Western Michigan vs. Central Michigan

Three games on the college football schedule Wednesday and as usual they are all from the Mid-American Conference. It’s an important matchup from the West Division between the two leaders and a rivalry game when Western Michigan visits Central Michigan.

How to Bet Western Michigan at Central Michigan NCAA Football Odds & TV Info

When: Wednesday, 7 PM ET
Where: Kelly/Shorts Stadium
TV: ESPN2
Stream: ESPN app
Radio:com
Opening NCAAF Lines: CMU -1 (total 60.5)

Last Meeting

Central Michigan lost 31-15 at Western Michigan last year. Jon Wassink threw for a touchdown and ran for another, LeVante Bellamy ran for 105 yards and a touchdown to lead the Broncos. Patrick Lupro stopped CMU’s game-opening drive with an interception at midfield. Bellamy cashed in four plays later with an 11-yard run. By the time Wassink scored on a 1-yard plunge late in the third quarter, the Broncos led 24-0. WMU finished with 432 yards on offense.

This will be the 91st meeting between in-state rivals Western and Central Michigan. WMU leads 50-38-2 and has won the past two.

Why Bet on Western Michigan? | 2020 NCAAF Expert Analysis

The Broncos (2-0) won a crazy game last week against Toledo, 41-38. Trailing by 10 with 2:54 remaining the Broncos embarked on an 11-play, 70-yard drive that ended with Kaleb Eleby registering his second rushing touchdown of the night from one-yard away. After missing the extra point, the Broncos trailed 38-34 with 45 seconds remaining. WMU then got the onside kick and with 17 seconds remaining, Eleby faked a spike and found Jaylen Hall wide open in the end zone to complete the Broncos’ comeback.

Toledo racked up 501 total yards of offense compared to WMU’s 437. The Broncos posted 153 yards on the ground with Sean Tyler leading the way with 100 yards on 12 carries. He also had a career-high eight catches out of the backfield for 47 yards. Eleby completed 20 of his 29 pass attempts for 284 yards and a career-high three touchdowns. The redshirt sophomore also had a career-high two rushing touchdowns on five carries. Through the first two games Eleby has thrown for 546 yards and six touchdowns while completing 71 percent of his passes.

D’Wayne Eskridge has gone over 100 yards receiving in both games this season. He had seven receptions for 131 yards and a touchdown vs. CMU and 114 yards on three receptions in the season-opening win over Akron. It’s the first time he has recorded back-to-back games with at least 100 yards receiving.

Five of Western Michigan’s six scoring drives in the win over Toledo were under 3:00, including two of 30 seconds or less. The quick scoring resulted in a program low time of possession of 21:28 under head coach Tim Lester. Nine of WMU’s 14 scoring drives this season have been under 3:00.

The Broncos have forced a turnover in each of the last five games dating back to last season. The last game WMU failed to force a turnover was on Nov. 5, 2019 against Ball State.

The last time WMU and CMU met in Mount Pleasant, the Broncos earned a 35-10 victory.

Why Bet on Central Michigan? | 2020 NCAAF Expert Analysis

CMU routed Northern Illinois 40-10 last week for the Chippewas’ first 2-0 start in the league play since 2009. Lew Nichols rolled up 150 all-purpose yards and scored two touchdowns and the Central Michigan defense was dominant.

NIU had just two yards rushing in the second and third quarters combined and finished with 244 total yards. The Chippewas rolled up 433 yards in total offense, 299 of that total coming in the second half. Both NIU scores came in the fourth quarter, a field goal with 8:23 to play and a touchdown with 11 seconds left.

Chips QB Daniel Richardson, a redshirt freshman, completed 13 of his 19 pass attempts for 196 yards and two scores. He threw his first interception in his second career start. Freshman kicker Marshall Meeder booted a 40-yard field goal in the third quarter and was good on all seven of his PAT attempts.

Dallas Dixon has been a breakout player for the Chippewas this season after sitting out all last year due to transfer rules. Dixon leads CMU in receiving yards (113) and is tied for second in receptions (6). He opened the scoring against NIU with a 58-yard touchdown grab on CMU’s second offensive play of the game.

Under Jim McElwain, the Chippewas are unbeaten (7-0) at home. CMU went 6-0 last year, the first time they have accomplished that feat since 1980. In those games, the Chippewas outscored their opponents, 294-133, at Kelly/Shorts Stadium.

CMU looks to go 3-0 to begin a season for the first time since 2016. The Chippewas began that year with wins over Presbyterian (49-3), at Oklahoma State (30-27) and against UNLV (44-21).