Akron vs Northern Illinois 11/13/24 Game Information

Akron vs Northern Illinois Preview

Northern Illinois (5-4, 2-3 in MAC) plays host to Akron (2-7, 1-4 in MAC) at Husky Stadium on Wednesday night in Week 12 midweek MACtion from the Land of Lincoln. In Week 11, the Huskies defeated Western Michigan, 42-28 to get above the .500 mark on the season as Telly Johnson Jr. rushed for two TDs and 141 yards to upset the first place team in the Mid-American Conference. The game was tied 21-21 in the 3rd Quarter before NIU reeled off three straight TDs to take an insurmountable 42-21 lead vs the Broncos. Akron lost in Week 11 to Buffalo 41-30 as the Zips had 452 Total Yards but turned the ball over 4 times and fell behind 38-7 after three quarters. It was the 7th straight win for the Bulls over Akron who have now lost 5 of its last 6 games.

Akron Looks For its Second Win Ever vs NIU 

Akron (3-6 ATS, 6-3 O/U) has only beaten Northern Illinois once, but it was here in DeKalb, so despite the large 18-point spread, anything can happen. Hey, the Huskies upset Notre Dame earlier this season, right? But the Zips are 0-5 SU on the Road heading into this one and QB Ben Finley (1,955 yards), RB Jordon Simmons (495 rushing yards), and WR Adrian Norton (667 receiving yards) lead a team that ranks No. 125 in Scoring Offense (18.2 ppg), scoring only 20 TD heading in here. In last year’s meeting at Akron, NIU outgained the Zips, 571-253, so expect the Huskies to score a bunch at Home. Akron has just won 2 times in its last 10 games, vs Eastern Michigan in MAC play and vs Colgate in Week 3.

Akron Betting Trends

• The last 4 series meetings have gone Over
• The Zips have alternated ATS W/L’s their last 5 (LWLWL) 
• Akron is 1-3 ATS on the Road, only covering vs Ohio State in Week 1
• The Over is 6-3 in Zips games this year, 4-0 on the Road
• Akron has -1.11 TO Margin, tied for #125 of 134 teams

Northern Illinois Needs Win to Become Bowl Eligible

With the Huskies out of the MAC race—four teams are now tied for first place with 4-1 records—and with no conference team in the College Football Playoff (CFP) discussion, all that NIU (5-3-1 ATS< 4-4-1 O/U) can do now is try to get revenge on Akron for beating them here two seasons ago and get another win to become Bowl eligible (6 wins). The Huskies are led by QB Ethan Hampton (1,256 passing yards, 11 TD, 5 Interception), RB Antario Brown (567 rushing yards), and WRs Cam Thompson (372 receiving yards, 3 T&D, 14,9 ypc) and Trayvon Rudolph (275 receiving yards, TD, 11.0 ypc). NIU put up 55 points in this game last year and won 55-14, covering the 4-point spread in a game which saw the visitors go Over the Total (42) themselves and which was 55-14 after three quarters before a scoreless 4th Quarter when the Huskies called off the dogs.

Northern Illinois Betting Trends

• Northern Illinois is 7-1 SU lifetime vs Akron, 3-1 at Home
• The Huskies are just 1-2-1 ATS at Home this season
• NIU has scored at least 27 points in their 7 wins in this series
• The Huskies are 7-1 SU lifetime against Akron
• Northern Illinois is 4-0 ATS in the First Quarter market the last 4 Home

Akron vs Northern Illinois Pick and Prediction

This one, like many MWC matchups featuring Akron and Kent State may come down to how much the big Favorite really cares about scoring in the 4th Quarter. The Zips proved that they can create some offense last week while Telly Johnson Jr. proved he can be a big rushing threat for the Huskies, so we should see some points scored in this one, probably the majority of them by the hosts. Your free NCAAF pick and Akron vs Northern Illinois prediction is for the Huskies to win by 20 points or more, in a Home game and rout which should see them scoring 5 TD to Akron’s 2 TD (35-14). The weather forecast for DeKalb on Wednesday is currently calling for a brisk Low of 41°.

Kevin’s Pick: Northern Illinois -18