Wednesday Night MACtion
The MAC continues to be in the spotlight on Wednesday night with three games in the penultimate week of the regular season. We saw a thriller last night between Toledo and Bowling Green, and we could see similar fireworks tonight. There is a 4-6 team desperate to become bowl eligible in each of these three games, so we will see them pull out all the stops.
Eastern Michigan Eagles vs. Kent State Golden Flashes
Date: Wednesday, November 16
Time: 6:00 p.m. ET
Venue: Dix Stadium
Location: Kent, Ohio
Line: Kent State -7.5, O/U 59
Best Bet: Eastern Michigan +7.5
Sean Lewis and the Kent State Golden Flashes are looking to become bowl eligible for the third straight non-COVID shortened season. Lewis led Kent State to seven wins and a bowl appearance in 2019 and 2021, but the Golden Flashes are just 4-6 headed into this game. They shredded Bowling Green by 34 points last week, leading to Kent State being more than a touchdown favorite by the college football betting odds on Wednesday.
Kent State is ranked 73rd in Offensive SP+. Running back Marquez Cooper is one of the top rushers in the conference with 1,106 yards (4.7 YPC) and nine touchdowns. Dante Cephas and Devontez Walker are the two top receivers in this offense averaging over 15.0 YPR apiece, while Collin Schlee has had a nice season under center for this team. Eastern Michigan's defense is allowing just 5.3 yards per play though, as this secondary has been solid.
Austin Smith might be the starting quarterback for Eastern Michigan as he got the start in last week's win over Akron in place of transfer Taylor Powell. Smith isn't as good of a passer as Powell, but he is a much better runner, and he is the future of the team as a sophomore. Whoever is under center should be able to keep this game within the number though given Eastern Michigan's defensive prowess.
Wednesday's MACtion Best Bets
Miami (Ohio) RedHawks vs. Northern Illinois Huskies
Date: Wednesday, November 16
Time: 7:00 p.m. ET
Venue: Huskie Stadium
Location: DeKalb, Illinois
Line: Northern Illinois -1, O/U 45.5
Best Bet: Miami (OH) +1
The only thing the Northern Illinois Huskies can do at this point of the season is to play spoiler. They are 3-7 and eliminated from bowl contention, but that didn't stop them from going on the road to knock off Western Michigan last week. However, the quarterback situation is dismal to say the least as four different players have thrown at least 20 passes for the Huskies. Nevan Cremascoli got the start last time out, but he completed just 8 of 17 passes for 133 yards with a touchdown and three interceptions.
Northern Illinois wants to keep the ball on the ground, but Miami (OH) has one of the best defenses in the conference. The RedHawks are allowing just 3.5 YPC, and they can make plays with 25 sacks, 11 forced fumbles, and seven interceptions on the season. Brett Gabbert has made this offense much better since his return too, giving the RedHawks some bit on offense. Gabbert was one of the top quarterbacks in the MAC in 2021, and he is completing 64.3% of his passes for 7.1 YPA with four touchdowns and no interceptions in four starts this year.
Western Michigan Broncos vs. Central Michigan Chippewas
Date: Wednesday, November 16
Time: 8:00 p.m. ET
Venue: Kelly/Shorts Stadium
Location: Mount Pleasant, Michigan
Line: Central Michigan -10.5, O/U 49.5
Best Bet: Under 49.5
The Western Michigan Broncos have won eight of their last 11 games against the Central Michigan Chippewas. However, Central Michigan looks to be the better team this year and appears likely to win consecutive games in this series for the first time in 12 years. The Chips have won three of their last four games to keep their postseason hopes alive, and they came back from a 17-point deficit to beat Buffalo last week.
Daniel Richardson is the nominal starting quarterback for Central Michigan, but we saw Bert Emanuel Jr. do a lot last week, carrying the ball 24 times for 293 yards and three touchdowns. We are likely to see a good amount of Emanuel this week given that success, yet Richardson is still penciled in as the starter.
Treyson Bourguet has been the starting quarterback for Western Michigan since Jack Salopek threw five interceptions in a loss to Ohio a few weeks ago. Bourguet isn't very accurate, and he doesn't run the ball very effectively, putting the clamps on this offense. The Broncos' last three games have all had 45 total points or less given the limitations of Bourguet, so the Under remains a strong play.