Two longtime rivals collide when the Central Michigan Chippewas host the Western Michigan Broncos on Wednesday at Kelly/Shorts Stadium in Mount Pleasant, Mich. The Chippewas (4-6, 3-3 in MAC) have won two straight games and need to win their last two matchups to become bowl-eligible. After Wednesday's game, they close the season at Eastern Michigan (6-4). Meanwhile, the Broncos (3-7, 2-4 in MAC) have lost two in a row and four of their last five and are tied for last in the six-team West Division.
Kickoff is at 8 p.m. ET. The Chippewas are 10-point favorites in the latest Central Michigan vs. Western Michigan odds from Caesars Sportsbook, while the over/under for total points scored is 49.5. Before locking in any Western Michigan vs. Central Michigan picks or MACtion predictions, you need to see what the SportsLine Projection Model has to say.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every FBS college football game 10,000 times. Over the past six-plus years, the proprietary computer model has generated a stunning profit of almost $3,000 for $100 players on its top-rated college football picks against the spread. Anyone who has followed it has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on Central Michigan vs. Western Michigan and locked in its MACtion picks and predictions. You can visit SportsLine now to see the model's picks. Here are the odds and college football betting lines for Western Michigan vs. Central Michigan:
- Central Michigan vs. Western Michigan spread: Chippewas -10
- Central Michigan vs. Western Michigan over/under: 49.5 points
- Central Michigan vs. Western Michigan money line: Chippewas -400, Broncos +310
- CMU: Thomas Incoom ranks third in the country in sacks per game (0.95).
- WMU: The Broncos lead the MAC and rank sixth in the FBS in fumbles recovered (12).
- Central Michigan vs. Western Michigan picks: See picks at SportsLine
Why Central Michigan can cover
Central Michigan's offense has received a spark from freshman quarterback Bert Emanuel Jr. Playing in just his second career game last week, the 6-foot-3, 210-pounder from Houston rushed for 293 yards and three touchdowns in a 31-27 comeback victory over Buffalo. The 293 yards rank as the fourth most rushing yards in a single game in school history and set a school record for most single-game rushing yards by a quarterback. For his efforts, Emanuel was named the MAC West Division Offensive Player of the Week.
In addition, the Chippewas face a Western Michigan team that has struggled scoring points this season. The Broncos average just 19.6 points per game, which ranks 116th in the country.
Why Western Michigan can cover
The Western Michigan defense has the edge in terms of turnovers when facing the Central Michigan offense. The Broncos lead the conference and rank sixth in the country in fumbles recovered this season (12). That bodes well against a Chippewas offense that has lost 17 fumbles, the most of any team in the FBS.
In addition, Western Michigan has a multipurpose threat in Sean Tyler. The 5-foot-8 junior running back from Richton Park, Ill., ranks second in the conference and 11th in the country in all-purpose yards per game (140.7). He also is fifth in the FBS in kickoff return yardage (577).
How to make Western Michigan vs. Central Michigan picks
SportsLine's model is leaning Over on the total, projecting 59 combined points. It also says one side of the spread hits well over 50% of the time. You can only get the model's picks at SportsLine.
So who wins Central Michigan vs. Western Michigan? And which side of the spread hits well over 50% of the time? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the spread to back, all from the advanced model that has crushed its college football picks, and find out.
