The East Division-champion RedHawks are playing in the MAC Championship Game for the first time since 2010. West-champion Central Michigan’s appearance is its first since 2009. The Chippewas’ story. MAC FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME. BSU defense steps up as Cardinals claim crown. By MIKE SMITH DETROIT, MI - After falling short as a favorite in the 2008.
- December 18, 2020
- By Jonathan Willis
- VegasInsider.com
The Buffalo Bulls are one of the biggest favorites on Championship Weekend. Buffalo hasn’t won the MAC Championship since 2008, but Lance Leipold has the Bulls primed to break that streak.
Leipold is one of the hottest coaches at the moment, and this could be his last game on the sidelines with Illinois and other schools reportedly in hot pursuit.
As for Ball State, the Cardinals are making just their second appearance in the MAC Championship Game, and they are one of four teams that have yet to win a conference title during the championship game era.
Betting Resources
- Week 16 Matchup: MAC Championship
- Expert Picks: Vegas Insiders
- Venue: Ford Field
- Location: Detroit, Michigan
- Date: Friday, Dec. 18
- Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
- TV: ESPN
- Bet:BetMGM | BetRivers | FanDuel | PointsBet | All
MAC Championship Betting Odds
- Spread: Buffalo -13.5
- Money-Line: Buffalo -500 Ball State +400
- Total: 67
Odds Subject to Change
How to Handicap Ball State vs. Buffalo
The Bulls have absolutely shredded their opponents this season. They have won all five of their games by at least 19 points, and Buffalo has scored at least 42 points in each game. That offensive firepower has led to four of Buffalo’s five games going over the total.
Buffalo is 4-1 ATS after dismantling outmatched Akron 56-7 last Saturday. The Bulls scored the first seven touchdowns as this ground game churned out 428 yards against the Golden Flashes.
It’s been a little rougher road for Ball State. The Cardinals lost their season opener against Miami of Ohio, but they rallied to win five straight games in order to win the MAC West.
Only one of their five victories has come by more than seven points, so the Cardinals failed to cover in their first three games before cashing for their bettors in their last three games.
Ball State had to win a thriller against Western Michigan last week in order to play in this game.
The Broncos led 27-13 entering the fourth quarter, but the Cardinals scored two touchdowns in less than a minute to tie the game and then pulled ahead with a 22-yard field goal with under 30 seconds remaining.
Western Michigan initially scored on an improbable play with over a dozen laterals as time expired, but that call was reversed and allowed Ball State to win its division.
After losing its opener, the Ball State Cardinals closed their 2020 regular season with five straight wins. (AP)
Betting Analysis – Ball State Cardinals
Straight Up - SU, Against the Spread - ATS, Over-Under (O/U)
- 2020: 5-1 SU, 3-3 ATS, 3-3 O/U
Ball State’s offense took an unexpected hit when top running back Caleb Huntley announced that he was opting out after just three games in order to prepare for the 2021 NFL Draft.
Huntley had run for 437 yards and six touchdowns, averaging 5.5 YPC while running for over 100 yards in each outing.
Tye Evans and Will Jones have largely split the duties since that point with both players averaging 4.5 YPC.
Drew Plitt had a breakout junior season, and he has been solid as a senior. Plitt has completed 66.3 percent of his passes for 8.4 YPA with 13 touchdowns and five interceptions for Ball State this year. He isn’t much of a running threat though, leading to Plitt being sacked 20 times.
The best playmaker on the Cardinals is Justin Hall. Hall is the leading receiver and third-leading rusher on Ball State.
The 5’9 senior from Georgia had a big game against Western Michigan, and he has 44 receptions on the season for 620 yards (14.1 YPR) with three touchdowns to go with 176 rushing yards (7.3 YPC). Yoheinz Tyler and Antwan Davis have been consistent targets in the passing game too.
The Cardinals don’t have a good defense. They are allowing 27.5 PPG and 432.2 YPG, as the secondary is one of the worst in the conference.
Opponents are averaging 8.1 YPA and 284.3 YPG against this defense, and that might lead to the Bulls taking to the air more often.
Betting Analysis - Buffalo Bulls
- 2020: 5-0 SU, 4-1 ATS, 4-1 O/U
This is one of the most impressive offenses in the country. Buffalo leads the nation in scoring (51.8 PPG) and has the most effective ground game in college football this year.
The Bulls are averaging an FBS-best 7.5 YPC and 344.2 YPG behind a rugged offensive line and two excellent running backs.
Jaret Patterson ran for over 1,000 yards in just five games. This is Patterson’s third straight 1,000-yard season, and he set a record with the best two consecutive games in FBS history by running for 710 yards and 12 touchdowns against Bowling Green and Kent State.
Patterson is averaging 8.3 YPC with 18 touchdowns, finding the end zone at least twice in each game.
Kevin Marks Jr. has put up starter’s numbers as a back-up. Marks has run for 510 yards (7.5 YPC) in five games with five touchdowns. He is more of a straight-line runner than Patterson, and these two make an impressive duo.
Those dizzying numbers have kept the pressure off QB Kyle Vantrease. Vantrease is throwing the ball just 17 times per game on average.
He has completed 60 percent of his passes for 821 yards (9.7 YPA) with six touchdowns and an interception. Antonio Nunn has been the main threat in the passing game with 20 receptions for 353 yards and two touchdowns.
The Bulls’ defense has been solid, but not spectacular. Buffalo is allowing 21.0 PPG and 367.2 YPG on the year. They have been fortunate in that they have played from ahead the whole year though, so opponents have been mostly one-dimensional.
