Northern Illinois vs. Toledo Total Pick
Will Toledo and Northern Illinois have a typical MAC shootout when the two meet up on Thursday at 6PM ET?
According to oddsmakers at Bovada.lv, Toledo is favored at home, as the Rockets are getting odds of -9 points against the Huskies. The over/under total for the contest has been set at 57 points. NIU has won six of the last seven meetings with Toledo and the two have hit the under in five straight encounters. The public is currently putting 52 percent of the wagers on Northern Illinois on the road. Thursday’s game takes place from the Glass Bowl in Toledo, Ohio and the game will air live on ESPNU.
Northern Illinois is coming off a 30-27 OT win over Eastern Michigan last week. The Huskies are now 6-2 on the season and 4-0 in the MAC. They are also 5-3 with the under on the season. NIU has a great defense that is holding opponents to 18 points and 307.1 yards per game. The offense is putting up 27.9 points and 396.5 yards per contest. Marcus Childers has emerged as the QB for the offense. He has thrown for 872 yards and nine touchdowns while also rushing for 329 yards and three touchdowns. Jordan Huff is the leading rusher with 450 yards but he is questionable for this game with an undisclosed injury.
Toledo is coming off a 58-17 win at Ball State last week to improve to 7-1 on the season and 4-0 in the MAC. The Rockets are 5-3 with the over, hitting it in three of their four home games. The offense is putting up 40.5 points and 516.6 yards per game this season. Logan Woodside has thrown for 2,295 yards and 19 touchdowns with two interceptions. Terry Swanson is the leading rusher with 728 yards and eight touchdowns while Diontae Johnson has 36 receptions for 693 yards and eight scores. Defensively, Toledo is allowing just 25.4 points and 363.5 yards per game.
Bet on Northern Illinois at Toledo
Northern Illinois has been able to corral Toledo in a way not many others have. The Huskies have held the Rockets to 27 points or less in four of the last five meetings. While the NIU offense has seen a recent uptick, I don’t see the Huskies having great success with the ball on the road against this Toledo offense. That puts more on the defense to step up, which I think it will. Look for this game to be a defensive battle with limited big plays on offense.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL PREDICTION: NORTHERN ILLINOIS/TOLEDO UNDER 57