Bowling Green Falcons featured in our Week 12 MACtion best bets

MACtion Best Bets: Bowl Bids & Conference Championship Clinches

Lights! Camera! MACtion! Today starts another week of MACtion, with Tuesdays and Wednesdays filled with football all November long. If you are new to betting the Mid-American Conference, welcome. If you aren’t, happy to have you back.

Tips for betting the MAC:

  1. Don’t take it too seriously. Midweek action is a perfect recipe for the unknown to happen.
  2. As always, don’t bet more than you’re willing to lose. The swings of betting MAC can be wild but, as with anything, it can be profitable if handled correctly.
  3. Don’t wager on every game on deck. It’s tough enough predicting the outcome of one game, much less three or four.
  4. Have fun!

Now, let’s look at the Week 12 Tuesday and Wednesday slate of our MACtion best bets.

Bowling Green at Toledo -15.5, O/U 50

Matchup Report

MACtion kicks off with the Toledo Rockets (7-3) hosting the Bowling Green Falcons (5-5) on Tuesday night. 

With its 28-21 win over the Ball State Cardinals in Week 11, Toledo secured its spot in the MAC championship. Meanwhile, Bowling Green is still sore from its 40-6 beating on home territory by the Kent State Golden Flashes. But the Falcons are just one win away from bowl eligibility. 

But, as we know, anything can happen during MACtion. The Falcons, carrying their best record since the 2015 season, are capable of covering the hefty 15.5 spread. 

Bowling Green senior QB Matt McDonald has over 2,000 passing yards and has thrown for 17 touchdowns (39th) against only four interceptions (20th). He relies on being short and sweet, averaging 6.5 yards per attempt. This might be to his advantage against a Rockets defense that restricts competitors to 4.7 yards per play. If McDonald can limit mistakes and subtly get down the field, then slow and steady may actually win the race. 

In the last 10 meetings, Toledo has the upper hand with a 9-1 SU record (6-3-1 ATS).  

Considerations: UNDER 50, Bowling green +15.5

Ohio -4 at Ball State, O/U 55

Matchup Report

The second Tuesday matchup of the week features the Ohio Bobcats (7-3) visiting the Ball State Cardinals (5-5) at Scheumann Stadium. Ohio is feeling good on a five-game win streak while being undefeated ATS in its last six contests, as it plays to clinch a spot in the MAC championship. 

QB Kurtis Rourke ranks seventh in Division 1 with 3,097 passing yards and has thrown for 10 touchdowns in his last three appearances. If the passing game struggles, the Bobcats can fall back on their rushing attack. RB Sieh Bangura rushed for 145 yards last week, marking the second time the freshman has hit triple digits this season. 

Bangura’s counterpart for the Cards is Carson Steele, who is fourth in the nation with 1,280 rushing yards. The sophomore has soared past 100 rushing yards in eight contests this year and fell just short of 200 in his last two performances. Despite the loss to Toledo in Week 11, Steele stepped into the end zone three times, accounting for all three of Ball State’s majors. 

Like Bowling Green at Toledo, both teams in this game still have something to play for. A Ball State win will have a bowl bid follow. An Ohio win clinches a spot in the championship and furthers Rourke’s likelihood of winning MAC Offensive Player of the Year. 

The Bobcats have taken the victory in their last three meetings with the Cardinals, covering the spread in each. They are 6-2 overall in the past eight matchups. 

Considerations: Ohio -4, OVER 55 Points

Eastern Michigan at Kent State -7.5, O/U 60

Matchup Report

The Kent State Golden Flashes (4-6) return home Wednesday night to welcome the Eastern Michigan Eagles (6-4), who carry a favorable 4-1 road record into Dix Stadium. 

Thanks to the Rockets, the Eagles can kiss goodbye any hope for a MAC championship and will settle for a bowl game instead.

Eastern Michigan’s Austin Smith has been promoted to starting quarterback late this season and has fashioned a solid 3-1 record. The sophomore has thrown for nearly 800 yards and six touchdowns. RB Samson Evans has 855 rushing yards, ranking 31st in the country, though the senior left the field early last week with an apparent neck injury and is questionable. If Evans is out, the Eagles will look for WR Tanner Knue to step up. Knue has over 450 receiving yards and six touchdown catches.

The defense is the Golden Flashes’ Achilles heel, allowing 439.9 yards per game. Kent State hands opponents 29 points per game, the sixth-most in the MAC. I expect them to continue coughing up points.

But Kent State has a lethal offense to watch out for. QB Collin Schlee added three touchdowns to his collection in last week’s 40-6 win over Bowling Green and is on pace to earn over 2,000 passing yards. RB Marquez Cooper has rumbled for over 1,100 yards and is 15th in the country in rushing. 

So, two effective offenses and a slippery defense? Sounds to me like a recipe for the total to hit the OVER. 

Considerations: Eastern Michigan +7.5, OVER 60 Total Points

Bet On MACtion Now

Back to Top