It’s been a great season if you’re a school from Michigan with a direction in your name. The Eastern Michigan Eagles are going to make their first bowl since 1987 this season and the fan base is ready to travel someplace warm for the postseason. Their opponent on Tuesday, the Central Michigan Chippewas, scored the biggest out-of-conference win for any MAC team when they knocked off Oklahoma State two months ago and that win also helped them get to six. Central Michigan will be looking for its fifth straight win in this series.
This matchup in Week 13 of the college football season will take place on Tuesday, November 22, 2016 at 7 p.m. ET at Rynearson Stadium. This game will be broadcast on ESPN3.
College Football Odds at BookMaker.eu
Central Michigan
Eastern Michigan
Odds Analysis
The Chippewas have been terrible ATS wise recently. Central Michigan has covered just two of its last eight and prior to its win over Ohio last week hadn’t won a game since the middle of October.
Eastern Michigan might be 6-5, but has only been favored three times this season, making the Eagles a very profitable team to bet on. The Eagles are 8-3 ATS on the year and have four outright wins as an underdog, three against conference foes.
Matchup to Watch
If Eastern Michigan has an Achilles Heel, it’s a pass defense that is one of the worst in the country. The Eagles are giving up 272 yards a game through the air and have gotten killed in recent weeks by the top quarterbacks in the conference. What’s cause for concern though is that even mediocre players have been tearing this pass defense apart. Two weeks ago, Riley Neal threw for almost 400 yards and three touchdowns on the Eagles and almost led Ball State to a win.
All that is music to the ears of Cooper Rush. Rush has had an up and down senior campaign, but put his talents on display last week in a critical win against Ohio. He has thrown for over 3000 yards this season and his arm gives the Chippewas a weapon other teams in the conference lack. He threw for almost 400 yards on this defense last year and if he matches that feat again, the Chips should win.
Key Stat
Special teams are crucial in games that are expected to be close and that could come back to bite Central Michigan. Brian Eavey has been one of the least accurate field goal kickers in the nation this season, hitting just 7 of his 15 attempts. His misses almost cost them in a triple overtime game against Northern Illinois earlier this season and did cost them against Kent State.
Eavey has improved over the last few weeks though and hit two clutch kicks against Ohio to help ice the game. Those three kicks moved him up from a 33.3 percent field goal kicker but it’s hard for Central Michigan to have much faith in him due to his previous struggles.
Free ATS Pick
Neither one of these teams has a chance to win the conference title, but the winner will likely get a better bowl bid.
Brogan Roback has been great under center this season for Eastern Michigan. He has led the charge for a team that has long been the doormat in the MAC, but has had some setbacks recently. He didn’t have a great outing against Northern Illinois, completing under 45 percent of his passes and throwing two interceptions, and he now has four picks over his last four games.
Grab Central Michigan in this one. The Chips are more battle-tested than their in-state compatriots and Rush is looking to go 4-4 against the Eagles in his career. He should have a good enough game to do it.
College Football Odds: Chippewas 31, Eagles 27
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