Northern Illinois Huskies vs Central Michigan Chippewas Prediction, Picks and Game Preview - 10/31/2023

Game Time: 7:00 pm ET, Tuesday, October 31, 2023

Venue:  Kelly/Shorts Stadium, Mt Pleasant, MI

Where to Watch:  ESPNU

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  NIU -5, CMU +5; Over/Under:  44.5 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  NIU -5.5, CMU +5.5; Over/Under:  44.5 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  NIU -5.5, CMU +5.5; Over/Under:  44.5 points

Northern Illinois Huskies:  4-4 (3-1) (2nd place, MAC West)

Central Michigan Chippewas:  4-4 (2-2) (3rd place, MAC West)

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Northern Illinois Huskies:  won their last game at home against the Eastern Michigan Eagles 20-13.

Central Michigan Chippewas:  lost their last game on the road against the Ball State Cardinals 24-17.

Northern Illinois is entering this game with a 4-4 record overall and they have a 3-1 record in their conference games too. They are 2-2 in their home games, 2-2 in their road games, and they are also 0-0 in their neutral site games this season, but they will be on the road for this game. They won their last game against Eastern Michigan 20-13. Rocky Lombardi was the starting QB and he completed 21/33 passes for 173 passing yards, 0 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions. Gavin Williams led the team in rushing yards with 80. Trayvon Rudolph led the receivers with 55 receiving yards on 7 receptions. Jaden Dolphin led the defense in that game with 4 solo tackles and 4 assisted tackles while James Ester, Devonte O'Malley, and Nevaeh Sanders each led the defense in sacks with 1. Devonte O'Malley and Cyrus McGarrell each came away with 1 interception for them in that game.

 

 

 

Central Michigan is entering this game with a 4-4 record overall and they have a 2-2 record in their conference games too. They are 3-0 in their home games, 1-4 in their road games, and they are also 0-0 in their neutral site games this season, but they will be at home for this game. They lost their last game against Ball State 24-17. Jase Bauer was the starting QB and he completed 19/31 passes for 161 passing yards, 1 touchdown, and 0 interceptions. Marion Lukes led the team in rushing yards with 58 and 1 TD. Tyson Davis led the receivers with 65 receiving yards on 6 receptions. Justin Whiteside led the defense in that game with 5 solo tackles and 3 assisted tackles while Maurice White led the defense in sacks with 1.5. No one on the defense came away with an interception for them in that game.

The current betting odds have Central Michigan listed as a 5.5 point underdog in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. Central Michigan hasn't been great this season with their 4-4 record overall and their 2-2 conference record but they have looked really good in their home games as they are 3-0 in those. Central Michigan is also coming off a bad loss against Ball State on the road and they will be looking to bounce back now they are back at home. Northern Illinois hasn't really been any better this season with their 4-4 record overall too but they are 3-1 in their conference games. This is a big game for them to stay in the division race but Central Michigan has been really good in their home games all season and they are better than the way they played in their loss to Ball State last week. They will be looking to bounce back at home and in this conference game even if they don't get the win here, CMU will keep it a really close game. The best way to place a bet here is on Central Michigan to cover the spread in this game. 

Northern Illinois Central Michigan Prediction:  Our NCAAF Pick for Tuesday, October 31, 2023 (7:00 pm ET start time) is NIU 23 CMU 20.

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Northern Illinois Huskies: 11-5 ATS in road games. 5-1 ATS off a home win. 9-4 ATS after playing a game at home. 31-17 UNDER off a home win against a conference rival. 12-4 UNDER off 2 consecutive home wins. 30-18 UNDER after allowing 14 points or less last game.

Central Michigan Chippewas: 5-11 ATS off 1 or more consecutive unders. 11-21 ATS off an upset loss as a favorite. 5-11 ATS after 1 or more consecutive losses against the spread. 11-5 UNDER off 1 or more consecutive unders. 6-1 UNDER off an upset loss as a road favorite.

Northern Illinois Huskies:  K. Rutkiewicz (WR) Ques Tues - Lower Body.

Central Michigan Chippewas:  M. Bailey (RB) Ques Tues - Ankle.

“We had a couple plays on the docket, and Rocky made his suggestion of the play he liked. When you make a suggestion, it better work, and he made the play. So we went with his play. He’s a coach on the field, he studies the film, he knew what was going to be open.” - Thomas Hammock after his team’s win against EMU in their last game. 

"These guys, they can see our shortcomings and we've got to overcome them. We're trying to create some explosive plays and it's something we haven't been able to do. We've got to take some more chances as we move forward to try to get a few of those." - Jim McElwain ahead of his team’s upcoming game against NIU this week.

WR Patterson, Davis 

WR Rudolph, Trayvon 

WR Barnes, Grayson 

TE Carter, Chris  

QB Lombardi, Rocky 

RB Brown, Antario 

FB Lampe, Brock

WR Parker, Chris 

WR Bracey Jr., Stephan 

WR Davis, Tyson  

TE Collier, Mitchel  

QB Bauer, Jase 

RB Bailey, Myles 

Passing: R. Lombardi (1360)

Rushing: A. Brown (674)

Receiving: K. Rutkiewicz (313)

Touchdowns: A. Brown (7)

Passing: J. Bauer (1221)

Rushing: M. Bailey (360)

Receiving: J. Prewitt III (379)

Touchdowns: J. Bauer (7) 

Coaches:

Northern Illinois Huskies: Thomas Hammock (5th season)

Central Michigan Chippewas: Jim McElwain (5th season)