Toledo Rockets at Northern Illinois Huskies
Tuesday, 11/9/10, 7:00 PM EDT, TV: ESPN2
Opening Point Spread: Northern Illinois -12
Current Betting Line: Northern Illinois -11
Opening Total: 48.5
Current Total: 49.5
Current Moneyline: Northern Illinois -425 / Toledo +355
Toledo has won three straight games coming into their big MAC West showdown with Northern Illinois, with its most recent victory a convincing 42-7 win at Eastern Michigan on October 30. The Rockets suffered a severe loss in that game, losing starting quarterback Austin Dantin, who damaged his non-throwing shoulder on a designed running play. He is expected to miss the remaining three games and head coach Tim Beckman remains confident that he’ll be available for a possible bowl appearance. “He’s a fast healer, so we’ll just have to see,” said Beckman. Redshirt freshman Terrance Owens stepped in and threw for 234 yards and four touchdowns in the contest. Toledo is 5-4 ATS this season and 4-1 ATS on the road. The college football lines page has them listed as a double-digit underdog.
The Rockets will be playing with the Huskies for the 38th time tonight and hold a 29-8 series advantage. Toledo has won 14 of the last 16 meetings and holds an 11-6 edge in DeKalb. The winner of tonight’s matchup will control its own destiny in the MAC West Division race, with the Rockets being 5-0 in conference play for the first time since the 2004 campaign. One of the main reasons for the team’s recent success is turnover margin, ranking third in the nation in turnovers forced (26) and tied for ninth in turnover margin (+1.0). This game will be played on nationally-televised setting and the program has posted a 22-25 overall record in these games. Toledo is also 9-10 on ESPN2 and 2-0 on television at Northern Illinois.
Northern Illinois puts its six-game winning streak on the line Tuesday night with both teams entering the game with an undefeated mark in league play. The Huskies have had extra time to prepare for the game, but would have preferred not to take time off at all after winning six games in a row. “We know it’s going to be a huge game,” tailback Chad Spann commented. “They have aspirations for the MAC title game just like we do.” The school is promoting this game as a “Black Out” and encouraging all fans to wear black. Northern Illinois will be looking to win seven straight games for the first time since the 2003 team opened with seven consecutive wins, as its current 7-2 start matches the team’s record through nine games in 2004. The team is 6-2 ATS this season and 2-5 ATS in November the past three years.
The Huskies hold a 139-97-2 all-time record at Huskie Stadium, which opened in 1965. Under head coach Jerry Kill, Northern Illinois is 13-3 on this field, including a 5-1 record last year and 4-0 mark in 2010. “There’s no question it’s a big game, but so are the last two,” said Kill. The team is led by a rushing attack that ranks 11th nationally, averaging 243.3 yards per game, which has helped them rank 38th in total offense at 416.8 yards a contest. Don’t let those numbers overshadow what the defense has done this year, giving up just 18.6 points per game, ranking 21st in the nation.
Bettors will be interested in knowing that the Rockets are 1-5 ATS following a bye week, while the Huskies are 1-8 ATS versus a team with a winning record.
The college football handicappers at Maddux Sports are ready for another big week of gridiron action and there’s no better time to join them in the winners circle! We are passing on tonights game as the line looks about right in our opinion but we expect another wallet stuffing week on the gridiron so dont miss any of this weeks picks.
