After beating Central Michigan the last time out, the Ball State Cardinals are looking to build on their first MAC win of the season when they travel to Ohio to take on the 4-4 Bowling Green Falcons. Scott Loefler’s team is on a two-game winning streak, so who emerges victorious in this Wednesday night clash?
Ahead of the game, we’ve got the latest college football betting odds, DFS picks, and a Bowling Green vs. Ball State prediction.
Bowling Green vs. Ball State Betting and DFS Preview
All odds are from DraftKings Sportsbook and correct as of Tuesday, Oct. 31, 2023. Want to take advantage of the Bowling Green vs. Ball State odds? Visit the College Football Network live college football odds page to place bets in your state.
- Spread
Bowling Green -5.5 - Moneyline
Bowling Green -205, Ball State +170 - Over/Under
39.5 points - Game time
7:00 p.m. ET - Location
Doyt L. Perry Stadium, Bowling Green, Ohio - Predicted Weather at Kick
32 degrees, 6.8 mph winds, clear - How to Watch
ESPN2, FuboTV
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Looking to make some bucks on Bowling Green? Looking to cash in on the Cardinals? If you’re going to take advantage of the Bowling Green vs. Ball State odds, consider some of the following factors before you part with your hard-earned cash.
Bowling Green holds a 21-9-1 winning record against Ball State, including a 48-10 win the last time the two teams met back in 2015. With a 4-4 record, including two MAC wins compared to their 2-6 opponent, the Falcons are favored to win. It’s only the second time this year they’ve started as the favorite, and they won both of those games comfortably.
While the past doesn’t necessarily dictate the future, our Bowling Green vs. Ball State prediction explains why we think that the Falcons can continue their streak on Wednesday night. There’s also a good chance of Bowling Green covering the spread — especially given that it’s less than a one-score line right now.
Although Ball State has covered as an underdog the last two, including by the same line in the win over Central Michigan, they’re 2-5 covering as an underdog this year. Bowling Green has covered both times they’ve been favored and is 5-3 covering the spread overall. Our predicted scoreline also covers the total points line, but approach cautiously with two low-scoring teams.
Top DFS Picks and Fantasy Plays
Bowling Green Depth Chart | Ball State Depth Chart
- QB Connor Bazelak, Bowling Green ($9,500)
- QB Camden Orth, Bowling Green ($9.500)
- QB Kiael Kelly, Ball State ($9,300)
- QB Layne Hatcher, Ball State ($9,300)
- RB Terion Stewart, Bowling Green ($11,000)
- RB Marquez Cooper, Ball State ($8,700)
- RB Ta’ron Keith, Bowling Green ($5,800)
- RB Rico Barfield, Ball State ($5,300)
- RB Jaison Patterson, Bowling Green ($4,900)
- RB Vaughn Pemberton, Ball State ($4,700)
- WR Qian Magwood, Ball State ($8,000)
- WR Odieu Hiliare, Bowling Green ($7,700)
- WR Abdul-Fatai Ibrahim, Bowling Green ($6,400)
- WR Ahmad Edwards, Ball State ($5,400)
- WR Austin Osborne, Bowling Green ($5,300)
- WR Finn Hogan, Bowling Green ($4,900)
- WR Malcolm Gillie, Ball State ($4,800)
- TE Tanner Koziol, Ball State ($6,800)
- TE Harold Fannin Jr., Bowling Green ($6,500)
- TE Maximus Webster, Ball State ($4,500)
There are two college football games on Wednesday to compile your DFS team from in Week 10. If you’re new to DFS, Fanduel Superflex contests require you to select a quarterback, two running backs, three wide receivers, and a “superflex” that can be any of the above. Or you can also select a tight end for the Superflex spot.
With two relatively low-scoring offenses, your Bowling Green vs. Ball State picks might seem like a minefield you’d rather not navigate, and we can’t say we blame you. Neither team has a stable quarterback situation right now, with the Falcons listing Connor Bazelak or Camden Orth as the starter.
Kiael Kelly is listed atop the Ball State depth chart and is yet to throw a touchdown pass in his appearances this season. With Akron starting quarterback D.J. Irons out for the season in the other game on this slate, there isn’t a quarterback available on Wednesday with a positive touchdown to interception ratio.
Kelly has the most fantasy points of any available, for what it’s worth.
What you do have in this matchup is plenty of good running backs. If you can afford to start both Terion Stewart and Marquez Cooper in this game, we’d highly recommend doing so. Stewart is the fourth-highest-scoring fantasy back in the MAC, while Cooper has the talent to be a handful for any defense.
Bowling Green has two of the most talented wide receivers in the MAC, Odieu Hiliare and Abdul-Fatai Ibrahim, but the lack of reliable service has crippled their fantasy stock this season. Qian Magwood leads all Ball State receivers in yardage. However, tight end Tanner Koziol is the real pass-catching menace and could be a legitimate “superflex” play with such QB uncertainty.
Prediction for Bowling Green vs. Ball State
Okay, so we’ve furnished you with the Bowling Green vs. Ball State odds and some DFS picks. Now, it’s time to close this thing out with our prediction. Can Ball State upset the odds and take a win back to Muncie? Or are the Falcons on a flight path to bowl season, with a win on Wednesday leaving them needing just one more to book a ticket to postseason play?
Ball State hasn’t made it easy on themselves this year. Starting the year with successive SEC showdowns and a difficult date with Georgia Southern, they were 1-3 before they even hit MAC play. When they did, it was far from ideal, dropping games to Western and Eastern Michigan by two scores or more.
In the last two games, however, there has been something of a turnaround. They held Toledo to 13 points in a one-score loss before winning their first FBS game of the year. While the offense has struggled despite the presence of Koziol and Cooper, the defense has been a little better than expected, given the loss of talent to the NFL.
They’ve been noticeably better defending the run, ranking third in the MAC for yards per carry allowed while sitting fifth for rushing touchdowns given up. They held Central Michigan under 100 yards in their debut MAC win of the year. That will be key to any chance of success against a Bowling Green ground game led by the talented and productive Stewart.
Although they lost to Miami (OH) early in the month, Bowling Green is 3-1 in their last four games, with comfortable wins over Buffalo and Akron and a program-defining win over a Georgia Tech team that recently beat North Carolina.
If the transitive property is your thing, that makes them better than one of the best teams in the ACC.
In all seriousness, the Falcons are the bird set to soar in the clash with the Cardinals. The offense contains more playmakers, although they’ll need to see improved QB play to unlock them all. Loeffler’s team is more impressive on defense.
Darren Anders, Jalen Huskey, Cashius Howell, and Davon Ferguson all have disruptive potential with difference-making skill sets.
Prediction: Bowling Green 27, Ball State 17