The MAC Championship Game will take place tonight at Ford Field in Michigan, as the Bowling Green Falcons do battle with the Northern Illinois Huskies. The game has a start time of 8:00 pm (Eastern) and be will televised on ESPN 2. Current odds have Northern Illinois listed as 4.5 point favorites, while the total sits at 58.
Analysis: Since losing back-to-back games against Mississippi State and Toledo, the Falcons have turned it around with four consecutive victories and they have outscored foes during the streak by a combined 176-17. On offense, Bowling Green has hit its stride over the last month or so, thanks to QB Matt Johnson who has completed 63.2% of his passes for 2,802 yards and 18 TDs. Travis Greene anchors a solid rushing attack with his 1,422 yards and 10 TDs on 235 attempts, while Shaun Joplin is the leading receiver with 807 yards. The offense is averaging 464.1 ypg overall and 34.4 ppg so far, while the defense has been very tough giving up just 296.6 ypg in total offense, with the pass defense being the toughest hurdle to overcome for the opposition as the Falcons allow a mere 161.8 ypg (fourth nationally). Bowling Green held Buffalo to 15 yards rushing six days after limiting Eastern Michigan to four yards passing.
The Huskies (12-0) are now just one of three undefeated teams in the FBS, and the only one of the group that comes from outside the BCS. The Huskies tied a school record with their 12th straight win last Tuesday and have won 24 of their last 25 overall. Jordan Lynch broke his own NCAA record for rushing yards by a quarterback with 321 against Western Michigan and became only the second player in school history to rush for at least 300 yards twice in the same season. Lynch has the NIU offense ranked fourth in the country with both 318.9 ypg rushing and 542.3 ypg in total offense, leading to 42.8 ppg which is ninth in the nation entering play this week. Over on the defensive side of the ball the Huskies have produced 17 INTs and recovered 10 fumbles, all of which goes into NIU ranking eighth in the nation in turnover margin with a plus-1.2 per contest.
Pick: Big games breed tightness, conservative play and Unders and I see this one shaping up that way. The winner of this game will win the MAC title, but more importantly for NIU is that a win here should put them in a BCS bowl. This game does feature some good scoring offenses but also the defense have been solid as well. The Bowling Green defense has allowed just 13.8 ppg this year, while ranking 7th in total defense and 4th vs the pass. On the other side we have a NIU defense that may be 74th overall, but they allow just 23.6 ppg on the year and have allow 20 points or less in 6 of their last 7 games. I expect both teams to have trouble moving the ball in this one, which could give us a game in the 40's.
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College Football Free Picks: Bowling Green vs Northern Illinois
What college football bettors need to know about Bowling Green Falcons vs Northern Illinois Huskies on Friday (12/06/13) - a free pick from Pregame.com's Ken Thomson, with Bryan Leonard and host Marco D'Angelo.