Northern Illinois Huskies @ Miami-Ohio Redhawks Free Pick

Northern Illinois Huskies @ Miami-Ohio Redhawks Free Pick: Point differential is something I take a peak at usually when I’m thinking about which side to go with. I basically have a look at that, then have a look at any huge blowouts that may have effected that, to even see if a cover is possible. The Redhawks are good at home, but they are a -3.5 point differential on the season despite being 8-4. They had 4 pretty big blowouts that significantly hurt their overall stats in that category, but only one of them, Missouri, is a team I would consider to be very good. Cincinnati beat them 45-3: Ohio beat them 34-13: Missouri beat them 51-13: and Florida won 34-12. All but one of those were road games (Ohio was at home) and Miami-Ohio is a much better home team. This is a home game.

But they’ve played lots of tight games against mediocre foes, slipping by Akron, beating Bowling Green by a field goal, having trouble with Buffalo, stinging Kent State by a whole 6 points, and even beating down Eastern Michigan by an entire touchdown.

NIU is good. They have really fought through all the perceptions of their program and busted into the Top 25. They’ve won 9 straight games (lost to Illinois by just 6 back in September) and have done so by killing everybody with their run game. They’ve out-rushed every single one of their last 9 opponents, they’ve out-gained their last 8 (total yardage) and they’ve slammed their last two opponents on the road, beating Ball State 59-21 and trouncing Eastern Michigan 71-3. They’re feeling it. And I’m feeling them in this one.

#25 Northern Illinois Huskies (-17.5) @ Miami-Ohio Redhawks (Fri)