Northern Illinois and Buffalo football kick off championship weekend on Friday night as they duel for the MAC title in Detroit. Will it be Bulls or Huskies?
Ten years after upsetting an undefeated Ball State team to win the MAC championship, Buffalo returns to Detroit as the MAC East winner. This time, however, they are the decided favorite after reaching 10 wins for the first time in program history. The Bulls won’t likely get into a New Year’s Six game given the teams ahead of them in the pecking order, but they could potentially win a dozen games this season.
Lance Leipold’s squad has benefitted from one of the best offensive lines in the country. The Bulls average more than 200 rushing yards per game, and they rank third nationally in sacks allowed and seventh in the FBS in total tackles for loss given away. Coupled with a strong secondary and a defense great at causing turnovers, Buffalo comes into Friday’s game as a clear favorite.
But they aren’t as big of a favorite as one might expect against a five-loss Northern Illinois side that arrives at Ford Field on a two-game losing streak. After a two-year hiatus, though, the Huskies have reached their seventh MAC championship game in the past nine seasons. They will come to Detroit as a slight underdog, but they have their chances to down Buffalo this year.
Offense may elude Rod Carey’s team this year, but NIU brings the top defense in the MAC to the title game. Through the regular season they gave up only 21 points and 344 total yards per game. The Huskies will test strength against strength, as no defense in the FBS has generated more sacks this season and only six other teams have more total tackles for loss.
Something has to give in the showdown for conference supremacy when the Bulls and Huskies duel on neutral turf. Here’s how you can watch the Friday night MAC championship game between Buffalo and Northern Illinois live from Detroit:
Date: Friday, Nov. 30
Time: 7:00 p.m. ET
Location: Detroit, Mich.
Venue: Ford Field
TV: ESPN2
Live Stream: WatchESPN | FuboTV
Keys to Victory
Buffalo needs to do a much better job of protecting their kicking units if they hope to avoid an upset in Detroit on Friday night. The Bulls have suffered seven blocked kicks, more than any other team in the country, as well as three blocked punts. They also need to score points when they get in the red zone, something they have failed to do on more than one-quarter of their trips inside opponents’ 20-yard lines over the course of the regular season.
Northern Illinois needs Marcus Childers to avoid throwing interceptions and to complete more than half of his passing attempts. The sophomore quarterback has been inconsistent throughout the year, and he’ll need to challenge the Bulls secondary to give the Huskies a shot at the win. Converting on third and fourth downs will also be critical for a team that struggles to keep the chains moving.
Betting Odds
Odds courtesy of oddsshark.com
Point Spread: Buffalo -3.5
Over/Under: 49
Prediction
Buffalo is going to have a hard time getting points on the board in the first half, as Northern Illinois successfully shuts down the Bulls to head to the locker room tied 7-7 at the intermission. But Leipold and his staff will do a better job of making halftime adjustments, and Buffalo will come out and get enough points in the second half to cruise to victory.
Final Score: Buffalo 24, NIU 7