Ohio is a difficult team to oppose in Athens, but winning at home and covering double digits are two different propositions. Especially when the market is in love with the Bobcats and the price continues to rise further. Backing EMU here enables you to get a field goal in your back pocket compared to the opening price. However, supporters of Ohio will tell you that they are in the MAC pecking order, they have won 9 of the last 10 meetings, and the Bobcats have won 16 straight at Peden Stadium. You will hear that the Cats are 5-2 overall, including 3-0 in MAC play. They also just demolished Sacramento State 48-7 on the road in a body clock game. All of these narratives are exactly the kind of jargon that makes laying points against Eastern Michigan look attractive. But I'm not convinced the Eagles deserve to be dismissed so easily.
The Eagles are often held in lower esteem compared to Ohio, certainly in the Mid-American Conference, but Eastern is 4-4 overall and 3-1 in league play, with its first MAC defeat coming against Toledo last weekend. Losing to Toledo is no indictment. Before that, the Eagles beat the doors off an undefeated UMass 38-14 and won three straight. It's easy to buy into the narratives surrounding Ohio, but when you do that, you are playing the Bobcats at a bad number. Add in the market infatuation with the Cats and that number is an inflated number upon an inflated number. I'll take the points with the Eagles.
Eastern Michigan vs Ohio prediction: Eastern Michigan +12.5 (-107) available at time of publishing. Playable to +12.
