Buffalo Bulls (2-1) vs. NIU Huskies (2-0)
September 21, 2024 3:30 pm EDT
The Line: NIU Huskies -15 / Buffalo Bulls +15; Over/Under: +45
(Get latest betting odds)
The Buffalo Bulls and the Northern Illinois Huskies meet Saturday in college football action from Huskie Stadium. Here’s a Northern Illinois vs Buffalo Prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best NIU vs Buffalo pick.
Buffalo Bulls Betting Preview
The Bulls’ season kicked off with a matchup versus Lafayette. Buffalo ended up winning that one decisively by a 30-13 margin. The Bulls drew a difficult opponent in game two versus Missouri and the scoreboard reflected the disparity on a 38-0 blowout defeat.
Back on Saturday versus UMass, the Bulls were only up 10-3 at the break. Buffalo turned it on from there and bagged a 34-3 blowout win in the end. CJ Ogbonna threw for 185 yards and a TD, while Lamar Sperling had 16 carries for 86 yards and a score.
Northern Illinois Huskies Betting Preview
Over on the NIU side, their opener matchup was against Western Illinois. The Huskies scored 28 points in the second quarter alone, rolling right through a 54-15 blowout win. QB Ethan Hampton put up 328 yards and five touchdowns, while Trayvon Rudolph caught four balls for 104 yards and a score.
Game two was against Notre Dame—and it was a thriller. NIU was down 14-13 going into the final quarter and ultimately eked out the victory 16-14. Hampton went 10-of-19 for 198 yards and a score. Antario Brown led the rush on 20 carries for 99 yards.
Why the Northern Illinois Huskies will win
- Northern Illinois has won each of its last five games.
- Buffalo has lost each of its last four games against conference opponents.
- The favorite has covered the spread in seven of Buffalo’s last eight games.
- Buffalo has failed to cover the spread in each of its last four games as an underdog.
- Buffalo has lost the first half in three of its last four games against conference opponents.
Why the Buffalo Bulls will win
- Northern Illinois has lost each of its last three September games as a favorite against non-AP-ranked teams.
- The underdog has won seven of Northern Illinois’ last 10 games at Brigham Field at Huskie Stadium.
- Northern Illinois has failed to cover the spread in each of its last four September home games against non-AP-ranked teams.
- Buffalo has covered the spread in five of its last six games as an underdog when playing with a rest disadvantage.
Total Points Facts
- Each of Buffalo’s last 11 games has gone UNDER the total points line.
- Each of Northern Illinois’ last four home games against conference opponents has gone UNDER the total points line.
Northern Illinois vs Buffalo Prediction
I’ll probably lean toward NIU—so long as they don’t suffer the proverbial “big-win hangover.” The Huskies were great on defense against Notre Dame, giving up 286 yards total (163 passing) and allowing only 3-of-10 on third-down conversions. The extra week of rest and practice should help immensely also.
As for the Bulls, last weekend they started pretty slow versus UMass but everything worked out well in the end. The offensive numbers were pretty modest though: 314 total yards (185 passing) and 15 first downs. Buffalo likely won’t be able to move the ball so easily this weekend.
