College Football Parlays

Midweek MACtion rolls right along on Wednesday of Week 13. With just 1 team at 5-1 in conference and 5 teams at 4-2, the MAC race feels wide open. Wednesday’s matchup between the Miami RedHawks and the Buffalo Bulls will go a long way toward deciding who plays for a MAC title given both teams are among the gaggle of 4-2 teams. However, that somehow may not even be the biggest headline coming into this game. Miami QB Dequan Finn decided to leave the program in the middle of a conference title race. Points may be hard to come by in this matchup, especially for the RedHawks. Taking over for Finn will be Henry Hesson, who simply hasn’t proven to be much of an asset at the quarterback position in his limited time under center. He was given the start last week against Finn’s former team and proceeded to complete just 28.9% of his passes for 147 yards, 0 touchdowns, 3 interceptions and 4 turnover-worthy plays. Prior to that, he completed just 44.4% of his 18 pass attempts against UNLV — although he was able to have some success against FCS Lindenwood.

Without much of a passing attack, Miami figures to be fairly one-dimensional offensively. The RedHawks will likely keep the ball on the ground for a majority of the game, which plays right into the strength of Buffalo’s defense. The Bulls yield fewer than 3.5 yards per attempt this season and rank eighth in PPA per rush outside of garbage time since Week 8. They also rank top-25 in standard downs PPA and 10th in points per quality drive allowed in that span. On the other side of the ball, Buffalo has started to fall off offensively, ranking outside the top 125 in PPA per play and points per quality drive. The Bulls haven’t been able to establish a ground game, so it’s hard to trust them to march up and down the field against a solid Miami defense that held arguably the 2 best MAC quarterbacks in check over the last 2 weeks. Buffalo QB Ta’Quan Roberson is a walking turnover, so don’t be surprised if the RedHawks continue to generate havoc in this matchup. Frankly, unless you’re someone that absolutely loves ugly football, this game may be tough to watch. I’ll lean to the under without much conviction, as it wouldn’t surprise me if a special teams or defensive touchdown pushed this game over the total.

Miami (OH) vs Buffalo prediction: Under 40.5 (-110) at the time of publishing. Playable to 39. 

You can bet on our Miami (OH) vs Buffalo pick with BetMGM, where right now new users can activate your new BetMGM account ⚡ and receive $150 in bonus bets INSTANTLY if your first $10+ wager is a winner!

Part of this week’s MACtion takes us to Kent State where the Golden Flashes will host the Central Michigan Chippewas. The visiting Chippewas are very much in the hunt for the MAC title game, sitting at 4-2 in the conference standings in a logjam of 5 teams. Oddly enough, Kent State is only a game back in the standings after upending Akron last week. Kent State, as a reminder, did not win a game last year, fired its coach in April and was fully expected to finish last in the conference again this year. Yet the Golden Flashes have found a lot of success. I’ll admit that they have beaten me more than once in these MACtion games, but I just don’t see how they are successful — and this one seems like a bad matchup for Kent State. Give me Central Michigan -9.5.

Central Michigan is a run-first offensive scheme. The Chippewas are very effective on the ground, and Kent State is outside the top 100 in terms of rushing defense. They should to be able to run the ball at will in this spot. Also, it is going to be cold on Wednesday — probably in the upper 30s most of the game. In that kind of weather, you want to be the team that can run effectively. As far as Kent State goes, just a reminder that it ranks 131 (out of 134) in the nation in terms of total offense — I don’t see how this team ever scores. Understanding that midweek MACtion games are just plain weird sometimes. The Chipps should be able to control this game on the ground against a bad rush defense, setting them up nicely to win by 2 scores.

Central Michigan vs Kent State prediction: CMU -9.5 (-110) available at time of publishing. Playable at that number.

You can bet on our Central Michigan vs Kent State pick with BetMGM, where right now new users can activate your new BetMGM account ⚡ and receive $150 in bonus bets INSTANTLY if your first $10+ wager is a winner!

