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Posted at 3:00 PM EST.

8:00 PM EST. The market is really getting to know these MAC teams, as they play every Tuesday and Wednesday night as soon as conference play kicks in and that fits right into our wheelhouse, as the Huskies are now 6-0 in the conference. Last Wednesday, the market watched NIU kick Toledo’s ass (38-15) and cover easily as a 3½-point road favorite. They didn’t know it at the time but the Huskies clinched their seventh division title in nine years in that game when Western Michigan fell to Ball State 42-41 in overtime on Wednesday. The celebration was therefore on hold until Thursday. NIU will play in the MAC Championship on Nov. 30 at Ford Field in Detroit against the East Champion (likely Buffalo). That game is in two short weeks so the there is a great chance that this game will be more like a glorified practice for the Huskies. They have nothing to gain here and everything to lose and we doubt their motivation level will be high. Besides that, this is a pedestrian offense spotting significant points to a highly motivated team and a very good team too.

Miami Ohio is 4-6 and needs wins over NIU and Ball State to reach bowl eligibility but this is not your typical 4-6 team. Prior to beating Ball State last week, The RedHawks fell 51-42 at Buffalo and the Bulls are without question the best coached and best team in the MAC. Miami could have won that game. The week previous, the RedHawks went into Army and lost in double OT. Miami could literally be on a 5-0 run right now with victories over formidable competition. This is absolutely a fair fight with the visitor very capable of putting up points or punching back every time it gets scored upon. We also have the back-door cover very much on the table because it’s just so unlikely that NIU pulls away in a game that means jack to them. We’re calling the upset here and will use Miami in some money line parlays but we’re sure as hell not about to miss taking back significant and inflated points in a flat bet.

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