Week 11’s Midweek MACtion wraps up on Wednesday with an exciting showdown between the Northern Illinois Huskies and the Western Michigan Broncos.
Who takes the win? Our Northern Illinois vs. Western Michigan prediction dives into all the essential details—from the latest betting odds to each team’s outlook for the remainder of the 2024 college football season.
Northern Illinois vs. Western Michigan Betting Preview
All Northern Illinois vs. Western Michigan odds are from DraftKings Sportsbook and are correct as of Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024. The CFN Spread comes from College Football Network’s Football Playoff Meter.
- CFN FPM Spread
Western Michigan -3 - Spread
Northern Illinois -2 - Moneyline
Northern Illinois -125, Western Michigan +105 - Over/Under
51.5 points - Game time
7 p.m. ET - Location
Waldo Stadium | Kalamazoo, MI - Predicted Weather at Kick
41 degrees, clear, 6 mph winds - How to Watch
ESPN2
Wednesday night marks the 50th matchup between the Huskies and Broncos. While Northern Illinois has won the last two in a row, Western Michigan heads into the game with a 27-22 head-to-head advantage — not to mention a hot streak in the 2024 season. Despite that, Thomas Hammock’s Huskies are a slight favorite according to the latest DraftKings Sportsbook.
MORE: Simulate the College Football Season with CFN’s College Football Playoff Predictor
As we’ll delve into during our Northern Illinois vs. Western Michigan prediction, there are reasons to have confidence in the Huskies. However, the program has failed to cover the last two games and is only 3-5 ATS this year. Western Michigan has covered the last three games of their four-game win streak. With such a small margin here, the Broncos should be able to cover.
Northern Illinois’ Winning Probability
According to the CFN FPM, Northern Illinois has a 42.6% chance of beating Western Michigan on Wednesday night. While they’re an underdog here, our metric hasn’t always been in lockstep with the Huskies during a season where they’ve won and lost against expectation almost in equal measure.
- at Western Michigan: 42.6%
- vs. Akron: 74.2%
- at Miami (OH): 38.9%
- vs. Central Michigan: 66.9%
If those win probabilities were to hold true, the Huskies would end the year with a 6-6 record, securing bowl eligibility for the second successive season for the first time since 2017-2018. A 3-5 record in the MAC would be a step back from last season.
Western Michigan’s Winning Probability
Conversely, CFN FPM gives Western Michigan a 57.4% chance of beating the Huskies on Wednesday night. Our metric has had a good measure of the Broncos in MAC competition but incorrectly predicted a win ahead of the defeat to the Marshall Thundering Herd.
- vs. Northern Illinois: 57.4%
- at Bowling Green: 44.4%
- at Central Michigan: 66.9%
- vs. Eastern Michigan: 71.6%
If those win probabilities were to hold true, the Broncos would end the year with an 8-4 overall record, their best regular season since 2016. Meanwhile, our metric projects a 7-1 MAC record, likely leading to a place in the MAC Championship Game.
Prediction for Northern Illinois vs. Western Michigan
Get ready for a classic MACtion slugfest on Wednesday night, because there’s every reason to believe these teams will deliver an unforgettable matchup in Week 11. Northern Illinois started the season with a shocking win over Notre Dame but has hit roadblocks in conference play (1-3). Still, they’re capable of winning any game, anytime.
Western Michigan took its lumps in Power Four matchups but has bounced back, blazing through MAC play with a 4-0 record. Can they keep the streak alive, or will the Huskies find their groove with a midweek win? Who’s got the edge, and where will the pivotal battles unfold?
This MACtion matchup is the ultimate collision of an unstoppable force and an immovable object. Northern Illinois leads the MAC defensively, allowing just 17.6 points per game. Think you’ll run on the Huskies? Good luck—they’ve given up only four rushing touchdowns all season and are holding opponents to 3.31 yards per carry.
Make it to the red zone? Only 35% of trips against the Huskies’ defense end in a touchdown. Hoping to convert on third down? Northern Illinois has allowed just a 25.71% conversion rate. Opposing QBs have managed to complete only 56.5% of passes against this defense.
That’s the immovable object.
Enter Western Michigan’s offense—the unstoppable force. Brought in for his offensive mind, head coach Lance Taylor has transformed the Broncos, who are leading the MAC with an impressive 34.0 points per game. Their relentless ground game has produced 19 rushing touchdowns, and backs Jaden Nixon, Zahir Abdus-Salaam, and Jalen Buckley are all averaging over five yards per carry.
They don’t air it out often, but when they do, QB Hayden Wolff and receiver Blake Bosma are dangerous. Wolff leads the conference in yards per attempt and has thrown just three interceptions this season.
The flip side? Western Michigan’s defense has struggled, ranking 117th nationally while allowing 33.8 points per game. Three opponents have scored 40+ points on them. Meanwhile, Northern Illinois’s offense ranks 103rd in the country, averaging 23.4 points per game, and hasn’t surpassed that against any MAC team this season.
In a battle between an unstoppable force and an immovable object—and a stoppable force facing a moveable object—the breaking point could be special teams. Northern Illinois has blocked three kicks this year, though they’ve had their own kicking struggles.
Western Michigan’s Luka Zurak (100% on PATs, 90% on FGs) might be the hero when Wednesday night lights up.
Prediction: Western Michigan 27, Northern Illinois 24
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