Northern Illinois at Western Michigan | College Football Picks, Best Bets

The final game in week one of MACtion is the headliner: 4-0 Western Michigan hosting the Northern Illinois Huskies in Kalamazoo on Wednesday night. After shocking Notre Dame, things have not gone well for NIU, and they have slipped to just 1-3 in the league and 4-4 overall. The offense is the conference’s worst, as they have scored only 66 points through four league games. Western Michigan comes in at the top of the MAC in offense, racking up 179 points through four games and scoring at least 45 three separate times in league play. Veteran Hayden Wolff is completing nearly 70 percent of his passes, and Jaden Nixon is possibly the MAC’s best running back, averaging 7.2 yards per carry with ten rushing touchdowns. Northern Illinois’ offensive woes will find no cure, and they cannot keep up with Western Michigan’s attack. Despite this, the Huskies are favored by 2.5 on the road.

We’ve got you covered with our favorite plays from Wednesday’s showdown.

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Where to Watch Northern Illinois at Western Michigan

• Location: Waldo Stadium, Kalamazoo, MI
• Time: Wednesday, 7:00 pm | Where to Watch: ESPN2
• Spread: NIU (-2) | Moneyline: NIU -132/WMU +110 | Total: 52.5

NIU at WMU Best Bet ATS: WMU (+2.5) and OVER 52.5

The SportsGrid model has a pair of five-star projections on this game. Seeing Northern Illinois favored gives one pause, but the model is not scared and loves the Western Michigan Broncos to cover that short spread. The moneyline is +110 and makes a lot of sense. Northern Illinois has struggled on offense but still has one of the league’s best defenses, and it should be a real fight between the WMU offense and the NIU defense. The Huskies are just 1-3 in the MAC and lost to Ball State, so the team that beat Notre Dame should not be at the forefront of your mind. The model feels confident in riding with the Broncos. 

Check out SportsGrid’s models CFB Best Bets here.

NIU at WMU Best Player Props

The SportsGrid also has five-star plays on individual player props to spice up your Wednesday night. Northern Illinois has not had a fun time on offense in conference play but will need to be aggressive to keep up with Western Michigan. The model thinks the Huskies will try to control the ball on the ground to keep the WMU attack on the bench. That means grabbing Antario Brown to exceed his posted total of 79.5 rushing yards with a projected outcome of 103 yards! That is an easy over. The model also likes WMU quarterback Hayden Wolff to go over his number of 192.5 passing yards and at +500 to score an anytime touchdown (rushing or receiving). 

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