Western Michigan vs. Northern Illinois Prediction: Can Rocky Lombardi, Huskies Bounce Back Against Broncos?
The Northern Illinois Huskies take on the Western Michigan Broncos for Tuesday night MACtion. Can Rocky Lombardi and the Huskies stop the losing skid with a bounce back win against the Broncos? Ben Rajavuori breaks down the MAC clash.
Ben Rajavuori - November 14, 2023, 5:22 PM EST
5 minWestern Michigan vs. Northern Illinois Prediction: Can Rocky Lombardi, Huskies Bounce Back Against Broncos?
One of the best parts of every week is MACtion, because it saves our midweek from being football-less, branching the gap from Monday night football to Thursday night football and the weekend college football slate. Midwest football is a beautiful thing for saving our midweeks, and we must bet on it to show we are grateful. It just so happens that one of my favorite plays across all the sports today is on one of these MACtion games, and we head to DeKalb, Illinois, for this one. The Northern Illinois Huskies host the Western Michigan Broncos, with both looking to become bowl-eligible.
Western Michigan vs. Northern Illinois Date, Time, And Where To Watch
- Date: November 14, 2023
- Game Time: 7:00 p.m. ET
- Where to Watch: ESPNU
Western Michigan vs. Northern Illinois Odds
- Spread: Western Michigan +4.5 (-110), Northern Illinois -4.5 (-110)
- Total Odds: Under 56.5 (-105), Over 56.5 (-115)
- Moneyline Odds: Western Michigan (+164), Northern Illinois (-200)
Western Michigan vs. Northern Illinois Prediction
There are 19 teams with four wins left in the FBS. Right now, there are 58 teams that are bowl-eligible. That means any team that can finish 2-0 at this point is basically in. That is the case for both Western Michigan and Northern Illinois, who are both 4-6 on the season. Technically, either team could still make a bowl game if not enough teams are bowl-eligible, but that's not a sure thing.
Rocky Lombardi and the Northern Illinois Huskies will look to go bowling for the second time since 2018 if they can win their last two games. They have a pretty favorable schedule, as they play tonight against the 4-6 Broncos at home and then play Kent State, who is 1-9 on the season. Even though they have lost two in a row, their last two games are very winnable.
Rocky Lombardi is playing in what feels like his 10th season of college football. The super senior is actually playing in his sixth year, and his third at Northern Illinois. He brings veteran experience to the team, although they run the ball a lot, and they are good at it. The Huskies rank 15th in the nation with 5.2 yards per rush, and Antario Brown has been their standout star with 916 rush yards on the season, averaging 5.9 yards per carry.
The Huskies have had some bad luck the last few weeks, which has led to two losses in a row. While they have moved the ball well, especially on the ground, turnovers have cost the Huskies. They lost 20-17 to Ball State last week, despite outgaining the Cardinals. However, NIU had three turnovers to Ball State's zero, which was the difference in the end. The week before, NIU outgained Central Michigan 506-447, but lost by six. Again the Huskies had three turnovers and CMU had zero, which proved to be the defining factor.
Before the last two weeks, NIU had been good at taking care of the ball, so the last two weeks have been anomalies. Even after six turnovers in two weeks, the Huskies still only average 1.6 giveaways per game, which is 61st in football. Before two weeks ago, the Huskies had nine total turnovers in eight games, averaging 1.1 turnovers per game. I think they are due for a correction and will limit their turnovers in this game.
NIU has played well in conference play this season, despite their bad losses the last few weeks, but both of them can be attributed to ugly turnovers that are fixable. Rocky Lombardi is a veteran QB who has done well through the air, and Brown has been killing it on the ground. This is a team that is better than 4-6, and despite matching Western Michigan at 4-6, they are a much better team, especially with home-field advantage. I'm backing the Huskies to get back on track and get bowl-eligible with a win this week and another one next week against Kent State.
Western Michigan vs. Northern Illinois Pick
2 Unit Pick: Northern Illinois -4 -110 is currently the best odds. Click here to see which sportsbook has the best odds
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