NIU (5-4) vs Akron (2-7)
Game Info: Wednesday, November 13, 2024 at 7:00 pm (Brigham Field at Huskie Stadium)
The Line: Betting Odds: NIU -16.5 / Akron +16.5 — Over/Under: 45.5
The Akron Zips and the Northern Illinois Huskies meet Wednesday in college football action from Huskie Stadium. Here’s an Akron vs NIU prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best Akron vs NIU pick. We will examine:
The Akron Zips’ recent form and player performance
The Northern Illinois Huskies’ recent form and player performance
Recent betting trends and streaks involving the Akron Zips
Recent betting trends and streaks involving the Northern Illinois Huskies
Recent betting trends in games played between Akron and NIU
A summary that ties it all together and produces a favorable betting outcome for the Akron vs NIU game
Akron Zips Betting Preview
The Zips lost to Ohio State and Rutgers in their first pair before a win over Colgate in game three. Next came four straight losses to South Carolina, Ohio, Bowling Green, and Western Michigan before a win over Eastern Michigan on October 26.
Akron fell back into the loss column in their most recent appearance versus Buffalo on November 2. In that one, Akron gave up double-digit points in each of the first three quarters during a 41-30 defeat. Ben Finley threw for 354 yards and four scores—three of them coming late. Adrian Norton caught two TDs among his six grabs for 98 yards.
Northern Illinois Huskies Betting Preview
Over on the NIU side, they won their first pair over Western Illinois and Notre Dame before losses to Buffalo and NC State. NIU went 3-2 over the next five with losses to Toledo and Ball State mixed with wins over UMass, Bowling Green, and Western Michigan.
In last Wednesday’s matchup versus Western Michigan, the Huskies scored 21 points in both the second and third quarters during a 42-28 win. Ethan Hampton tossed for 156 yards and a couple of scores, while Telly Johnson ran 23 times for 141 yards and two TDs of his own.
Why the Northern Illinois Huskies will win
- Akron has lost each of its last 12 road games against non-AP-ranked teams.
- Northern Illinois has won each of its last three games in November.
- Akron has failed to cover the spread in seven of its last eight road games.
- The favorite has covered the spread in three of the last four games between Akron and Northern Illinois.
Why the Akron Zips will win
- Northern Illinois has lost six of its last seven November games as a home favorite.
- The underdog has won nine of Northern Illinois’ last 13 games at Brigham Field at Huskie Stadium.
- Northern Illinois has failed to cover the spread in six of its last seven November games as a home favorite.
- The underdog has covered the spread in 10 of Northern Illinois’ last 13 games at Brigham Field at Huskie Stadium.
Total Points Facts
- Each of Northern Illinois’ last four games as a favorite against Akron has gone OVER the total points line.
- Five of Akron’s last six games as a road underdog have gone OVER the total points line.
Akron vs NIU Prediction
I’ll probably just stay with NIU. The Huskies had a nice offensive groove going in their win over WMU. Northern Illinois notched 411 yards (255 rushing), 6.9 yards per play, and 21 first downs. On defense, NIU allowed just 2-of-10 on third-down tries and came up with three picks.
As for Akron, they posted 452 yards (378 passing) in their futile effort versus Buffalo. The key stat was the four turnovers (three fumbles) though, which helped bury the Zips in the loss column. This week’s matchup should be a fun one, but ultimately I like NIU to power out a home cover.