Central Michigan vs. Northern Illinois Picks, Predictions College Football Week 10: Running Backs to Shine
The Central Michigan Chippewas won six of the last eight meetings against the Northern Illiniois Huskies and covered the spread seven times but lost on both fronts last year. Read on for our Central Michigan-Northern Illinois picks for Wednesday's clash.
Coming into this matchup, Central Michigan (2-5-1 ATS, 3-5 O/U) has only one conference win on the 2022 college football season. That victory over Akron three weeks ago is also CMU’s only win over an FBS opponent. The Chippewas lost by 16 at home to Bowling Green last time out but had a bye week to recover ahead of this midweek battle.
Despite winning the MAC Championship last year, Northern Illinois (3-5 ATS, 6-2 O/U) has also struggled in league play with a 1-3 conference record.
Here are our college football picks for the Week 10 matchup between Central Michigan and Northern Illinois (odds via FanDuel Sportsbook and DraftKings Sportsbook; pick confidence based on a 1-to-5 star scale).
Central Michigan vs. Northern Illinois Game Info
Date: Wednesday, Nov. 2, 7 p.m. ET
TV: ESPNU
Location: Huskie Stadium, DeKalb, IL
Weather: 55 degrees, 0% chance of precipitation, 6-8-mph winds SE
Central Michigan vs. Northern Illinois Odds
Central Michigan vs. Northern Illinois Odds Analysis
Northern Illinois opened as a consensus 4-point favorite at home but that spread has grown to 6 points as of Wednesday morning with the Huskies drawing 74% of the tickets and 62% of the handle.
The Over/Under has also ticked up from the opening line of 55 to 56.5. The Over has drawn 76% of the handle on 77% of the tickets.Northern
Central Michigan vs. Northern Illinois Picks
Central Michigan vs. Northern Illinois ATS Pick
Northern Illinois -3.5 (-114) ★★★
In reality, Northern Illinois was at least a year ahead of schedule winning the MAC Championship last season. Coach Thomas Hammock returned 18 starters (nine on both offense and defense) for the 2022 season, so many felt that the Huskies could be even better than a season ago.
Unfortunately, the defense proved to be a major liability for the first six weeks of the season. Even after stronger efforts in the last two games, the Huskies still only rank 126th in the country in overall defensive efficiency.
The other issue that has bitten NIU this season is injuries at the quarterback position. Not only has senior Rocky Lombardi missed multiple games, but backup Ethan Hampton has also missed time. Both players were unavailable two weeks ago, which resulted in Justin Lynch getting the start and he only completed 50% of his passes in a losing effort.
With more than a week in between games, one has to believe that at least one of Lombardi or Hampton will be able to go for Northern Illinois on Wednesday night. Regardless of who is under center for the Huskies, the offense is predicated on running the football.
Sophomores Harrison Waylee and Antario Brown combine to form one of the MAC’s top backfields. Northern Illinois comes in averaging 204.4 rushing yards per game as a team, good for 20th in all of college football. This RB duo figures to have an edge against Central Michigan’s lackluster defense.
Central Michigan vs. Northern Illinois O/U Pick
Over 55.5 (-110) ★★
It should be noted that betting the Over is predicated on Northern Illinois having either Lombardi or Hampton back under center. The Huskies will likely have to account for the majority of the scoring given how disappointing Central Michigan has been offensively this season.
The Chippewas have been sputtering so badly in recent weeks that Jim McElwain opted to rotate quarterbacks in the most recent game. Both starter Daniel Richardson and backup Jase Bauer saw playing time against Bowling Green. It still only produced 18 total points.
Fortunately, Central Michigan should have star running back Lew Nichols III back on Wednesday after he was held out two weeks ago with an undisclosed injury. The reigning MAC Freshman of the Year is a critical component of the Chippewas’ offense. Of course, facing a bad NIU defense will also be helpful.
With neither team’s defense inspiring much confidence, a shootout could very well be in the cards. It’s also worth noting the up-tempo pace that CMU prefers to play at. The Chippewas come in tied for 15th with an average of 77.6 offensive plays per game. Northern Illinois also ranks in the upper half of college football in this statistic.
Central Michigan vs. Northern Illinois Prop Pick
Northern Illinois Over 29.5 (-115) ★★★
Northern Illinois should have little difficulty in finding its way to 30 points in this matchup. Excluding two games against SEC competition, the Huskies have scored at least 32 points in all but one game this season.
It’s hard to imagine that a young Central Michigan defense will be able to slow NIU down for a full 60 minutes. The Chippewas come in having allowed 33-plus points in all but two games against FBS-level competition this season. The two teams that fell short were Akron and Ball State. Neither of those schools possesses the same caliber of offensive weapons as the Huskies.
Where to Bet on Central Michigan vs. Northern Illinois Picks
Here are our top-rated sportsbooks:
Central Michigan-Northern Illinois picks made 11/01/2022 at 3:50 p.m. ET.
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