| MATCHUP | Ball State Cardinals | Northern Illinois Huskies |
|---|---|---|
| Team Records | 3-5 | 2-6 |
| Where | Huskie Stadium, Dekalb, IL | |
| When | Saturday, October 25, 2025 | |
| Time | 03:30 PM EDT | |
| TV | ESPN+ | |
The Ball State Cardinals and the Northern Illinois Huskies meet in week 9 college football action from Huskie Stadium on Saturday. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for this game. Here’s a Ball State Cardinals vs. Northern Illinois Huskies prediction.
Ball State Cardinals Recap
The Ball State Cardinals come into this game looking to add on to their 42-28 win over Akron last time out to sit at 3-4 this season. After this game, Ball State will head home for a game against Kent State.
Cardinals Alternate Wins & Losses In 6 Straight
Kiael Kelly has thrown for 846 yards, 5 touchdowns and 3 interceptions on 59.3% passing while also rushing for 331 yards and 5 touchdowns. Qua Ashley leads Ball State in rushing with 476 rushing yards and 4 touchdowns while Qian Magwood has a team-high 217 receiving yards. Three more Ball State receivers have 100+ receiving yards as well this season. On defense, Alfred Chea has a team-high 37 total tackles while Nathan Voorhis has a team-high 9 sacks. As a unit, Ball State’s defense has combined for 19 sacks and 3 interceptions so far this season.
Northern Illinois Huskies Recap
The Northern Illinois Huskies come into this game looking to rebound from a 48-21 loss at the hands of Ohio last time out to sit at 1-6 this season. After this game, NIU will head on the road for a game against Toledo.
Huskies Lose 6 In A Row
Josh Holst has thrown for 537 yards, 3 touchdowns and 2 interceptions on 63.2% passing while Brady Davidson has 215 passing yards, a touchdown and 3 interceptions on 44.1% passing this season. Telly Johnson Jr. has a team-high 481 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns while Chavon Wright has 325 rushing yards and 2 TDs as well this season. DeAree Rogers’ leads Northern Illinois’ receiving group with 35 grabs for 396 yards and 2 touchdowns on the year. On defense, Quinn Urwiler has a team-high 82 total tackles while the NIU defense as a whole has combined for 8 sacks and 5 interceptions so far this season.
Ball State Cardinals @ Northern Illinois Huskies Betting Trends: Week 9
Why the Northern Illinois Huskies will win
- The home team has won each of Ball State’s last eight games.
- Ball State has lost each of its last 10 games as a road underdog.
- The home team has covered the spread in four of Ball State’s last five games.
- Ball State has failed to cover the spread in three of its last four road games against conference opponents.
- Northern Illinois has won the first quarter in each of its last six home games against conference opponents.
- Ball State has lost the first half in each of its last five games against conference opponents.
Why the Ball State Cardinals will win
- Ball State has won each of its last four games as an underdog against Northern Illinois.
- Northern Illinois has lost each of its last six games.
- Northern Illinois has failed to cover the spread in each of its last eight home games.
- The underdog has covered the spread in each of the last six games between Ball State and Northern Illinois.
Total Points Facts
- Seven of Ball State’s last eight October games as a road underdog have gone UNDER the total points line.
- Each of Northern Illinois’ last three home games against Ball State have gone UNDER the total points line.
Northern Illinois Huskies Player Prop Facts
- Heading into Week 9, Quinn Urwiler leads the league for tackles (82) this season.
Ball State Cardinals Player Prop Facts
- Heading into Week 9, Nathan Voorhis ranks 6th amongst FBS players for sacks (8.0) this season.
Matchup/League Facts
- Northern Illinois has recorded the equal-most home wins by a margin of three points or less of any FBS team this season (1).
- Northern Illinois ranks 135th among FBS teams for points per game this season (12.3).
- Ball State has scored fewer than five points in three road games this season – most of any FBS team.
- Ball State ranks T134th among FBS teams for Q2 points per game this season (3.0).
Ball State Cardinals vs. Northern Illinois Huskies Prediction
I’m on Ball State and the points here. Both teams are banged up, but at the end of the day, this just boils down to the fact that I don’t trust Northern Illinois offensively to lay points here or even win this game outright. Ball State’s the better team and the more trustworthy team offensively, and a two-point win over FCS Holy Cross is the only thing stopping NIU from entering this game at 0-7. I think that Ball State wins this game outright, but I’ll take the points to be safe.