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The Western Michigan Broncos host a nationally televised conference tilt on Wednesday evening. Western Michigan takes on the Northern Illinois Huskies in a MAtion matchup that is the 10th contest for both teams in 2022. Western Michigan won the 2021 face-off between these teams, and the Broncos are 3-6 this season. Meanwhile, Northern Illinois is 2-7 overall and 1-4 in conference play.

Kickoff is at 7 p.m. ET. Caesars Sportsbook lists the matchup as a pick'em, while the over/under, or total number of points Vegas thinks will be scored, is 49.5 in the latest Western Michigan vs. Northern Illinois odds. Before making any Northern Illinois vs. Western Michigan picks, you need to see the college football predictions and betting advice from SportsLine's advanced computer simulation model.

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 Northern Illinois vs. Western Michigan and just locked in its picks and MACtion predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see the model's picks. Now, here are several college football odds and betting lines for Western Michigan vs. NIU:

  • Northern Illinois vs. Western Michigan spread: Pick'em 
  • Northern Illinois vs. Western Michigan over/under: 49.5 points 
  • Northern Illinois vs. Western Michigan money line: NIU -110, WMU -110 
  • NI: The Huskies are 1-4 against the spread in the last five games 
  • WM: The Broncos are 2-4 against the spread in the last six games 
  • Northern Illinois vs. Western Michigan picks: See picks here

Why Northern Illinois can cover

The Huskies have a dynamic running game that keys a very strong offense. Running back Harrison Waylee is one of the best offensive players in the MAC this season, racking up 863 rushing yards on 5.7 yards per carry. He has five rushing touchdowns to go along with 17 receptions out of the backfield, and Waylee has been dominant in recent days. He has 97 rushing yards or more in four of the last five games, and Waylee is averaging 129.6 rushing yards per game over that sample. 

Waylee leads the No. 2 rushing offense in the MAC, averaging 197.3 rushing yards per game, and the Huskies lead the conference with 4.9 yards per carry. From there, Northern Illinois is above-average in total offense, averaging 388.7 yards per game, and the Huskies are in the top five in yards per pass attempt and passer rating. Northern Illinois is averaging 30.1 points per game, and the Huskies have the fewest sacks allowed (nine) in the MAC to this point.

Why Western Michigan can cover

The Broncos are not lighting up the scoreboard on offense this season, but this matchup has its advantages. Northern Illinois is allowing 33.2 points per game this season, second-most among MAC teams, and the Huskies have allowed more touchdown passes (27) than any team in the conference. Northern Illinois also dead-last in passer rating allowed (162.8), with opponents averaging 8.5 yards per pass attempt against the Huskies. 

On the defensive side, Western Michigan is stout, holding opponents to the second-lowest scoring average (26.8 points per game) in the MAC. The Broncos are also in the top four in total defense, yielding fewer than 370 yards per game, and Western Michigan is holding the opposition to 231.4 passing yards per game. Northern Illinois also may have a difficult time running the ball against a Western Michigan defense that is allowing only 3.8 yards per carry.

How to make Northern Illinois vs. Western Michigan picks

SportsLine's model is leaning Over on the total, projecting 65 combined points. The model also says one side of the spread hits in 60% of simulations. You can only see the model's pick at SportsLine.

So who wins Northern Illinois vs. Western Michigan? And which side of the spread hits 60% of the time? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Northern Illinois vs. Western Michigan spread you need to jump on Wednesday, all from the model that has crushed its college football picks, and find out.