Midweek MACtion at it’s finest. This Miami (OH) vs. Northern Illinois college football betting prediction indicates a strength on one side of the ball for a team fighting for a bowl game. With little else on the line, Miami needs to win their final two games to reach bowl eligibility. It all begins with a win in DeKalb.
Miami (OH) vs. Northern Illinois Betting Preview
- Spread
Northern Illinois (-1.5) - Moneyline
Northern Illinois (-120); Miami (OH) (+100) - Over/Under
46 points - Game time
7 p.m. ET - Location
Huskie Stadium, DeKalb, IL - Predicted weather at kickoff
31 degrees, cloudy, 9-10 mph winds - How to watch
fuboTV
Top DFS Picks and Fantasy Plays
- QB Aveon Smith, Miami ($8,400)
- QB Brett Gabbert, Miami ($8,400)
- QB Justin Lynch, Northern Illinois ($8,200)
- QB Nevan Cremascoli, Northern Illinois ($8,200)
- RB Harrison Waylee, Northern Illinois ($8,500)
- RB Antario Brown, Northern Illinois ($6,500)
- RB Keyon Mozee, Miami ($6,000)
- RB Tyre Shelton, Miami ($5,900)
- WR Cole Tucker, Northern Illinois ($8,000)
- WR Mac Hippenhammer, Miami ($7,500)
- WR Kacper Rutkiewicz, Northern Illinois ($7,300)
- WR Shemar Thornton, Northern Illinois ($6,100)
- WR Miles Marshall, Miami ($6,100)
- WR Fabian McCray, Northern Illinois ($5,100)
- WR Jalen Walker, Miami ($5,500)
- TE Tristen Tewes, Northern Illinois ($6,400)
- TE Liam Soraghan, Northern Illinois ($5,200)
- TE Jack Coldiron, Miami ($5,200)
- TE Nate Muersch, Miami ($5,000)
It’s Brett Gabbert’s show on offense now that the star signal-caller has returned to form. The RedHawks quarterback threw three touchdowns last week against Ohio and was outdone only by his own defense, which gave up 37 points for the first time in conference play this season.
In fact, Miami’s 37 points allowed in Week 11 is the most they’ve given up to a non-Power-Five team this year. In five previous games against MAC opponents, they hadn’t allowed more than 24 points this season.
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Miami’s defense is playing great football and should be considered one of the top units, at least at defending the pass. That limits an already murky QB situation for the Huskies, leaving both Justin Lynch and Nevan Cremascoli as players to avoid.
On the contrary, Gabbert has thrown four touchdowns over his past two games, and makes sense grabbing as your quarterback in your Wednesday DFS lineup. Mac Hippenhammer was the biggest recipient of Gabbert’s resurgence, as he hauled in three scores last week.
Grab Hippenhammer, but find value elsewhere on Wednesday because Miami is one of the top defensive units, and Gabbert to Hippenhammer may be the only guaranteed touchdown you can think of on the surface here.
Prediction for Miami (OH) vs. Northern Illinois
While the two teams get after it in different ways, both Miami and Northern Illinois are instinctively MAC football at its finest. Miami has utilized the strength of their defense in Gabbert’s absence, currently ranking first in offensive touchdowns allowed in the conference.
However, as Gabbert has returned to form, the Miami offense has picked up steam. In fact, over the past three games since returning to the lineup, Gabbert has completed 55 of 82 passes for 659 yards and four scores.
Most importantly, once Gabbert has found his footing, the RedHawks have started scoring consistently on offense. For just the first time all season, Miami has scored more than 21 in consecutive games with Gabbert at the helm.
Though their defense didn’t back it up against MAC offensive leader Ohio last week, Miami’s defense had still allowed just 42 points in their previous three outings. That kind of defensive stringency and offensive prowess building is the stuff that late-season surges start with.
MORE: College Football Picks, Predictions Week 12
The biggest benefactor in Gabbert’s re-entrance into the lineup is Hippenhammer. The former Penn State receiver and baseball player is the best athlete on the field whenever he’s on it. Hippenhammer has seven receiving touchdowns this season — three from Gabbert last week alone — and has caught fire after a midseason slump.
He’s a speedy receiver on the outside, one that Northern Illinois may have trouble dealing with, given the fact that they’ve allowed the most passing touchdowns this season.
Gabbert and Hippenhammer continue their return to form and make a difference, as the NIU defense hasn’t improved enough this season.
Prediction: Miami (OH) 26, Northern Illinois 21
