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The Eastern Michigan Eagles will take on the Liberty Flames in the LendingTree Bowl. It's time to continue our college football odds series and make an Eastern Michigan-Liberty prediction and pick.
The Eagles didn't quite have the season that their fans expected, but it will end in a bowl game nonetheless. Eastern Michigan had some chances to end with a record much better than 7-5, but losses to teams like the Ball State Cardinals and the Northern Illinois Huskies crippled their season. Liberty didn't have many preseason expectations, but midway through the year it looked like they might earn a higher profile bowl game than this one. Three consecutive losses to end the year sunk them down to here, and now they'll just look to end the season on a positive note.
Here are the Eastern Michigan-Liberty odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
College Football Odds: Eastern Michigan-Liberty Odds
Eastern Michigan Eagles: +9.5 (-105)
Liberty Flames: -9.5 (-115)
Over: 58 (-110)
Under: 58 (-110)
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Why Eastern Michigan Could Cover the Spread
The Flames aren't a great matchup for Eastern Michigan, but there's reason to believe the Eagles can overcome that here. Eastern Michigan leaned on the passing game throughout the season, earning themselves decent marks in completion percentage, yards per pass, and passing yards per game. Liberty's pass defense was a strength of theirs throughout this season, but they won't be playing this game at full health. Starting safety/linebacker Javon Scruggs may miss this game, along with important rotational defensive lineman Henry Chibueze. Facing a weakened version of this defense could be exactly what Eastern Michigan needs to get things going.
There isn't too much that inspires confidence in the Eagles, but their record facing spreads of this size do help a little. They've only been underdogs by a spread this size or more once before, and that was against the Wisconsin Badgers. Eastern Michigan didn't manage to cover, but they were also playing one of the premier college football programs in the nation. They faced a nine-point spread against the Toledo Rockets and ended up winning that game outright. When the Eagles entered their game against the Western Michigan Broncos as six point underdogs, they also won outright. The bookmakers may be overlooking the Eagles in this spot.
Why Liberty Could Cover the Spread
As previously mentioned, the Eagles rely mainly on their passing game to move the football. That's perfect for Liberty, as the Flames have proven themselves to be one of the better pass defenses in the nation. Liberty is only allowing 173 passing yards per game to go along with a 56% completion percentage. It's unlikely that Eastern Michigan will have an efficient day in the air against this tough defense.
The Flames weren't the most dynamic team on offense this season, but they shouldn't have all that much trouble on offense against the Eagles. Eastern Michigan's defense was terrible for most of the season, against both the run and the pass. The Eagles allowed 5.1 yards per carry and over 200 rushing yards per game to their opponents, while also allowing 237 passing yards per game and 7.8 yards per attempt. This is a flat-out bad defense, and it should show against the Flames.
Final Eastern Michigan-Liberty Prediction & Pick
This is a fairly easy pick. Ride with the more talented, more explosive squad in Liberty with confidence.
Final Eastern Michigan-Liberty Prediction & Pick: Liberty Flames -9.5 (-115)
