The Buffalo Bulls (-4) are entering the MAC Championship Game as favorites as they prepare to battle the Northern Illinois Huskies. ESPN2 will televise the action and kickoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. ET.
Betting Preview: Buffalo Bulls vs. Northern Illinois Huskies
In this Friday Mid-American matchup, Buffalo has been labeled as the favorite and is currently giving up 4 points. The Huskies are also receiving +155 moneyline odds while the Bulls are -175. Oddsmakers have placed the over/under (O/U) at 49 points. There should be some good live betting opportunities for the game.
This game’s opening line was -4. The over/under hasn’t moved since it opened at 49.
The Huskies have gained 0.7 units so far and are 6-6 against the spread (ATS). They’ve been a good under bet and have posted an O/U record of 2-9-1.
The surprising Bulls are up 6.0 units this season. They’re 9-3 ATS and own an O/U record of 8-3.
The Huskies are 7-5 straight up (SU), including 6-2 SU against MAC opponents. The Bulls are 10-2 SU overall and are also 7-1 SU in conference play.
The Huskies lost to Western Michigan 28-21 in a contest where the passing attack could’ve been sharper as Marcus Childers completed 14 passes for only 156 yards, one score and two interceptions. Childers (53 rushing yards on 22 attempts, one TD) also led the ground attack and was complemented by Tre Harbison (43 yards on 16 carries). Spencer Tears (six receptions, 84 yards, one TD) and D.J. Brown (five catches, 30 yards) shared the receiving duties in the defeat.
Buffalo enters this one having just earned a 44-14 win over Bowling Green. The team’s defense held its ground in the victory, keeping the Falcons to only 147 passing yards and 58 rushing yards. Scott Miller had a good showing in the loss, recording 115 yards and two touchdowns on four catches for Bowling Green. For Buffalo, Tyree Jackson completed 12-of-20 passes for 151 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Kevin Marks (63 rushing yards on 21 attempts, two TDs) and Emmanuel Reed (109 yards on 15 carries) spearheaded the running game while Anthony Johnson (four receptions, 26 yards) and Marks (three catches, 18 yards) led the pass-catching attack in the win.
Looking at offensive play-calling, each of these squads sports a similar run-pass ratio on the season. Northern Illinois has run the ball on 60.5 percent of its offensive possessions while Buffalo has a rush percentage of 59.4. The Huskies have rushed for 176.7 yards/game (including 225.9 per game against Mid-American opponents) and have 16 touchdowns on the ground this year. The Bulls are putting up 200.3 rush yards per game (226.6 in conference) and have 32 total rushing TDs.
The Huskies offense has logged 141.3 yards per game in the air overall (143.1 per game versus conference opposition) and has 11 passing TDs so far. The Bulls have recorded 219.1 pass yards per contest (217 against MAC competition) and have 25 total pass scores.
Defensively, Northern Illinois has allowed opponents to run for an average of 107.0 yards and pass for 237.0 yards per game. The Buffalo defense has allowed 174.9 yards per game to opposing passers and 169.5 yards per game to opposing runners. The Bulls are giving up an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of only 4.65 to opposing QBs, while the Huskies have allowed a 5.36 ANY/A.
Offensively, Childers is up to 1,539 passing yards on the year, and has completed 176-of-303 attempts with 11 passing scores and eight interceptions. He has a 3.41 adjusted net yards per pass attempt, including 2.62 over the last two games.
Tyree Jackson has completed 178-of-316 passes for 2,489 yards, 25 TDs and nine INTs for Buffalo. His ANY/A stands at 7.87 for the year and 3.71 over his last two outings.
These two teams met last year with the final outcome being a 14-13 win for Northern Illinois.
Northern Illinois Huskies vs. Buffalo Bulls NCAA Tip
SU Winner: Buffalo, ATS Winner: Buffalo, O/U: Under
Team Betting Trends
- The O/U for Northern Illinois’ last game was set at 49. The O/U pushed in the team’s 28-21 defeat to Western Michigan.
- Northern Illinois, as a team, has averaged 5.0 yards per rush attempt across its last three outings and 4.0 over its last two.
- Buffalo has averaged 6.0 yards per carry over its last three matchups and 5.8 over its last two.
- The Buffalo offense has lost four fumbles this season while Northern Illinois has let seven get away.
- Over its last three contests, Northern Illinois is 1-2 ATS and the under cashed in two of those three.
- The Over/Under for Buffalo’s last matchup was set at 62.5. The under cashed in the team’s 44-14 victory over Bowling Green.
- In its last three matches, Buffalo is 2-1 ATS and the over cashed in two of those three.
- Buffalo has won seven of its last eight games SU, with a -35-point defeat to Ohio on November 14th accounting for its only loss over that stretch.
- The Huskies offense has produced two pass plays of 40+ yards, while the Bulls have put up 14 such plays.
- The Northern Illinois defense has allowed eight pass plays of 40 or more yards, while Buffalo has given up nine such plays.
- Both defenses have produced 16 rushing plays of 20 or more yards. The Northern Illinois offense has recorded 65 running plays of 10+ yards while Buffalo has accounted for 73 such plays.
- The Huskies defense has allowed eight rushing plays of 20 or more yards, while the Bulls have given up 15 such runs.
- The Northern Illinois defense has sacked opposing QBs 45 times this year. Buffalo has registered just 30 sacks.
