Western Michigan vs Northern Illinois College Football Odds

Posted by Aaron . on November 18, 2015 in

This Wednesday, the Western Michigan Broncos visit the Northern Illinois Huskies for a relatively tight MAC West Division game. The Huskies (7-3) are favored to take this game by 2.5 points in the college football odds, and the over/under total is 61 points. These two teams both have 5-1 conference records, leaving them in a tie with Toledo atop the division standings. Western Michigan just had a five-game winning streak snapped when they lost to Bowling Green. Northern Illinois has won five straight games, most recently beating Buffalo 41-30.

Date/Time: Wednesday, November 18th, 8:00 PM
Location: Brigham Field at Huskie Stadium, DeKalb, Illinois
Odds: Northern Illinois -2½
TV:  ESPN2
Radio: AM 560 The Answer, WLBK AM 1360/FM 98.9, TuneIn
Listen to this Game Live Broadcast Here

 

Western Michigan lost because they have a hard time converting third downs. In their loss to Bowling Green, they only converted four out of 13 third downs. Bowling Green went seven for 15, and this difference was crucial in the outcome. Wide receiver Corey Davis told Yahoo! Sports, “When you’re playing a team as good as them you have to make those plays and come down with the ball and convert on third down and things like that. That’s something that we didn’t do.”

 

Davis did haul in 13 balls for 159 yards. The week before, against Ball State, he caught seven passes for 163 yards and three scores. He has more than 100 yards of receiving in four straight games now. Head coach P.J. Fleck told Yahoo! Sports, “We control our own destiny – very similar to everybody else. My goal for this football team was to make November matter. It matters just as much now as it did four hours ago and that’s all we can ask for.”

 

Western Michigan

 

Northern Illinois has won 11 games in each of the past two football seasons. The only other FBS team to do that has been the Oregon Ducks. The Huskies played in their last five consecutive conference championship games. Athletic director Sean Frazier told Yahoo! Sports, “At NIU, we’re going to have to be very true to who we are. We’re a Midwestern, tough-nosed football program. It’s a system. We’re true to our system. We understand what we want to do. It’s a system that all the coaches have kept.”

 

The system has been reliable no matter who is taking the snaps. Starting quarterback Drew Hare saw his season end on November 3 when he suffered an Achilles injury. Freshman Ryan Graham has come on in relief, throwing three touchdowns and one interception, completing 24 of 36 passing attempts and gaining 119 yards on the ground.

Northern Illinois Huskies

 

Betting Odds Trends

Western Michigan Broncos
  • Western Michigan is 16-6 ATS in its last 22 games
  • Western Michigan is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games
  • Western Michigan is 9-2 ATS in its last 11 games on the road
  • Western Michigan is 6-3 SU in its last 9 games on the road
  • The total has gone OVER in 5 of Western Michigan’s last 6 games on the road
  • Western Michigan is 1-5-2 ATS in its last 8 games when playing Northern Illinois
  • Western Michigan is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing Northern Illinois
  • The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Western Michigan’s last 10 games when playing Northern Illinois
  • Western Michigan is 1-7-1 ATS in its last 9 games when playing on the road against Northern Illinois
  • Western Michigan is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games when playing on the road against Northern Illinois
  • The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Western Michigan’s last 6 games when playing on the road against Northern Illinois
Northern Illinois Huskies
  • Northern Illinois is 4-0-1 ATS in its last 5 games
  • Northern Illinois is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
  • The total has gone OVER in 4 of Northern Illinois’s last 5 games
  • Northern Illinois is 2-5-1 ATS in its last 8 games at home
  • Northern Illinois is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home
  • The total has gone OVER in 5 of Northern Illinois’s last 6 games at home
  • Northern Illinois is 13-3-2 ATS in its last 18 games when playing Western Michigan
  • Northern Illinois is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Western Michigan
  • The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Northern Illinois’s last 10 games when playing Western Michigan
  • Northern Illinois is 7-1-1 ATS in its last 9 games when playing at home against Western Michigan
  • Northern Illinois is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games when playing at home against Western Michigan
  • The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Northern Illinois’s last 6 games when playing at home against Western Michigan

 

Western Michigan is 1-7-1 against the spread in their last nine games at Northern Illinois. With the over, they are 5-1 in their last six road contests. Northern Illinois is 4-0-1 against the spread in their last five games. They are 5-1-2 against the spread in the last eight contests with Western Michigan. In their last six home games, they are 5-1 over the total. All signs point to a Northern Illinois win here. I am taking them to win and cover.