The Kent State Golden Flashes are set to face the Northern Illinois Huskies this weekend. Check out our college football odds series, which includes our Kent State-Northern Illinois prediction, odds, and pick.
The MAC Championship Game is not what most people expected… again. This is a crazy conference. Last year, Ball State came out of nowhere to win the conference title. The Cardinals then won a bowl game for the first time in the history of the program. Ball State, Buffalo, Ohio, and Toledo formed the main group of favorites for the conference championship entering the 2021 season, but Kent State in the MAC East and Northern Illinois in the MAC West have stolen everyone's thunder. They go to Detroit to battle it out for the league title, something college football odds analysts are surprised by. This was not anticipated back in early September.
When you consider your Kent State Northern Illinois pick, you need to realize something about MAC Championship Game showdowns in the Motor City over the years: They have become a paradise for the underdog. MAC title games have frequently involved not just point-spread upsets, but outright upsets by underdog teams. The MAC title game has often operated by the simple saying, “Do the opposite of what is expected.” That is a guide for anyone trying to make a Kent State Northern Illinois prediction. Let's see what will happen in Detroit, as one of the first conference championship games on Saturday unfolds. The only other title game played early on Saturday is the Big 12 Championship Game between Baylor and Oklahoma State, so you will be able to give this game a good look before most of the other conference championship games are played later in the day.
Here’s how the bookmakers have set the odds:
College Football odds: Kent State-Northern Illinois Odds
Kent State: -3.5 (-104)
Northern Illinois: +3.5 (-118)
Over: 74.5 (-112)
Under: 74.5 (-108)
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Why Kent State Could Cover the Spread
The Golden Flashes, like every other team in the MAC, are not a heavyweight team. There is no one king of the conference in the sense that it has been miles better than the rest. However, Kent State has been the most consistent team. Consider that point when making a Kent State Northern Illinois pick based on the Kent State Northern Illinois odds presented here.
Northern Illinois deserves to be here, but the Huskies have won multiple games on the final play, and a few other games in the final minute. The Cardiac Huskies have played and lived on the edge all season long; that's the kind of tendency which can get punished in a championship game after 12 weeks of slugfests and heart-stopping finishes.
Why Northern Illinois Could Cover the Spread
The MAC Championship Game upset rule, or the MAC Championship Game law of the underdog, whatever you want to call it, is on Northern Illinois' side. Go through the recent history of the MAC Championship Game, and you will see that this game spins in weird and unexpected directions, a microcosm of many MAC football regular seasons over the years. If you operate simply on the assumption that chaos emerges in a MAC title game, you're being wise and are studying history. Kent State needs to defy history to win this game.
Final Kent State-Northern Illinois Prediction & Pick
The MAC is a volatile chemical cocktail of a conference. Go with the law of the underdog in this game.
Final Kent State-Northern Illinois Pick: NIU +3.5
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