The Northern Illinois Huskies beat Notre Dame to collect one of their five wins so far this season, but the rest of the season has been hit or miss. However, the Huskies can reach the six-win bowl-eligibility threshold with just one more win.
Can they get it this Wednesday against the Akron Zips or will they take it down to the wire? Find out which way we lean in this Akron vs. Northern Illinois prediction.
Akron vs. Northern Illinois Betting Preview
All Akron vs. Northern Illinois odds are from DraftKings Sportsbook and are correct as of Monday, Nov. 11, 2024. The CFN Spread comes from College Football Network’s Football Playoff Meter.
- CFN FPM Spread
Northern Illinois -8 - Spread
Northern Illinois -15 - Moneyline
Northern Illinois -700, Akron +500 - Over/Under
45.5 points - Game Time
Nov. 13, 7 p.m. ET - Location
Huskie Stadium | DeKalb, Ill. - Predicted Weather at Kick
48 degrees, cloudy, 10 mph winds - How To Watch
CBS Sports Network
The light could be dimming on Joe Moorehead’s tenure in Akron as the Zips are once again mired in a losing season. Meanwhile, Northern Illinois has a win over a College Football Playoff team but has otherwise been just average.
MORE: Simulate the College Football Season with CFN’s College Football Playoff Predictor
With a total of 45.5 points and a spread of 15 points, Vegas has little faith in the Akron offense, implying a final score close to 30-15 in favor of the Huskies.
Akron’s Winning Probability
CFN’s Football Playoff Meter isn’t quite as low on Akron as most but doesn’t give the Zips much of a shot against Northern Illinois. They’ll have a 26.6% chance to win, per the metric. However, they’ll have a decent chance of winning each of the next two weeks.
- at Northern Illinois: 26.6%
- at Kent State: 65.7%
- vs. Toledo: 38.9%
Northern Illinois’ Winning Probability
Conversely, Northern Illinois has a 73.4% chance of beating the Zips at home. The Huskies are one of the weird MAC teams that aren’t at the top or the bottom of the league, so bowl eligibility and a winning season are the goals. They’ve got a few winnable games to end the year.
- vs. Akron: 73.4%
- at Miami-OH: 36.4%
- vs. Central Michigan: 65.7%
Prediction for Akron vs. Northern Illinois
I’m always wary of large MACtion spreads in games that don’t involve truly awful teams. There are a couple of those teams this season, but I don’t think the Zips fit the billing.
Akron has played one of the most brutal schedules relative to its conference in the entire country, getting three power conference games before the MAC schedule and playing three of five conference games so far against teams tied for first.
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Akron isn’t a powerhouse by any means, but the Zips haven’t really been blown out by any team in the MAC, at least not in the last month. The only team to beat them by more than 11 in conference play is Ohio, and the Bobcats are on a different level than Northern Illinois.
Akron’s Achilles heel has been red-zone scoring, as the offense has struggled to finish drives and the defense has allowed teams to score in that area with ease. Both are in the bottom 30 in the country. Again though, those are raw numbers, hurt by teams like Ohio State and South Carolina.
NIU’s defense has been spectacular this season, allowing just 19.3 points per game. I don’t see the Zips getting there, but I also don’t see the Huskies moving with ease on the Zips.
This will feel like a midweek Mid-American Conference game, as the favorite could struggle out of the gate before eventually pulling away. I like the under here, but I’m not sure the Huskies extend their lead enough to cover.
Take the under and perhaps sprinkle in a bet on Akron’s spread, as I think this will be a better game than people expect.
Prediction: Northern Illinois 26, Akron 16
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