Sportswagers
Northern Illinois @ BALL STATE
BALL STATE +3½ -110 over Northern Illinois
Northern Illinois began the 2014 campaign with a 55-3 rout of Presbyterian. The perennial Mid-American Conference power has posted four straight seasons with at least 11 wins including last year's 12-2 finish and #24 ranking under first-year coach Rod Carey. After defeating E. Michigan last week, the Huskies are now 6-2 and they’re playing a Ball State team in Muncie that had dropped five in a row prior to winning its last two over Central Michigan and Akron. The Huskies bring the MAC’s best pedigree into this game and they’ve been a MAC force for years but they are not as good as they’ve been the previous four years because several key players finished their senior years last season, including star QB Jordan Lynch. The Huskies have played a weak schedule and the MAC this year is worse than it’s been in many years. The Huskies may be the class of the MAC but it’s not by a lot and because of their pedigree, they are overvalued.
Ball State is now 3-5 but they were 1-5 after six games. The Cardinals slow start has them undervalued. Injuries hit Ball State as hard as any team in the nation in September. Pete Lembo is the best coach in the MAC. His team is much heathier now than they were earlier and the results are beginning to show. The Cardinals defeated Central Michigan on the road by three points two weeks ago, which is the same Chippewas squad that NIU lost to by 17 in Northern Illinois. BSU followed that up with a 14-point win over Akron and they’ll go for its third straight win here. The Cardinals figure to run the ball successfully and they figure to control the clock. What we have here is a very live pooch at home in a classic, buy-low/sell-high situation and we’re all over it.
Our Pick
BALL STATE +3½ -110 (Risking 2.2 units - To Win: 2.00)
