Prediction, Preview, and Betting Lines for Akron vs. Northern Illinois

There is still one game left for Northern Illinois to play in a bowl, but they lost enough MAC games to be out of the running for the title.

For the last game of the season, it should be good enough to beat Central Michigan, but it will not want to go that close. It needs to win this game because it has to go to Miami University next.

Akron just wants to finish strong. Another bad year for the team; it is already out of the bowl picture. But it beat Eastern Michigan a few weeks ago, and its next game is against Kent State, which is very, very winnable.

Even though it is a low bar, the team has not won more than two games in a season since 2018 (4-8).

Akron vs Northern Illinois: How to Watch and Game Preview

Date: Wednesday, November 13, 2024
Game Time: 7:00 pm ET
How to Watch: CBS Sports Network
Venue: Huskie Stadium, DeKalb, IL
Teams: Northern Illinois (5-4), Akron (2-7)

Why Akron Will Win

This can only work if you make a lot of mistakes.

Akron’s defense can not hold up against the Huskies, and the team does not have enough power to throw for a second 200-yard game this season.

It has not been easy for the Zip D to force turnovers, but they did so five times against Eastern Michigan, two against Colgate, and one against everyone else.

A few weeks ago, Northern Illinois gave it up four times to Ball State. In the last seven games, they have given it up two or more times in four of them. It will take a lot of turnovers, a big play on special teams, and….

Why Northern Illinois Will Win

What the Huskies bring can not be stopped by Akron.

If you already know how to hand it off, there is no reason to do anything else. The Huskies have only failed to run the ball 41 times once, in that mistake-filled loss to Ball State. Now they are going to hit the Akron run defense hard, and it will have a long day.

It takes almost five yards to run for NIU, and Akron is 0-6 when they give up more than 3.6 yards per carry.