Central Michigan vs. Ohio Prediction: Can Jase Bauer, Chippewas Keep it Close with Bobcats Early?
The Central Michigan Chippewas will go on the road to take on the Ohio Bobcats in Wednesday night MACtion. Can Jase Bauer and the Chippewas keep this close with Ohio in a potentially low-scoring battle? Joey Ruiz breaks it down.
Joey Ruiz - November 15, 2023, 5:28 PM EST
5 minCentral Michigan vs. Ohio Prediction: Can Jase Bauer, Chippewas Keep it Close with Bobcats Early?
Central Michigan dropped a thriller last week against Western Michigan, in a game where they erased a two-touchdown deficit to take a lead in the 4th quarter at one point. How will they fare tonight against a vaunted Ohio defense? Let's break it down.
Central Michigan vs. Ohio Date, Time, And Where To Watch
- Date: November 15, 2023
- Game Time: 7:00 p.m. ET
- Where to Watch: ESPNU
Central Michigan vs. Ohio Odds
- Spread: Central Michigan +11 (-110), Ohio -11 (-109)
- Total Odds: O/U 47 (-110)
- Moneyline Odds: Central Michigan (+350), Ohio (-425)
Central Michigan vs. Ohio Prediction
Central Michigan has had a very up and down season to this point but one thing they have done an excellent job with this season is bouncing back after a loss. CMU has yet to lose two games in a row on the season, and they also had a fairly tough non-conference schedule to this point as they played Notre Dame, South Alabama, and Michigan State and were competitive in each of those games.
CMU has also been especially good in the first half of these bounce back games, particularly as an underdog. In games as a betting underdog this season of over a field goal (3+), they are 4-0 ATS in the first half and 3-1 ATS full game, including a straight up win on the road against South Alabama as 14.5-point underdogs.
Tonight, they face an Ohio team who is one of the better teams in the MAC but have been very inconsistent in conference play as they have failed to score more than 20+ points in any of their last four games against Buffalo, Miami OH, WMU, and NIU. Other than Miami OH, those are all middle of the pack to below average defenses and Ohio has still struggled to move the ball with success.
Ohio is also one of the slower teams in the country as they are averaging 28.5 seconds per play which is ranked 112th in the country. The dynamic of this game reminds me a lot of Ohio's home matchups against Western Michigan and Miami OH. In those games, Ohio was a 16.5-point favorite against the Broncos and an 8-point favorite against the Redhawks. Against WMU, they were only up 6-0 at HT and barely escaped with a 20-17 win and allowed 369 total yards as the Broncos covered the spread easily. In their next matchup against Miami (OH), they lost 30-16 as they were down 13-9 at halftime as the RedHawks covered easily.
The Central Michigan defense is a below average unit, but Ohio has been a mess lately on offense and has continued to shoot themselves in the foot. I do not see the Bobcats solving all of their offensive issues tonight against a CMU team who has been excellent off a loss this season.
With that being said, I am rolling with Central Michigan first half +7 at -119 odds, and the full game under 48.5 at -110 odds for 1.5U each. These are two of my most confident college football plays of the day, as I think this is a lower scoring and tighter game than some people may expect.
Central Michigan vs. Ohio Betting Pick
Pick: Central Michigan 1H +7 -119 Click here to see which sportsbook has the best odds
Pick: CMU/Ohio Under 48.5 -110 Click here to see which sportsbook has the best odds
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