UMass vs. Northern Illinois Prediction College Football Tips 10/5/24

Current betting trends and series with the UMass Minutemen

Current betting trends and streaks surrounding the Northern Illinois Huskies

Current betting trends for UMass vs. NIU games

A summary that ties everything together and results in a favorable betting result for the UMass vs. NIU game

UMass Minutemen betting preview

This year, UMass opened the schedule against Eastern Michigan. The Minutemen lost that game 28-14, followed by two more losses to Toledo (38-23) and Buffalo (34-3). Game four was UMass' first win with a 35-31 win over Central Connecticut State.

Last weekend against Miami-OH, the Minutemen staged a fourth-quarter comeback but fell 23-20 in overtime. Taisun Phommachanh completed nine of 22 passes for 173 yards and a score, while also leading the rush with 80 yards on 18 carries.

Northern Illinois Huskies betting preview

The Huskies opened with a 54-15 win over Western Illinois. Northern Illinois would then get a great 16-14 win over Notre Dame, but the third game ended in a 23-20 overtime loss to Buffalo.

In their game against NC State, the Huskies trailed 17-14 at halftime and were unable to mount a comeback in a 24-17 loss. QB Ethan Hampton recorded 159 yards, one score and two interceptions. Antario Brown was the lead rusher with 28 carries and 114 yards.

Why the Northern Illinois Huskies will win

• Massachusetts has lost 25 of its last 26 road games against non-conference opponents.
• Northern Illinois has won five of its last six home games in October.
• Massachusetts has failed to close the gap as an away wing in six of its last eight games in October.

Why the Massachusetts Minutemen will win

• Northern Illinois has lost 11 of its last 16 games as a favorite.
• The underdog has won 15 of Northern Illinois' last 23 games.
• The underdog has covered the spread in eight of Massachusetts' last nine games.
• As a home favorite, Northern Illinois failed to even out the spread in six of its last seven games in October.

Total score facts

• Four of Massachusetts' last five road games against Mid-American Conference opponents have gone UNDER the total points.
• Six of Northern Illinois' last eight games against non-AP ranked teams at Brigham Field at Huskie Stadium have gone UNDER the total score.

UMass vs NIU Prediction

I'll probably go with NIU. The Huskies did a great job on defense in their last outing against NC State, holding the Wolfpack to 171 yards (108 passes), 3.6 yards per play, 11 first downs and just 1 of 11 on third-down attempts. The problem is that Northern Illinois committed four turnovers on offense and averaged just 3.8 yards per play on possession.

As for UMass, they were pretty good on defense in their loss to Miami-OH, allowing just one of eight third-down conversions. However, the Minutemen were unable to generate enough offense to secure a win. This weekend's matchup should be pretty good, and I like that NIU is keeping the coverage.