Teams looking to finish the regular season strong meet when the Western Michigan Broncos battle the Northern Illinois Huskies in MACtion action on Tuesday night. The Broncos (6-5, 3-4) have lost three of four after a 2-1 start to the conference slate. The Huskies (8-3, 6-1), who lost all six of their conference games in 2020, have won seven of eight. Nine of their games have been decided by one score, including seven wins.
The game from Huskie Stadium in DeKalb, Ill., is slated to start at 7 p.m. ET. Western Michigan is averaging 446.6 yards of offense per game this season, 26th-best in the nation, while Northern Illinois averages 438.8, tied for 36th-best. The Broncos are favored by 3.5 points in the latest Western Michigan vs. Northern Illinois odds from Caesars Sportsbook, while the over-under for total points scored is 63. Before locking in any Northern Illinois vs. Western Michigan picks or MACtion predictions, you need to see what the SportsLine Projection Model has to say.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every FBS college football game 10,000 times. Over the past five-plus years, the proprietary computer model has generated a stunning profit of almost $3,700 for $100 players on its top-rated college football picks against the spread. It also enters Week 13 of the 2021 season on a 39-25 run on all top-rated college football side picks. Anyone who has followed it has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on Northern Illinois vs. Western Michigan and locked in its MACtion picks and predictions. You can visit SportsLine now to see the model’s picks. Here are the odds and college football betting lines for Western Michigan vs. NIU:
- Western Michigan vs. Northern Illinois spread: Western Michigan -3.5
- Western Michigan vs. Northern Illinois over-under: 63 points
- Western Michigan vs. Northern Illinois money line: Western Michigan -170, Northern Illinois +145
- WMU: The Broncos are 5-2-1 against the spread vs. a team with a winning record
- NIU: The Huskies are 6-2 ATS in their last eight games overall
Featured Game | Northern Illinois Huskies vs. Western Michigan Broncos
Why Western Michigan can cover
The Broncos have an explosive rushing attack. Sophomore running back Sean Tyler leads the team in rushing yards with 889 on 147 carries (6.0 average) and has scored eight touchdowns. Tyler has scored at least one touchdown in each of his last five games. In last week’s loss to Eastern Michigan, Tyler carried 10 times for 52 yards and a touchdown. His best game this season was Oct. 16 against Kent State. In that game he carried 17 times for 169 yards and one touchdown.
Also giving opposing defenses fits is junior running back La’Darius Jefferson. Jefferson has a team-high 10 touchdowns on 175 carries for 766 yards (4.4 average). He carried 12 times for 86 yards at Eastern Michigan last week, including a long run of 22 yards. Against Akron on Nov. 9, he rushed 19 times for 99 yards (5.2 average). His best game was on Sept. 11 against Illinois State when he carried 18 times for 106 yards and two touchdowns.
Why Northern Illinois can cover
Despite that, the Broncos are not a lock to cover the Western Michigan vs. Northern Illinois spread. That’s because the Huskies claimed their seventh one-score victory of the season last week at Buffalo. Dual-threat junior quarterback Rocky Lombardi powers the Huskies, completing 173 of 295 passes (58.6 percent) for 2,314 yards and 13 touchdowns with seven interceptions and a rating of 134.3. He has also rushed 78 times for 390 yards (5.0 average) and five TDs.
Freshman running back Jay Ducker continues to be a force. He has rushed for 788 yards on 152 carries (5.2 average) and three TDs. He has rushed for 100 or more yards in four of the last five games, including a 33-carry, 210-yard effort against Bowling Green on Oct. 16. At Kent State on Nov. 3, Ducker scored a pair of touchdowns on 19 carries for 101 yards (5.3 average). Against Ball State on Nov. 10, he rushed for 155 yards on 24 attempts (6.5 average) and one TD.
How to make Western Michigan vs. Northern Illinois picks
SportsLine’s model is leaning over on the total, projecting 73 combined points. It also has generated an against-the-spread pick that cashes in almost 60 percent of simulations. You can only get the model’s picks at SportsLine.
So who wins NIU vs. Western Michigan? And which side of the spread hits nearly 60 percent of the time? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the spread to back, all from the advanced model that has crushed its college football picks, and find out.
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