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Tuesday MACtion College Football Odds, Predictions & Picks – Ball State vs Toledo, Eastern Michigan vs Akron, Ohio vs Miami (OH)

Jack Magruder

by Jack Magruder in College Football

Updated Nov 7, 2022 · 5:11 PM PST

Ohio Bobcats quarterback Kurtis Rourke drops back in the pocket
Sep 10, 2022; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Ohio Bobcats quarterback Kurtis Rourke (7) drops back in the pocket during the first quarter against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew OHaren-USA TODAY Sports
  • Week 2 of MACtion features three games Tuesday, including tilts involving division leaders Toledo and Ohio
  • Toledo plays for a two-game edge in MAC West while Ohio seeks to hang onto a share of first in the East
  • Read below for Toledo vs Ball State, Ohio vs Miami (O.) and Eastern Michigan vs Akron odds, analysis and prediction

The Mid-American Conference tradition of early-week college football commences in the second edition of MACtion with three games Tuesday. West division leader Toledo (6-3, 4-1 West) plays host to Ball State (5-4, 3-2 West). With a win, the Rockets would clinch at least a share of the division title with two weeks remaining in the regular season.

Ohio (6-3, 4-1 East) brings a four-game winning streak, the league’s longest active streak, into a road contest at Miami (4-5, 2-3 East). Eastern Michigan (5-4, 3-3 West) is a touchdown favorite at Akron (1-8, 0-5), which has lost its last eight after beating FCS Saint Francis (Pa.) in the season opener.

Here are predictions and picks for the second Tuesday of MACtion games. Betting trends and money percentages can be found on our College Football Betting trends page.

Ball State vs Toledo Odds

Team Spread Moneyline Total
Ball State Cardinals +11.5 (-112) +340 Over 51.5 (-110)
Toledo Rockets -11.5 (-109) -455 Under 51.5 (-110)

Odds from Barstool on Nov. 7. Get the Barstool Sportsbook promo code for MACtion betting. 

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Ball State Holds Underdog Value

Ball State running back Carson Steele and Toledo quarterback Dequan Finn are the players to watch here … if there is a chance to watch Finn, that is. Finn suffered a shoulder injury on the last play of a 34-27 loss to Buffalo two weeks ago and missed the 27-24 victory over Eastern Michigan a week ago. Toledo leads the MAC in scoring and Finn averages 296 total yards a game, but his status is unknown for this one. Redshirt Tucker Gleason passed for 238 yards and three touchdowns while filling in last week.

Sophomore Steele leads the MAC and is 10th in Division I in rushing (1,082 yards and rushing yards per game (120.2), and he has gained at least 100 yards in each of his last four. He will be facing a Toledo defense that gives up an average of 158 yards per game. Cardinals’ quarterback John Paddock has thrown for 2,227 yards and 16 touchdowns, but he also has thrown 10 interceptions, two in the loss to Eastern Michigan, the Cardinals’ only loss in their last five outings.

Both teams are 4-1 SU and 3-2 ATS in their last five. Toledo is 6-2 SU in the last eight games of this series but 1-7 ATS in the last eight at home. The Rockets are 4-5 ATS this season and have been favored in every MAC game, but never by more than seven points. Ball State beat Kent State 27-20 as a seven-point underdog a week ago. The Cardinals opened as a 12.5-point underdog.

  • Pick: Ball State +11.5 (-110)

Ohio vs Miami (OH) Odds

Team Spread Moneyline Total
Ohio Bobcats -1.5 (-110) -125 Over 50.5 (-114)
Miami RedHawks +1.5 (-110) +104 Under 50.5 (-106)

Odds from FanDuel Sportsbook on Nov. 7. Get the FanDuel promo code for college football betting. 

Bobcats Are Rolling

Ohio is 4-0 SU and ATS since losing to Kent State in the league opener, and the Bobcats gave Toledo its first conference loss in a decisive 45-24 home victory in the first week of MACtion last Tuesday behind quarterback Kurtis Rourke, who threw a career-high five touchdown passes.

Rourke, a fourth-year junior, is having the best season that few outside the MAC know about. He has completed 68.5 percent of his passes for 2,725 yards with 21 touchdowns and four interceptions. Rourke is 10th in NCAA Division I in passing efficiency, ahead of guys like Alabama’s Bryce Young, Wake Forest’s Sam Hartman and Washington’s Michael Penix.

Ohio has scored 157 points during its winning streak to improve its scoring average to 33.4 points a game, just ahead of the 33.2 points per game it has given up on defense. Wideout Sam Wiglusz has 55 catches for 710 yards and a league-high seven touchdowns after scoring twice against Toledo.

Miami plays a different game. The RedHawks are first in the MACA in scoring defense and second in total defense, but they rank last in total offense. They have five touchdowns, one defensive, in the last three games, with three in a 27-9 victory over last-place Akron last week.

The Bobcats are 12-3 SU in their last 15 against the RedHawks, 5-2 ATS in the last seven in Oxford.

  • Pick: Ohio -1.5 (-110)

Eastern Michigan vs Akron Odds

Total
Eastern Michigan Eagles -7.5 (-115) -330 Over 54.5 (-110)
Akron Zips +7.5 (-105) +260 Under 54.5 (-110)

Odds from FanDuel Sportsbook on Nov. 7.

Eagles Run on Evans

Eastern Michigan is can become bowl-eligible for the fourth straight full season at Akron, and the road has been kind to the Eagles this year. They are 3-2 SU in the last five overall and 3-1 ATS on the road. Their biggest road conquest, a 30-21 victory at Arizona State, cost Sun Devils coach Herm Edwards his job.

The Eagles play through running back Samson Evans, who is fourth in the MAC with 722 yards rushing and is tied for the league with seven rushing touchdowns. Evans blew up at Arizona State, rushing for 258 yards and one touchdown in 36 carries. Akron is 11th in the league in rushing defense.

Akron has not won a game since beating FCS Saint Francis (Pa.) in the season opener, but the Zips have not packed it in. They are 4-2 ATS in their last six with mixed MAC success. They covered in a 31-28 loss to East co-leader Bowling Green in the league opener Oct. 1 but succumbed to co-leader Ohio 55-34 the following week. The Zips are last in the league in scoring (18.6) and points against (37.0) in the league.

  • Pick: Eastern Michigan -7.5 (-115)
  • Season: 29-34 

 

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