Western Michigan vs. Northern Illinois Predictions, Picks & Odds Week 12: Will Huskies Buck Trend?

Check out our Western Michigan vs. Northern Illinois prediction for their Week 12 college football matchup based on the best NCAAF odds.

Mike Spector

Last updated: November 14, 2023 4:55 PM EST • 5 min read

The Western Michigan Broncos and Northern Illinois Huskies square off Tuesday in a battle of 3-3 MAC teams, and we offer our top Western Michigan vs. Northern Illinois prediction based on the best college football odds.

Western Michigan (4-6, 3-3 MAC) is currently one of four MAC teams to have won at least two straight games, and it aims to achieve its first three-game winning streak of the season. The Broncos' 194 points scored are the second-highest in the conference.

Meanwhile, Northern Illinois (4-6, 3-3 MAC) has suffered two consecutive losses after a three-game winning streak. Five of the Huskies' six losses have been by only one possession. The Huskies are 2-3 at home on the season.

Here is our best Western Michigan vs. Northern Illinois prediction and our college football picks (odds via our best college football betting sites; pick confidence based on a 1-to-5-star scale).

Western Michigan vs. Northern Illinois prediction: Week 12

Northern Illinois -4 (-110 via BetMGM) ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Northern Illinois has struggled mightily in the home favorite role, going 0-10 ATS in its last 10 such games. Now it faces a Western Michigan team amid its only winning streak of the season, having lost two of the previous three meetings with the Broncos, and the spread is climbing in the Huskies’ favor. Thus, we are excited to back the favorites and the sharp action, and we expect that 10-game coverless streak to end this week.

In what is projected to be a close game, we are backing the Huskies, as 80% of their games have been decided by 10 points or less.

Northern Illinois quarterback Rocky Lombardi is making his 50th career start. While he has an underwhelming 9-5 touchdown-to-interception ratio with a 58.2% completion percentage this year, those numbers improve mightily in conference play, as he has thrown eight touchdowns to one interception and completed 62.6% of his passes. Lombardi’s numbers should continue to improve when facing a Broncos defense that entered last week ranked 105th or worse in finishing drives, quality drives, and line yards, and it was 96th in pass success.

With the Northern Illinois defense ranking in the top 20 in the country in pass success, it is built to neutralize Western Michigan’s best offensive weapon, wide receiver Kenneth Womack, whose 66 receptions are 22 more than the next-closest MAC receiver.

Thus, we believe this is the week when the Huskies improve their poor rush defense metrics. Northern Illinois allowed 186 yards on the ground to Ball State (worse than its 167 yards per game average entering the week) but slightly improved from allowing 4.5 yards per carry to just 4.2 yards per carry last week. The Huskies will dare Broncos quarterback Hayden Wolff, who ranks ninth in the conference in passing yards, to beat them.

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Western Michigan vs. Northern Illinois best odds

BetMGM (-110)

DraftKings	FanDuel	BetMGM	Caesars	bet365
-5	-4.5	-4	-5	-5
-110	-115	-110	-110	-110

As Northern Illinois backers, it is a no-brainer to make BetMGM our preferred option among our best sports betting apps for this wager, as it is the only one that has yet to increase its line as high as its competitors. We would play this number to -4.5 and lay off at -5 or higher, considering a field goal has decided three of the previous four games between these teams.

For the best odds on this bet, be sure to use our exclusive BetMGM bonus code: SBRBONUS.

Western Michigan vs. Northern Illinois odds

Western Michigan vs. Northern Illinois odds analysis

All of our best sports betting sites have moved their lines in Northern Illinois’ favor, as they all had lines of Huskies -3 at some point. The early betting splits are 60/40 in favor of the Huskies despite Western Michigan having a much better ATS record (7-3 compared to Northern Illinois’ 4-6 ATS record).

DraftKings and bet365 offer a total of 55 points, while our other best sportsbooks are slightly higher at 55.5. The line dropped significantly at FanDuel, from an opening number of 56.5 on Friday morning down to 53.5 on Sunday afternoon, before rebounding two points higher over the next 24 hours. The betting splits are tilted heavily in support of the Over, with a 71/29 split.

Western Michigan vs. Northern Illinois game info

When: Tuesday, Nov. 14 at 7:00 p.m. ET
Where: Huskie Stadium, DeKalb, IL
How to watch: ESPNU
Weather: 59 degrees, 4% chance of precipitation, wind 13 mph S

Western Michigan-Northern Illinois prediction made 11/13/2023 at 9:10 a.m. ET.

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Written By:
Mike Spector

Mike started in the sports writing industry in July 2019, and gained a lot of followers in his first year after finishing with the No. 2 overall record in an annual NFL betting competition, which made picks against the spread, and from an Over/Under and moneyline perspective. Mike is an avid fan of the NFL, MLB, tennis, and all college sports. In his opinion, March Madness is the best sporting event there is, and he's especially euphoric starting with conference tournament time in college basketball. Mike's a big advocate of "fading the public" and making plays that are contrarian, constantly citing that "there are reasons why they have those big shiny buildings in Las Vegas." When making wagers, Mike always scours the best odds at all of the major sports betting sites, where he mostly sifts through DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM, and bet365. He's tried several others and is of the firm belief that bettors should not just stick to one sportsbook, as there is always likely better value to be had with the same wager. In addition, while Mike received his undergraduate degree from Villanova University, he has no issue betting against the Wildcats when it comes to college basketball wagering, and suggests other bettors should always put their “head” before their “hearts.”