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Northern Illinois looks to stay undefeated as they host Buffalo. It is time to continue our college football odds series with a Buffalo-Northern Illinois prediction and pick.
Buffalo comes into the game sitting at 2-1 on the year. They opened the year with a win over Lafayette. Buffalo would lead 16-0 at the end of the first half. Lafayette would score twice in the second half, but Buffalo would hold on to win 30-13. The offense would struggle the next week though, as they would not score against Missouri. Missouri would beat Buffalo 38-0. Buffalo did rebound last week though. Buffalo dominated on defense, holing a 10-3 lead at the half, going on to win 34-3.
Meanwhile, Northern Illinois is 2-0 on the year. They would open up with a dominating win over Western Illinois. They would take a 34-3 lead into the second half, and win the game 54-15. The next week, Northern Illinois would visit Notre Dame. Riley Leonard would open the scoring on a touchdown run, but Northern Illinois would make it a 13-7 game going into the half. Jeremiyah Love would give Notre Dame the lead again, but with 31 seconds left in the game, Northern Illinois would hit a field goal, giving Northern Illinois the lead, and ultimately the 16-14 win.
Here are the College Football odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
College Football Odds: Buffalo-Northern Illinois Odds
Buffalo: +13.5 (-110)
Moneyline: +420
Northern Illinois: -13.5 (-110)
Moneyline: -580
Over: 43.5 (-105)
Under: 43.5 (-115)
How to Watch Buffalo vs. Northern Illinois
Time: 3:30 PM ET/ 12:30 PM PT
TV: ESPN+
Stream: fuboTV (Free Trial)
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Why Buffalo Could Cover The Spread/Win
Buffalo has been led on offense by CJ Ogbonna this year. He has completed 34 of 66 passes for 435 yards and three scores. He has just one interception but has been sacked five times. Still, Ogbonna has been solid in the running game, running for 42 yards and a touchdown. In the receiving game, Victor Snow has led the way. He has ten receptions this year, with 107 yards, but has not scored. Nik McMillan has brought in five receptions this year for 76 yards and a touchdown. Taji Johnson has three receptions for 73 yards and a score. Finally, JJ Jenkins has three receptions for 57 yards and a score.
In the running game, Jacqez Barksdale has led the way. He has 35 rushes this year for 184 yards with one score. Lamar Sperling has run the ball 21 times this year, for 105 yards and a touchdown. Finally, Al-Jay Henderson has run the ball 26 times this year. He has run for just 75 yards though, but has scored once this year.
Buffalo is 54th in the nation in opponent points per game this year. Further, they are 61st in the nation in opponent yards per game. Buffalo is 86th against the run while sitting 55th against the pass. Shaun Dolac has been great for Buffalo this year. He leads the team with 43 tackles this year, while also having two sacks, a pass defended, and an interception this year. Further, Kobe Stewart has been solid, coming into the game with 2.5 sacks. Buffalo has seven sacks on the year, while also having four takeaways.
Why Northern Illinois Could Cover The Spread/Win
Ethan Hampton has left the way at quarterback for Northern Illinois. He has completed 28 of 39 passes for 526 yards this year. He also has six touchdown passes, while he has not thrown an interception, or been sacked this year. Still, the main player on this offense is Antario Brown. Brown leads the team with 28 rushes for 168 yards but has not scored on the ground. He leads the team in receiving yards though. He has four receptions for 171 yards and a touchdown. One of those receptions went for 83 yards.
Brown is joined in the running game by Gavin Williams. He has run 26 times this year for 100 yards but also does not have a touchdown on the ground either. In the receiving game, Grayson Barnes has been great from his tight end position. He has six receptions this year for 108 yards and a touchdown. The top wide receiver this year has been Trayvon Rudolph. He has four receptions for 104 yards and a score.
Northern Illinois has been great on defense this year. They are 25th in the nation in opponent points per game this year, while sitting 26th in opponent yards per game this year. Furthermore, Northern Illinois is 48th against the rush, while sitting 29th against the pass. Christian Fuhrman has led the defense this year. He leads the team with 13 tackles, while also having an interception. Meanwhile, Devonte O'Malley has two sacks this year, while he has also forced a fumble. Northern Illinois has just two takeaways this year though, both interceptions.
Final Buffalo-Northern Illinois Prediction & Pick
The Buffalo defense has been solid for the most part this year. They struggled against Missouri, but Northern Illinois does not have the same level of offense that Missouri does. Buffalo should be able to slow down Northern Illinois some in this one. Further, the Northern Illinois defense has been great this year. They were stellar against Notre Dame and will slow down Buffalo in this one. The best play in this one is taking the under.
Final Buffalo-Northern Illinois Prediction & Pick: Under 43.5 (-115)
