The Central Michigan Chippewas (+14) are set to take on their in-conference rival Northern Illinois Huskies (-14) at Brigham Field at Huskie Stadium. Kickoff for this game is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. ET and interested parties can witness the action live on ESPN+.
Central Michigan Chippewas at Northern Illinois Huskies Betting Preview
In this Saturday Mid-American game, Northern Illinois has been projected as the big favorite and is currently giving up 14 points. The Chippewas are also receiving +500 moneyline odds while the Huskies are -735. Some good live betting opportunities could present themselves during the game.
The game’s opening line was -13, but early action has been leaning in favor of the Huskies.
The Chippewas are down 2.5 units this season and 1-1 against the spread (ATS). The team’s posted an O/U record of 1-1. The Huskies are down 2.0 units this year. The team is 1-1 ATS and owns an O/U record of 0-2.
The Chippewas have gone 0-2 straight up (SU) and they haven’t faced any MAC competition yet. The Huskies are 0-2 SU overall and are also 0-0 SU in conference play.
The Chippewas fell to Kansas 31-7 in a thumping where the passing attack left much to be desired as Tony Poljan completed just 18 passes on 32 attempts for 177 yards, one score and four interceptions. Jonathan Ward (29 yards on 10 rush attempts) and the signal-caller Poljan (43 yards on 10 carries) led the ground attack in the loss. Brandon Childress (four receptions, 35 yards) and Bernhard Raimann (three catches, 26 yards) shared the receiving duties.
Northern Illinois most recently lost a 17-6 game to Utah. The team’s defensive secondary allowed the Utes to air it out for 286 yards. Britain Covey had a productive outing for Utah, accounting for 129 yards on eight catches. For Northern Illinois, Marcus Childers completed 18-of-33 passes for 111 yards and one interception. Tre Harbison (63 yards on 13 rush attempts) and the signal-caller Childers (12 yards on 12 carries) spearheaded the ground attack in the defeat while Jauan Wesley (eight receptions, 73 yards) and D.J. Brown (four catches, 23 yards) led the pass-catching corps.
Central Michigan has run the ball on 53.2 percent of its offensive possessions this year while Northern Illinois has a rush percentage of 57.2 percent. The Chippewas have run for 111 yards per game and have one score via handoffs this year. The Huskies are putting up 109 rushing yards per game and have yet to record a rush TD.
The Chippewas offense has averaged 157 yards in the air overall and has only one passing TD so far. The Huskies have put up 111 pass yards per outing and also have only one pass score.
On the defensive side of the ball, Central Michigan appears to have the upper hand when it comes to limiting the pass. The team has allowed 258 rush yards and 137 pass yards per game. The Northern Illinois defense has allowed 214.5 yards per game to opposing passers and 138.5 yards per game to opposing runners. The Chippewas are allowing an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of just 3.79 to opponents, while the Huskies have given up a 5.75 ANY/A.
Offensively, Poljan has amassed 177 passing yards this year. He’s connected on 56 percent of his 32 attempts with one passing scores and four interceptions. He’s got a 0.30 adjusted net yards per pass attempt overall, although that number sits at 2.11 over the past two games.
Look for a balanced attack offensively from Central Michigan in this one. Cameron Cole, Tony Poljan and Kumehnnu Gwilly have collectively accounted for 264 yards from scrimmage over the last couple of outings.
Marcus Childers has completed 18-of-33 passes for 111 yards, zero TDs and one INT for Northern Illinois. His ANY/A stands at a terrible 0.81 for the year and 1.00 over his last two outings.
We’re thinking the Huskies will control tempo by getting the ball into the hands of their running backs. In addition to Jauan Wesley (73 receiving yards this season), Tre Harbison (63 rush yards) and Jordan Nettles (29 rush yards) have been significant factors in the Northern Illinois offense.
These two teams met a year ago with the final result being a 31-24 win for Central Michigan.
Free NCAA Betting Tip: Central Michigan Chippewas vs. Northern Illinois Huskies
SU Winner – Northern Illinois, ATS Winner – Northern Illinois
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Notes
Team Betting Trends
Both passing attacks have produced zero pass plays of 40 or more yards. The Chippewas have have made two pass plays of 30+ yards while the Huskies have created zero such plays.
The Central Michigan defense has allowed zero pass plays of 40 or more yards, while Northern Illinois has given up two such plays.
Both defenses have produced zero rushing plays of 20 or more yards. The Central Michigan offense has recorded six running plays of 10+ yards while Northern Illinois has accounted for 10 such plays.
The Chippewas defense has allowed five rushing plays of 20 or more yards, while the Huskies have given up three such runs.
The Northern Illinois defense has sacked opposing quarterbacks seven times this year. Central Michigan has recorded two sacks.
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