Tuesday MACtion brings us a rivalry game between the Ohio Bobcats and the Miami (OH) RedHawks. The Bobcats currently sit atop the MAC standings at 5-0, vastly over-performing their preseason expectations. The RedHawks are 3-2 in conference play after dropping an overtime thriller to Buffalo last Tuesday while the rest of the country watched election results (Buffalo beating Miami has a “blue wave” joke somewhere, but we will leave that alone for now). This game is in Oxford, and I like the home team to get it done. Give me Miami (OH) -1.5.
The Bobcats have been blessed with an exploitable schedule so far, having not yet played any of the top teams in the conference. They close at Toledo, but if they escape this one, they have a great chance to be in the conference title game. This team isn’t all that good, though. They are heavily dependent upon their running game, and they are near the bottom of the country in passing yards. The problem is the RedHawks are 12th in the nation in rushing yards allowed. If Ohio can’t get anything going on the ground, I’m not sure they can do much. Miami likewise struggles to throw, and they are on a backup quarterback the rest of the way. But playing at home with a defense that can lock up the other team may be enough to win this game. Let’s side with the RedHawks,
Ohio vs Miami (OH) prediction: Miami (Ohio) -1.5 (-110) available at time of publishing. Playable to -2.5.
