Caleb Wilfinger
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We finally have a trio of MACtion games on Tuesday night to help us move into Week 11 of the college football season. While the best matchups of the week are on Saturday, these games are compelling and have serious conference implications on the line for one of the most chaotic conferences in college football this season. These games might not be on everyone’s radar, but we can still win on them!
You can read all our college football predictions, but without any further ado, here’s my 3-leg NCAAF parlay with a potential payout of +612 odds. Let’s take a look at each of the legs.
Bowling Green +10 (-104)
Eastern Michigan -4 (-105)
Western Michigan vs Northern Illinois Over 54.5 (-115)
NCAAF parlay odds: +615
Odds available at FanDuel Sportsbook at the time of publishing
Bowling Green Falcons +10 over Toledo Rockets (-104)
While this is a rivalry game that not many casual fans pay attention to, it’s still pretty fierce. These teams have played 87 times since 1919, and Toledo holds just a slim 42-41-4 lead in the all-time series. The Rockets were tripped up at home by the Falcons last season by a 42-35 count, as the underdog Bowling Green side came 25 miles up I-75 and picked up the upset victory as over 2-touchdown underdogs. In fact, Bowling Green has covered 3 of the past 5 in the series, and 4 of the past 7, all as a double-digit underdog, winning 2 of those games outright.
Toledo has won 9 straight games since a narrow 2-point loss at Illinois on the opening weekend of the season. It has already clinched a spot in the MAC Championship Game in Detroit on Dec. 2, and, if things break right, we could see this matchup again in a few weeks. Bowling Green would need a victory on Tuesday, however. The Falcons are averaging 38 points per game in the past 3 games, while allowing just 18 points per game in the span. And while the Rockets have covered back-to-back games as a double-digit favorite this season, they’re 2-4 ATS in the past 6 when favored by 10 or more points, while going 0-2 ATS in those situations on the road. Back the Falcons in this rivalry game, and don’t be surprised if they pull off the upset.
Check out our full Bowling Green vs Toledo predictions
Eastern Michigan Eagles -4 over Akron Zips (-105)
You can count on Eastern Michigan having much more motivation in this contest, as opposed to an Akron team that was dead on arrival before the start of this season. Simply put, Akron is one of the worst teams in the country, so it’s hard not to lay the points with the home favorite who also has much more motivation to win this game.
Akron has been a mess all year, especially on offense. The Zips lost QB DJ Irons early in the season, and it has been a rotation of poor backups ever since. They prefer to throw the ball, although Akron isn’t all that great at it. Eastern Michigan is not great defensively, but their passing defense is better than their rush defense, which plays into the strength of the Eagles. On the other side of the ball, Eastern Michigan prefers to run the ball, while the Akron rush defense is far more of a weakness than its pass defense. I think this is a case where not only is Eastern Michigan the better of two underwhelming teams, but where the likely game script and offensive designs of each team plays to a strength of the Eagles and not the Zips. Let’s lay the points.
Read our full Akron vs Eastern Michigan predictions
Western Michigan Broncos vs Northern Illinois Huskies Over 54.5 (-115)
Due to Toledo’s unblemished conference record, Northern Illinois and Western Michigan will not have a chance to play for a MAC title this season. However, the Huskies and the Broncos each control their own destiny when it comes to bowl eligibility at this point. At 4-6, the winner of this game will be just one win away from postseason play, which means both teams should be spirited and motivated to win on Tuesday.
Western Michigan and Northern Illinois are the 2nd and 3rd-highest scoring teams respectively, within MAC play. Against conference opponents, the Broncos average 32.3 points per game, while the Huskies are sitting at an average of 29.8 points. Western Michigan has scored 83 points in its last 2 games combined and should be able to continue their momentum against a Husky defense that is outside the top 60 in success rate and points per opportunity allowed since Week 6. While the Huskies struggled to score last week against Ball State, Northern Illinois surpassed 30 points in half of its conference games and should have a few extra possessions given WMU’s quick pace of play on the other end. For what it’s worth, the Broncos play at the fastest pace of any team the Huskies have played to his point, so let’s take the over in this one.
Read our full Western Michigan vs Northern Illinois predictions
