The Toledo Rockets will square off with the Ohio Bobcats in the MAC Championship game on Saturday afternoon at Ford Field in Detroit. It’s time to continue our college football odds series with a Toledo-Ohio prediction and pick.
Toledo finished their regular season with a 7-5 record, going 5-3 in MAC play. The Rockets limp into this matchup on a two-game losing streak. Head coach Jason Candle has long been considered a dark horse for various Power 5 head coaching jobs.
Ohio surged to a 9-3 regular season record, going 7-1 in MAC play. The Bobcats rebounded from an October 1 loss to Kent State to win seven games in a row to end their season. The Bobcats have completely rid themselves of a terrible 3-9 season in 2021.
Here are the Toledo-Ohio college football odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MAC Championship Odds: Toledo-Ohio Odds
Toledo Rockets: -3 (-110)
Ohio Bobcats: +3 (-110)
Over: 54.5 (-110)
Under: 54.5 (-110)
Why Toledo Could Cover The Spread
Dequan Finn has returned to captain the offense, completing 58.6 percent of his passes for 1,973 yards with 21 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. Finn also leads the team with eight rushing touchdowns despite missing two games with an injury. Jacquez Stuart leads the team with 563 rushing yards, scoring three touchdowns. Finn ranks second with 522 rushing yards. The Rockets have totaled 2,075 rushing yards and 21 touchdowns as a team. The Bobcats have allowed 136.0 rushing yards per game to opponents.
Jerjuan Newton leads the team with 711 receiving yards and nine touchdowns. Jamal Turner has hauled in eight touchdown catches to rank second on the team. Devin Maddox has registered 519 receiving yards, catching three touchdowns. Ohio has allowed an astonishing 305.3 passing yards per game. Finn and company should be able to dial up some offense. Toledo has averaged 33.3 points and 406.8 yards of offense per game.
Toledo’s defense has been shaky, allowing 27.1 points and 337.7 yards of offense per game. Quinyon Mitchell leads the team with five interceptions, returning two for a touchdown. Ohio has only thrown four interceptions. Toledo has sacked their opponents 31 times this season.
Why Ohio Could Cover The Spread
Kurtis Rourke has cemented his legacy at Ohio, completing 69.1 percent of his passes for 3,256 yards with 25 touchdowns and only four interceptions. Rourke also ranks second on the team with four rushing touchdowns. Sieh Bangura has 884 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns. Nolan McCormick has added 283 rushing yards and a touchdown. Ohio has totaled 1,707 rushing yards and 21 touchdowns as a team. The Rockets have allowed 150.3 rushing yards per game to opponents.
Sam Wigsluz leads the team with 814 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns. Jacoby Jones ranks second with 694 receiving yards and five touchdowns. Miles Cross and Tyler Foster each have caught three touchdowns. Toledo allows just 187.3 passing yards per game to opponents. Ohio has averaged 34.0 points and 437.8 yards of offense per game.
Ohio’s defense has struggled, allowing 29.3 points and 441.3 yards of offense to opponents per game. The Bobcats have totaled 31 sacks while Toledo has surrendered 23. Pressuring Finn will be key, as he has thrown 13 interceptions this season. The Bobcats have picked off 11 passes this season, but expect that number to go up. Finn under pressure could lead to bad mistakes.
Final Toledo-Ohio Prediction & Pick
Something seems fishy about both the spread and the total favoring the under. I am going with my instincts rather than tricking myself. Rourke will be too much to handle and neither defense is capable of stringing together a bunch of stops.
Final Toledo-Ohio Prediction & Pick: Ohio +3 (-110), over 54.5 (-110)
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