#Central Michigan vs. Northern Illinois prediction: Chippewas the pick

Sloppy, sloppy. Not a good characteristic, especially for a football team. And while it’s still early in the truncated MAC season, Northern Illinois is going to have to prove the label doesn’t stick after five turnovers doomed it in the opener against Buffalo.

Oddsmakers are certainly keen to the Huskies’ plight, and have made visiting Central Michigan a solid 7.5-point choice at BetMGM and many wagering outlets for Wednesday night’s MACtion in DeKalb, Ill.

Series trends certainly support the visiting Chippewas, who have been faring well in this matchup for several years. CMU stretched its spread cover streak against NIU to six in a row in last year’s 48-10 romp at Mt. Pleasant, when both coaches (Chips’ Jim McElwain and Huskies’ Thomas Hammock) were in their first years on the job. Big advantage McElwain, with his CMU rolling up a whopping 615 yards as the Chips had effectively iced the game by halftime when their lead stood at 38-10.

There are some different actors for McElwain’s second edition, including at quarterback, where last year’s leader, former Tennessee transfer Quinten Dormady, has departed. McElwain had hoped JuCo David Moore would step into Dormady’s role, but is still waiting for his clearance to play. The Chips, however, got solid production last week against Ohio from redshirt freshman QB Daniel Richardson, who passed and ran for scores. There were no sacks nor interceptions, either … the sort of “non-sloppy” stuff that avoided NIU last week.

As for McElwain, he has made a positive impact since last year, not only in Mt. Pleasant, but within sportsbooks, as well. Last season’s romp past the Huskies was part of a bowl-qualifying campaign, and after McElwain topped Frank Solich’s Ohio in an exciting opener last week, his spread mark now stands at 11-4 at CMU, and why the Chips have become a popular choice among wagerers.

The play: Central Michigan, -8.5.