Central Michigan University (3-3, 1-1 MAC) at Northern Illinois University (4-1, 1-0 MAC)
The CMU Chippewas travel to DeKalb, Ill., to face the NIU Huskies on Saturday. Both teams have hopes of moving up the standings in the Mid-American Conference Western Division. The Chippewas come into Saturday’s game after snapping a three-game losing streak last Saturday with a 28-10 win over Ohio. Meanwhile, the Huskies enter the game with a strong 4-1 start, despite struggling with Kent State last week. NIU possesses one of the strongest running offenses in the entire nation, ranked 17th for 256 rush yards per game. CMU also has a formidable running game on the back of running back Thomas Rawls who, coming off a short suspension, has gained 570 yards with seven touchdowns in four games.
Pick: Huskies 38 – Chippewas 24
Western Michigan University (2-3, 0-1 MAC) at Ball State University (1-4, 0-1 MAC)
Both teams enter Saturday’s game in Muncie, Ind., looking to snap a losing streak. Ball State has lost four games in a row while the Broncos of Western Michigan is looking to break its two game slide. The key to the matchup is in favor of the team that finishes better, as both have lost many close games early on this season. WMU is looking to bounce back from a 20-19 loss in overtime last week to Toledo after a missed extra point in overtime sealed the defeat. The odds are in the Broncos’ favor, as the Cardinals have given up a total of 743 yards on the ground the last two weeks, while WMU has shown that it can be a strong offense early on this season.
Pick: Broncos 40 – Cardinals 35
Bowling Green (4-2, 2-0) at Ohio (3-3, 1-1)
The Falcons of Bowling Green take on the Ohio Bobcats on the road after winning back-to-back shootouts. The Falcons defeated Buffalo last week 36-35 while winning at UMass the week prior 47-42. The Bobcats struggled at Central Michigan last week, losing 28-10 and now faces a tough task of keeping up with Bowling Green’s high-powered offense. The Falcons are currently ranked 20thin the country with 319 passing yards per game while scoring 37 points per game. Bowling Green only has one game where 30 points weren’t scored on offense, while Ohio only has two games with 30 points scored from their offense.
Pick: Falcons 45 – Bobcats 17
Other Games Around the MAC:
Miami University-Ohio at Akron
University of Massachusetts at Kent State University
University of Toledo at Iowa State
