Central Michigan vs. Western Michigan Prediction: Can We Trust Hayden Wolff, Broncos at Home?
Both teams in this matchup have had up and down seasons and Central Michigan comes into this road matchup after a huge home win against Northern Illinois as nearly a touchdown underdog. How will Central Michigan fare tonight? Let's break it down.
Joey Ruiz - November 7, 2023, 3:03 PM EST
7 minCentral Michigan vs. Western Michigan Prediction: Can We Trust Hayden Wolff, Broncos at Home?
Central Michigan enters this MACtion matchup with a record of 5-5 but their wins have come against New Hampshire (by three), South Alabama, EMU (by three), Akron (by seven), and NIU (by six). Now the wins against South Alabama and NIU are certainly quality wins as the Chips were underdogs in those games but their matchups with the lesser teams in the MAC are very concerning.
Central Michigan vs. Western Michigan Date, Time, And Where To Watch
- Date: Tuesday, November 7, 2023
- Game Time: 7:00 p.m. ET
- Where to Watch: ESPNU
Central Michigan vs. Western Michigan Prediction
Eastern Michigan is possibly a bottom three team in this conference, and they nearly went on the road and beat Central Michigan straight up. Central Michigan has also struggled on the road this season as they lost to Michigan State 31-7 after a very poor second half performance, they lost to Buffalo 37-13 as three-point favorites, and they lost to Ball State 24-17 as nearly six-point favorites. Now they have to go on the road to play a Western Michigan team who is much better than their 3-6 record may indicate.
Western Michigan has played a very tough schedule to this point which includes power five games against Syracuse, Iowa, and Mississippi State. They have also already played two of the better teams in the MAC in Miami (OH) and Toledo. They had Toledo on the ropes for a half as they were actually up at halftime 24-14 before faltering in the second half.
Western Michigan has had a bit of a carousel at the quarterback position this season, but it appears that the Broncos have found their starter going forward with Hayden Wolff. Wolff is a transfer from ODU who got his first chance against Mississippi State and lit it up against the SEC squad as he threw for 262 yards and three touchdowns on the road against a very solid defense. Wolff has only thrown two interceptions in his four games since becoming the main signal caller, so he has been doing a solid job of taking care of the football. Now he gets a favorable matchup against a very weak Central Michigan defense.
Central Michigan is currently ranked 113th in yards allowed per play (6.1), 110th in yards allowed per carry (4.9), and 93rd in yards allowed per passing attempt (7.9). Central Michigan is also 89th in the country in sack percentage so they have not been doing a good job of getting pressure on the quarterback, they haven't been stopping the run, and they have been giving up a lot of big plays. Central Michigan has also had issues with consistency this season as they have only won back-to-back games once this season and are 0-2 straight up and ATS after conference wins this season including really bad losses to Buffalo and Ball State.
The Central Michigan offense has struggled to sustain drives as they have been really bad on third down this season and Western Michigan has played some of their better ball at home this year. WMU beat Ball State 42-24 and crushed EMU 45-21, as their offense has been playing much better as of late. Western Michigan is also 5-1 ATS over their last six games and would be 6-1 ATS over their last seven if not for an insane front door cover by Iowa in the final seconds of that Week 3 matchup. With all of that being said, I am rolling with Western Michigan ML at -145 for 1.5U for my most confident college football play of the day for tonight's action as I think the Broncos get the job done at home tonight.
Central Michigan vs. Western Michigan Pick
1.5U Western Michigan ML -145 Click here to see which sportsbook has the best odds
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