YPA) with 15 touchdowns and five interceptions. That enabled this offense to perform well in non-conference games against Oklahoma State, Penn State, and South Alabama. Many expected him to thrive at the start of MAC play, but we haven't seen that come to fruition as he has struggled with his accuracy and hasn't been mobile in the pocket. Central Michigan is averaging under 4.0 YPC, so this offense needs Richardson to play well in order to move the chains.

Rutgers transfer Cole Snyder has showed some flashes during his first season with Buffalo. He wasn't great in last week's loss to Ohio, but he played a big role in the Bulls' five-game winnings streak. Additionally, the Bulls has a very good kicker in Alex McNulty, and he could prove to be a difference maker considering Bowling Green is making just 33.3% of its field goal attempts.

Kent State Golden Flashes vs. Bowling Green Falcons

Date: Wednesday, November 9
Time: 7:00 p.m. ET
Venue: Doyt L. Perry Stadium
Location: Bowling Green, Ohio

Line: Kent State -2.5, O/U 55.5
Best Bet: Over 55.5

Despite losing to an FCS team, Bowling Green is one win away from bowl eligibility after winning four of its last five games. It hasn't been pretty for the Falcons though, as three of those four wins have been by four points or less. That has them ranked 119th overall in SP+ even though Matt McDonald has been one of the better quarterbacks in the MAC.

Sean Lewis has been able to shoot some life into Kent State's program with two bowl appearances in the last three seasons. The Golden Flashes will need to win their last three games to make a bowl this season though. They played an extremely difficult non-conference schedule with games against Washington, Oklahoma, and Georgia, and they were able to deal Ohio their lone loss in conference play. However, the defense has been porous, surrendering at least 27 points against all of Kent State's FBS opponents.

The Golden Flashes have an excellent running back in Marquez Cooper, and he should be able to move the chains against an undersized Bowling Green front seven. Conversely, the Falcons should be able to drop 27 points against this team, leading to the Over play.