The Florida State Seminoles hit the road for Raleigh on Friday night, and this battle against NC State will come with bowl eligibility for the winner. Both teams enter with five victories, one short of bowl eligibility. FSU has had its issues on the road this season. It all started with a stunning 46-38 loss in overtime at Virginia, and the season has spiraled from that point. It is 0-3 straight up (SU) and against the spread (ATS) in three game away from home, including a 20-13 loss at Stanford on Oct. 18 as a 17.5-point favorite, and a 24-10 loss at Clemson in the most recent trip on Nov. 8. That’s just 11.5 PPG scored on offense, with 22.0 PPG allowed on defense.

For NC State, it was humbled 41-7 at Miami last Saturday, a disappointing result after two weeks off following a massive 48-36 win in Raleigh against previously unbeaten Georgia Tech on Nov. 1 as a 5.5-point underdog. Still, NC State is just 1-3 SU and ATS in the past four games, but at home it is 4-1 SU, and 3-1 ATS in the past four. Florida State hasn’t shown an ability to win on the road, so let’s keep rolling with the opponent in those spots, especially since the Wolfpack are catching points at home. NC State is 5-2 ATS in the past seven in the series, too, winning each of the past three meetings in Raleigh since Nov. 3, 2018.

Florida State vs NC State prediction: NC State +4.5 (-110) available at time of publishing. Playable to +3.5.

If you’re looking for a new sportsbook, check out Bet365, the world’s #1 sportsbook. They have an amazing sign-up offer where you can INSTANTLY receive $200 in bonus bets from a $5 wager, regardless of whether that bet wins or loses! There’s no catch, it’s really that simple. Join Bet365 right now ⏰ in time to fade or follow our experts’ FSU vs NC State predictions.

San Diego State is currently in the driver seat in the Mountain West, but the second spot in the conference title game is still up for grabs. Two of the teams competing for that spot are the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors and the UNLV Runnin’ Rebels, both of whom sit at 4-2 in conference play ahead of their matchup on Friday night. Due to the lack of tiebreakers, both of these teams have to win out to have a chance to play for a conference title – assuming the Aztecs also win out.

The Rainbow Warriors have greatly exceeded expectations this season, especially in conference play. Each of their 4 conference wins came when they were in the underdog role, with a 5th cover in the 2-point loss to Fresno back in September. UNLV, on the other hand, has been all over the place. The Rebels are in the midst of a 2-game winning streak after their 2-game losing streak, but they’ve failed to cover in 4 of their last 5 overall. Three of those 4 non-covers were in the favorite role. When you peel back the curtain even further, you will notice that UNLV hasn’t beaten anyone of note. The Rebels lost to the 2 best conference opponents they played and haven’t beaten a single Mountain West team with a winning record. In fact, they haven’t beaten any team with a winning record this year (at the time of writing, ahead of midweek MACtion). 

UNLV’s struggles against good competition stem from its very poor defense. It ranks 114th in scoring, 130th in total defense, and 132nd in yards per play, and opponents typically find the end zone against this unit once crossing into the red zone more often than not. That will likely spell trouble against the 3rd-most efficient red zone offense in the country in Hawaii. 

A win over the top team in the conference on November 8 restored Hawaii’s chances in the Mountain West, so the Rainbow Warriors should be fired up for this trip to the mainland following a bye that UNLV did not share last week. With a rest and preparation advantage, as well as a defensive advantage, give me Hawaii with that ever-appealing + next to its price. 

Hawaii vs UNLV prediction: Hawaii +3 (-115) at the time of publishing. Playable to +2. 

Check out Bet365, the world’s #1 sportsbook. They have an amazing sign-up offer where you can INSTANTLY receive $200 in bonus bets from a $5 wager, regardless of whether that bet wins or loses! There’s no catch, it’s really that simple. Join Bet365 right now ⏰ in time to fade or follow our experts’ Hawaii vs UNLV predictions.