Historically Speaking
Head-to-Head
Ball State is 7-2 against Buffalo. These teams first met shortly after the Bulls joined the MAC in 2000, and the Cardinals won that game 44-35. They scored at least 40 points in each of their first four meetings, and Ball State won three of those games by 20 points or more.
Buffalo’s first victory over Ball State was in one of the most important games in Ball State history. The Cardinals were 12-0 and looking to crash the BCS during the 2008 season with Nate Davis at the helm.
Ball State had more than 500 total yards of offense, but five turnovers were too much to overcome in a 42-24 Buffalo win in the 2008 MAC Championship Game.
Last Meeting
Tyree Jackson was superb in the last game between these teams. Jackson completed 16 of 28 passes for 350 yards and four touchdowns in a 40-24 victory for Buffalo. Caleb Huntley had 151 yards from scrimmage for the Cardinals, but their passing game struggled to move the chains.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/65482036/usa_today_13430566.0.jpg "Mac championship game 2019 football keaau")
Notable Betting Trends
-- The underdog has covered in five straight games
-- The over has cashed in six of the last eight games
-- Buffalo is 7-1 ATS over its last eight games
MAC Championship Predictions
- Score Prediction: Buffalo 45, Ball State 21
- Best Bet: Buffalo
MAC Betting History Results & Notes
| Betting Results - Favorites vs. Underdogs - Total (Over-Under) | ||||||||
|
History - Betting Notes
- The point-spread has mattered in the MAC Championship
- Favorites are 14-9 overall, but Underdogs own a 15-8 mark at the betting counter
- Underdogs are on a 4-0 ATS run in the MAC Championship
- Total bettors have seen solid back-and-forth O/U results (11-12)
- In the 17 games played at Ford Field, the 'under' is 9-8
- The East holds a slight 12-11 edge over the West in the MAC Championship
- Six of those victories 12 victories came before the venue was switched to Ford Field
- Five of the six came by Marshall, who is no longer a member of the MAC
- Eastern Michigan is the only current MAC school not to play in the championship game
| MAC Championship History | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Why Bet at WynnBet?
Why Not is the appropriate answer! For starters, WynnBet is an 'Independent Sportsbook' and it differentiates itself from the competition.
WynnBET sports betting covers all the most popular options, from football to cricket. It offers betting markets for college and professional sports, focusing on US leagues such as the NFL, the NBA, and the NHL.
For mobile users, the numerous selections on the Betting App at your disposal is more impressive. Most notably, you'll get to enjoy in-play wagering, which is unavailable in the land-based establishment.
DETROIT — There’s something to be said about being underestimated, underappreciated and gritty.
That’s Detroit.
The blue-collar, industrial home of Ford, General Motors and Kellogg was written off years ago.
From 2000 to 2010, a fourth of the city’s population bolted, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Detroit citizens watched the town’s finances crumble and got fed up. So, they left.
The city filed for Chapter 9 bankruptcy protection in 2013 after accruing millions of dollars in debt.
Six years later, not only has Detroit dug out of bankruptcy, but it’s financially supporting itself. The population, while not back, has slowed its decrease.
Detroit is underestimated, underappreciated and gritty. It went through hard times and bounced back.
Which makes it the perfect place for the 2019 Miami RedHawks to play the Mid-American Conference Championship game.
Miami was written off years ago. Despite decades of MAC prosperity, the RedHawks endured a tough eight-year stretch before current head coach Chuck Martin arrived for the 2014 season.
Martin inherited an 0-12 team and built the program slowly.
Two wins in 2014, then three in 2015. His RedHawks first tasted success with six victories and a bowl game appearance in 2016. But they didn’t continue to capitalize, failing to secure a bowl bid in either of the next two years.
This season, the team will go to a bowl regardless of Saturday’s MAC title game result.
Enjoy what you're reading?
Signup for our newsletter
Martin’s new favorite phrase has perfectly described Miami’s entire 2019 season: “a knock-down, drag-out fight.”
The RedHawks have been favored in only three of their 12 games. They started 1-3. They lost by 71 points at Ohio State.
They were underestimated.
“Crazy enough, [we knew we would be good] after the OSU loss,” redshirt senior running back Maurice Thomas said. “Everyone was like, ‘Oh, my gosh. You guys got beat that bad?’ All that stuff, but we were like, ‘We’re good.’ We’re in the locker room like, ‘We’re going to take what we can from this loss … and get better.’ After that, we just hit full stride.”
They were underappreciated.
One week after the shellacking in Columbus, Miami fell behind 14-3 in the first half of its conference opener. Then, the RedHawks went on a 31-0 run, won the game and started their climb toward the MAC Championship.
They won six of their last eight games. Four of those victories came by one possession.
They were gritty.
“They have turned this program back around,” Martin said of his players, specifically the seniors. “Obviously, Miami’s a very, very proud football program, very proud athletic department. And for these kids to know for the rest of their lives that they were a part of turning the bleakest years of Miami football around and getting it back to have an opportunity to play in the MAC Championship is something that I’m sure they’ll take with them the rest of their lives.”
The team’s success and attitude is exactly what Martin envisioned when he signed as Miami’s head coach.
“We’re going to be blue-collar,” Martin promised Miami’s administration during his 2013 job interview.
Blue-collar.
Written off before climbing back.
Just like Detroit.
Read More
Miami wins the Mid-American Conference Championship
By Chris Vinel | December 7, 2019Mac Championship Game 2019 Football Pics
Miami beats Central Michigan to claim first conference championship since 2010.