MAC Championship Game Betting Preview & Best Bets: Will Kent State & Northern Illinois Come Close to the Century Mark Again?

These teams have met in the MAC Championship Game before but it has been a while (2012), back when Northern Illinois was dominating the league.

That is not the case now as they won their division thanks to tiebreakers. Kent State secured its spot with a 1 point OT win last week.

These teams met during the regular season. It was an exciting 52-47 win by the Flashes at home.

MAC Championship Game: Kent State Golden Flashes (7-5) vs Northern Illinois Huskies (8-4), ESPN, 12:00 p.m. ET

Kent State Golden Flashes vs Northern Illinois College Football Betting Odds

Spread

• Kent State Golden Flashes -3.5 (-105)
• Northern Illinois Huskies +3.5 (-115)

Total

• OVER 74.5 (-110)
• UNDER 74.5 (-110)

Moneyline

• Kent State Golden Flashes -168
• Northern Illinois Huskies +136

MAC Championship Game college football betting odds are via BetOnline Sportsbook as of Saturday, December 4, 2021, at 8:27 a.m. ET.

Kent State Golden Flashes vs Northern Illinois Huskies Betting Preview

Kent State has one of the most balanced and productive offenses in college football. They average 247 yards per game on the ground and 241 yards per game through the air. Quarterback Dustin Crum is one of a handful of quarterbacks with double-digit touchdowns running and throwing the ball. In MAC play, the Golden Flashes scored at least 31 points in each of their last seven games.

The challenge for Kent State each week is whether the defense can make enough stops to get a win. Statistically, they have one of the worst defenses in the MAC and in college football.

But so does Northern Illinois, which is why the outcome of their first meeting this season is no surprise. In that matchup at Kent State on November 3, the Golden Flashes beat the Huskies 52-47 as the teams combined for 1,345 yards of total offense.

Northern Illinois is playing for the MAC title for the first time since 2018. They closed the season with a home loss to Western Michigan, but they had already clinched the division title the week before.

The Huskies are a run-first team that is second in the MAC in rushing yards per game. Quarterback Rocky Lombardi, a Michigan State transfer, has been solid when they needed him. As mentioned, the Huskies are dreadful on defense. Which team can provide enough defensive resistance to come out on top in Detroit?

Kent State Golden Flashes vs Northern Illinois Huskies Best Bet

Over 74.5

The spread is telling us this game could really go either way at Ford Field. I feel pretty confident that even though there is familiarity on both sides, the offenses are going to be in control again. The regular season tilt had a closing total of 72 points, and we saw 99 points scored. That result and two bad defenses have increased this number slightly, but I don’t think it will be enough. We should feel very good about this one early in the 4th quarter.

MAC Championship Game Score Prediction

Kent State 49, Northern Illinois Huskies 41