The Western Michigan Broncos and the Ball State Cardinals will meet Saturday in college football action from Scheumann Stadium. Here’s a Ball State vs Western Michigan prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best Ball State vs Western Michigan pick.
Western Michigan Broncos Betting Preview
The Broncos’ year kicked off with a matchup versus Wisconsin on August 30. Western Michigan lost that one 28-14, then fell in a blowout to Ohio State 56-0 in game two. The Broncos got their first win 59-31 versus Bethune-Cookman the next week, though.
On Saturday versus Marshall, the Broncos were down 20-17 going into the final quarter and eventually lost a tough one 27-20. QB Hayden Wolf logged 126 yards and one touchdown. Tops in rushing was Jaden Nixon on 146 yards and a TD off 23 totes.
Ball State Cardinals Betting Preview
Over on the Cardinals’ side, they beat Missouri State 42-34 in their opener this year. Ball State would get blown out by Miami-FL 62-0 in the next game, then fell 37-34 versus Central Michigan on September 21.
Last weekend in the James Madison matchup, the Cardinals gave up 22 points in the first quarter and 20 more in the third during a blowout defeat 63-7. Kadin Semonza threw one TD, three picks, and 168 yards. Tanner Koziol was the leading receiver with nine grabs for 78 yards and the score.
Why the Ball State Cardinals will win
- Western Michigan has lost nine of its last 10 road games.
- Ball State has won seven of its last nine October games as an underdog against non-AP-ranked teams.
- Ball State has covered the spread in each of its last seven games against conference opponents.
- Western Michigan has failed to cover the spread in five of its last six games.
- Ball State has won the first quarter in three of its last four games against conference opponents.
Why the Western Michigan Broncos will win
- The favorite has won each of Western Michigan’s last 16 games.
- Ball State has lost four of its last five games.
- Western Michigan has covered the spread in eight of its last nine road games against conference opponents.
Total Points Facts
- Each of Ball State’s last six October games against non-AP-ranked teams has gone UNDER the total points line.
- Seven of Western Michigan’s last eight games as a favorite against Ball State have gone OVER the total points line.
Ball State vs Western Michigan Prediction
I’m probably going with Western Michigan. The Broncos offense couldn’t quite get over the hump last weekend in the Marshall game. WMU came up with 318 total yards (192 rushing), 22 first downs, and 5-of-15 on third-down tries. On defense, the Broncos gave up 420 yards (243 rushing), 6.6 yards per play, and 20 first downs.
As for Ball State, they were swallowed up by a superior opponent in James Madison last weekend. The Cardinals gave up 522 yards (236 rushing) 8.3 yards per play, 29 first downs, and 9-of-10 on third downs in the blowout loss. Western Michigan should serve as a softer opponent this time but I’ll probably still like the Broncos on a potential cover in the end.