Northern Illinois gave up 40 points at Iowa, and a defense that soft is the obvious reason to be nervous about an under. The answer is on Arizona's side of the ball: the Wildcats have not scored more than 35 all season. Under 50.5 is at BetRivers at -114, a full point higher than the 49.5 at the other three books.
Arizona's offense is where this starts. The Wildcats scored 35 against FCS Northern Arizona and 17 at BYU, where they were shut out after halftime. They rank 92nd nationally in rushing, and they now lose their leading receiver, Gio Richardson, who had 14 catches for 161 yards before a lower-body injury at BYU.
Northern Illinois will not help the over. The Huskies gained 120 total yards at Iowa and ran for seven yards on 31 carries, and their quarterback has been sacked six times in two games. They score 12 points a game and rank 132nd in rushing. An offense that cannot sustain drives hands the ball back without adding to the total.
Three of the four games these teams have played this season stayed under this number: Arizona's finished at 42 and 45, and Northern Illinois's at 40 and 52, with that lone over needing an FCS opponent to score 28. The market agrees. This opened at 50.5 and has fallen to 49.5 at most books, and BetRivers is the one place still holding the higher figure.
Northern Illinois vs Arizona prediction: Under 50.5 (-114) available at time of publishing. Playable to 49.5
