The Miami (OH) RedHawks need a win in Week 12 to keep the pressure on atop the Mid-American Conference, while the Kent State Golden Flashes just want their first win in the season. It feels like a foregone conclusion, but could there be some MACtion mayhem on Wednesday night.
Our Kent State vs. Miami (OH) prediction covers it all—from the latest betting odds to each team’s outlook for the rest of the 2024 college football season.
Kent State vs. Miami (OH) Betting Preview
All Kent State vs. Miami (OH) odds are from DraftKings Sportsbook and are correct as of Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024. The CFN Spread comes from College Football Network’s Football Playoff Meter.
- CFN FPM Spread
Miami (OH) -18 - Spread
Miami (OH) -30.5 - Moneyline
Miami (OH) -10000, Kent State +3000 - Over/Under
47.5 points - Game Time
7 p.m. ET - Location
Yager Stadium | Oxford, OH - Predicted Weather at Kick
54 degrees, cloudy, 8 mph winds - How To Watch
ESPN
Wednesday night marks the 71st matchup between Miami (OH) and Kent State, and it’s been a remarkably one-sided affair. The RedHawks have won the last two, stretching their advantage to 52-18 all-time. In the midst of very different seasons, both historical and recent form is against the Golden Flashes, and Miami (OH) is one of the largest favorites you’ll find this season.
MORE: Simulate the College Football Season with CFN’s College Football Playoff Predictor
Can the RedHawks cover such a gargantuan spread? Kent State has an average margin of defeat this season of 30.9 points, enough to cover a line that stretched to 30.5 points just before kick-off. While Miami (OH) only has a 3.2-point margin of victory, they’re also covering the spread by an average of 2.4 points, and our prediction suggests a huge night for the RedHawks.
Kent State’s Winning Probability
CFN’s Football Playoff Meter isn’t quite as low on Kent State as most, but it doesn’t give the Golden Flashes much of a shot against Miami. They’ll have an 8.5% chance to win, per the metric. However, the metric gives them a 50% chance to pick up a win sometime this year.
- at Miami-OH: 8.5%
- vs. Akron: 34.3%
- at Buffalo: 16.7%
Miami (OH)’s Winning Probability
Conversely, Miami has a 91.5% chance of beating Kent State at home. The MAC tiebreakers can get wild, and Miami is in a four-way tie for first. The RedHawks have a difficult finish to the year, but that should help them get closer to controlling their own destiny.
- vs. Kent State: 91.5%
- vs. Northern Illinois: 63.6%
- at Bowling Green: 47.2%
Prediction for Kent State vs. Miami (OH)
This isn’t one of your best bets of the year, no matter what you decide to put money on. The Golden Flashes have yet to win a game, losing even to FCS St. Francis, a team that has struggled mightily at its own level of competition.
Kent State is a 30-point underdog in a weeknight MACtion tilt. That combines two things I don’t enjoy betting: Huge spread and MACtion.
Simply put, there’s just too much volatility in each. But I may break that rule this week.
This spread is less than Kent State’s average margin of defeat, and Miami is one of the better teams they’ll face this year.
FREE: Sign up for the College Football Network Newsletter to receive unique stories from the world of college football directly to your inbox!
The offense is just brutal to watch. The Golden Flashes are dead last in the country in yards per play and third-down percentage (they’ve converted less than 14% of their third downs on the road). Kent State is decent in the red zone but rarely makes it that far.
The defense is similarly poor, ranking next to last in yards per play and last in yards per game and points per game allowed.
Miami quarterback Brett Gabbert has been superb in conference play, throwing 13 touchdowns to just one interception, and that should continue Wednesday.
The RedHawks should be able to take care of business early and build a lead. I’m not worried about sitting players because I think the scoring in the first half could be enough.
Kent State is in a bad spot, and that shouldn’t change Wednesday. Still, I think the Golden Flashes will score at least once or twice.
Take the RedHawks and the over.
Prediction: Miami (OH) 41, Kent State 7
College Football Network has you covered with the latest from the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, SEC, and every Group of Five conference and FBS Independent program.