Someone’s season is about to be essentially over as the 4-6 Western Michigan Broncos travel to DeKalb to take on the 4-6 Northern Illinois Huskies in Tuesday night MACtion mayhem.
Which team’s dreams of going bowling this season will be shattered with defeat? Ahead of the game, we’ve got the latest college football betting odds, DFS picks, and a Northern Illinois vs. Western Michigan prediction.
Northern Illinois vs. Western Michigan Betting and DFS Preview
All odds are from DraftKings Sportsbook and correct as of Monday, Nov. 13, 2023. Want to take advantage of the Northern Illinois vs. Western Michigan odds? Visit the College Football Network live college football odds page to place bets in your state.
- Spread
Northern Illinois -4.5 - Moneyline
Northern Illinois -218, Western Michigan +180 - Over/Under
55 points - Game time
7:00 p.m. ET - Location
Huskie Stadium, DeKalb, IL - Predicted Weather at Kick
40 degrees, 10 mph winds, mostly clear - How to Watch
ESPNU, FuboTV
[tallysight url=”https://tallysight.com/new/widget/tile/cfb/org:college-football-network/entity:western-michigan-broncos/variant:2/autopilot:game?id=1f9ce124-1307-4c43-9eab-5efc056eb198″]
Looking to make a buck on the Broncos? Have you no doubts about Northern Illinois? If you’re going to take advantage of the Northern Illinois vs. Western Michigan odds, consider some of the following factors before you part with your hard-earned cash.
Northern Illinois comes into Tuesday night MACtion as the favorite and beat the Broncos when they last met in 2022. However, Western Michigan holds a 27-21 head-to-head advantage and won comfortably on their last visit to DeKalb in 2021. Lance Taylor’s team are riding a hot hand right now, and can upset the odds to keep their bowl dreams alive.
If you concur without Northern Illinois vs. Western Michigan prediction, then it makes sense to back them against the spread too. The Broncos are 7-3 covering the spread this season, including covering in their last three. Meanwhile, Northern Illinois hasn’t covered in their last three games — which includes two outright losses — and covered just once as a favorite this year.
To round out the Northern Illinois vs. Western Michigan odds, can you be confident of the two teams tallying over 55 points? The Broncos have gone over the points line in seven of their games this season, and the porous nature of their defense should allow Northern Illinois to overcome some of their offensive deficiencies, resulting in a game that goes over the total points line.
Top DFS Picks and Fantasy Plays
Northern Illinois Depth Chart | Western Michigan Depth Chart
- QB Hayden Wolff, Western Michigan ($9,700)
- QB Rocky Lombardi, Northern Illinois ($9,000)
- RB Jalen Buckley, Western Michigan ($10,000)
- RB Antario Brown, Northern Illinois ($9,400)
- RB Zahir Abdus-Salaam, Western Michigan ($5,700)
- RB Gavin Williams, Northern Illinois ($5,300)
- RB CJ Hester, Western Michigan ($4,800)
- RB Brock Lampe, Northern Illinois ($4,400)
- WR Trayvon Rudolph, Northern Illinois ($9,200)
- WR Kenneth Womack, Western Michigan ($9,200)
- WR Anthony Sambucci, Western Michigan ($8,000)
- WR Leroy Thomas, Western Michigan ($7,300)
- WR Grayson Barnes, Northern Illinois ($6,500)
- WR Kacper Rutkiewicz, Northern Illinois ($6,000)
- WR Davis Patterson, Northern Illinois ($5,000)
- TE Blake Bosma, Western Michigan ($6,000)
- TE Austin Hence, Western Michigan ($6,000)
- TE Chris Carter, Northern Illinois ($5,400)
There are three college football games on Tuesday to compile your DFS team from in Week 12. 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 a tight end.
Kicking off your Northern Illinois vs. Western Michigan picks at the quarterback position, Rocky Lombardi is the QB3 of the MAC West and has a favorable matchup against a Broncos defense that has given up the most passing touchdowns in the conference. He could be a viable option if you can’t afford Toledo’s DeQuan Finn.
Meanwhile, Hayden Wolff is coming off an impressive performance against Central Michigan which bumped him up the MAC fantasy QB rankings. However, it would be a surprise to see Western Michigan lean on their QB and not running back Jalen Buckley on Tuesday night. Only Toledo’s Peny Boone has more fantasy points amongst MAC running backs this year.
MORE: MAC QB Rankings
If the Huskies can dial up their passing attack to punish Western Michigan’s defense, Trayvon Rudolph is likely to be the beneficiary of that. The electric, multi-faceted offensive weapon adds rushing potential to receiver value.
If you’re looking for a touchdown machine, look no further than Anthony Sambucci, who has converted 29.4% of his receptions to touchdowns.
Prediction for Northern Illinois vs. Western Michigan
Okay, so we’ve furnished you with the Northern Illinois vs. Western Michigan odds and some DFS picks. Now, it’s time to close this thing out with our prediction. Which team comes away with the win, and are their dreams of bowl eligibly still alive? Which team begins planning for next season with a game of the 2023 college football campaign still to play?
Let’s start with the favorites. Northern Illinois opened the season with an unlikely win over Boston College before embarking on a four-game losing streak — including to FCS Southern Illinois. Three straight MAC wins in October offered promise, but they’ve lost the last two despite being favored in both. How can they right the ship against Western Michigan?
For the Huskies to succeed, they must get the passing attack rolling early and often. As we mentioned above, the Broncos have given up the most passing touchdowns in the MAC, have single-digit interceptions, and have allowed the third-highest yards per attempt to opposition quarterbacks.
Northern Illinois has allowed the fourth-fewest sacks in the conference, so despite Western Michigan having the fourth-most sacks — 2.40 sacks per game — Lombardi should have some time to operate in the pocket as he looks to weaponize wide receiver Rudolph and dice up the Broncos secondary. They should be wary of Western Michigan DB Keni-H Lovely, however.
MORE: 2023 Bowl Projections
Conversely, the Huskies have the fourth-ranked scoring defense in the MAC, averaging 22.7 points allowed per game. They have multiple players with multiple interceptions, led by Nate Valcarcel, while defensive lineman James Ester has earned College Football Network Team of the Week honors for his play this season.
However, Northern Illinois has given up the second most rushing touchdowns (19) in the MAC this year, with only Kent State giving up more. Western Michigan running back Buckley is one of the most explosive playmakers in the nation right now, and can take over this game for the Broncos. After a difficult early-season schedule, they’re galloping towards bowl season.
Prediction: Northern Illinois 27, Western Michigan 30