The Northern Illinois Huskies (4-4) and the Western Michigan Broncos (5-3) square off during Wednesday night MACtion. The Huskies, who shocked Notre Dame in non-conference play, are seeking to get back on track and snap their two-game losing streak. Last week, Ball State narrowly beat NIU 25-23 to drop the Huskies to 1-3 in MAC play. Meanwhile, Western Michigan is on a four-game win streak (3-1 against the spread), all against MAC foes, and sits atop the MAC standings at 4-0.
Kickoff from Waldo Stadium in Kalamazoo, Mich., is at 7 p.m. ET. After opening as slight underdogs, the Huskies are now 2.5-point favorites in the latest Northern Illinois vs. Western Michigan odds via SportsLine consensus, while the over/under for total points scored is 52.5. Before making any Western Michigan vs. Northern Illinois picks, you need to see the college football predictions and betting advice from the SportsLine Projection Model.
The model simulates every FBS college football game 10,000 times. Since its inception, it has generated a betting profit of well over $2,000 for $100 players on its top-rated college spread football picks, and it is a sizzling 18-9 on all top-rated picks over the past six weeks of this season. Anyone following at sportsbooks and on betting apps has seen strong returns.
Now, the model has dialed in on NIU vs. Western Michigan and just revealed its coveted picks and predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see the model's picks. Here are the college football betting lines and trends for Western Michigan vs. NIU
- Northern Illinois vs. Western Michigan spread: Huskies -2.5
- Northern Illinois vs. Western Michigan over/under: 51.5 points
- Northern Illinois vs. Western Michigan money line: Huskies -129, Broncos +108
- NIU: 1-3-2 ATS since upsetting Notre Dame
- WMU: On a 3-0 ATS run
- Northern Illinois vs. Western Michigan picks: See picks here
- Northern Illinois vs. Western Michigan streaming: FuboTV (Try for free)
Why Northern Illinois can cover
Northern Illinois has an effective rushing attack. The Huskies are second in the MAC in rushing offense (205.9). Senior running back Antario Brown has impressive straight-line speed and field vision. The Georgia native leads the team in rushing yards (516) with four rushing touchdowns. He has five games with 60-plus rushing yards. In his previous game, Brown had 62 rushing yards and two touchdowns.
Defensively, the Huskies have the skillset to wreak havoc all over the field. Northern Illinois ranks first in scoring defense (17.6), total defense (274.9), rushing defense (110.1) and pass defense (164.8). They have also compiled 23 team sacks, with four players logging at least four sacks. This unit has held their opponents to 20 or fewer points five times in 2024. See who to back at SportsLine.
Why Western Michigan can cover
The Broncos have an offense that is creating chunk plays and finding different ways to exploit defenses. Western Michigan is first in the conference in scoring offense (34), total offense (408.9) and rushing offense (209). Junior running back Jaden Nixon is the lead workhorse for Western Michigan. Nixon leads the MAC in rushing yards (752), rushing touchdowns (10), and yards per carry (7.2).
The Texas native has rushed for 100-plus rushing yards in five games this season. In his last outing, Nixon had eight carries for 135 yards and one score. Senior running back Zahir Abdus-Salaam is another ball carrier in the backfield. Abdus-Salaam has logged 379 yards and two scores. He's rushed for 40-plus yards in five of his last six games. See who to back at SportsLine.
How to make Northern Illinois vs. Western Michigan picks
SportsLine's model is leaning Over on the total, projecting 54 combined points. It also says one side of the spread hits in over 60% of simulations. You can see the model's pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Northern Illinois vs. Western Michigan, and which side of the spread hits over 60% of the time? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the spread to jump on, all from the advanced model that is up well over $2,000 on top-rated spread picks since its inception, and find out.