Michigan State vs. Central Michigan NCAA Football Lines Guide

Posted by Daniel Strum on Friday,September 25, 2015 3:29, EDT in

The Michigan State Spartans may be a legitimate national title contender at the moment, but the Spartans have yet to cover the spread in three tries for College Football Odds fans. On Saturday, they’ll try to pick up their first ATS win of the season when they square off against in-state rival Central Michigan. Now let’s find out if the Spartans will bring home the bacon.

How To Bet the Chippewas @ Spartans NCAA Football Odds & Game Info

When: Saturday, September 26, 12:00 PM ET
Where: Spartan Stadium, East Lansing, Michigan
NCAAF Odds: Michigan State -28.5
Over/Under: 54

Why Bet on the Central Michigan Chippewas

>Central Michigan suffered a heartbreaking 30-27 overtime loss to Syracuse in Week 3, though the Chippewas got the ATS win by covering the spread as 8-point underdogs. Central Michigan forced overtime with a 12-play, 90-yard drive in which junior quarterback Cooper Rush tossed a 27-yard touchdown pass to senior tight end Ben McCord with seven seconds remaining.


Junior kicker Brian Eavey kicked a 20-yard field on the Chippewas’ overtime possession before Syracuse got the ball and won the game on a short TD run. The Chippewas almost pulled off the comeback after trailing by 14 points at the half. Rush completed 37 of 51 passes for a whopping 430 yards with two touchdowns and one interception in the loss while running back Devon Spalding added 83 rushing yards and one touchdown on 21 carries.

Why Bet on the Michigan State Spartans

Michigan State moved to 3-0 SU on the season by taking out Air Force 35-21 in their Week 3 matchup but the Spartans never came close to cashing in as a huge, 24-point favorite to fall to 0-3 ATS on the season. The Spartans gave up a whopping 279 rushing yards in the win, but got a stellar performance from quarterback Connor Cook as the strong-armed senior completed 15 of 23 passes for 247 yards and four touchdowns. Michigan State limited Air Force to 3-for-8 efficiency on third downs while forcing three turnovers.

My Expert Game Analysis, Pick & Prediction:

59 percent of public bettors like Michigan State to cover the spread as four-touchdown-plus home favorites, but I like Central Michigan to cover the huge spread based on how they’ve played through three games this season. The Chippewas gave Oklahoma State a hard way to go before falling 24-13 in their regular season opener and I believe this contest is going to be similarly hard-fought – and approximately as close a finish. Central Michigan is 4-0 ATS in their last four games following an SU loss and an identical 4-0 ATS in their last four non-conference games. Michigan State is 3-8-1 ATS in their last 12 games in the month of September and haven’t covered the spread so far this season.

The Chippewas are 5-0 ATS in their last five road games, 4-1 ATS in their last five games against a team with a winning record and an encouraging 7-3 ATS in their last 10 games against Big Ten football factories. Last but not least, the road team in this inter-state rivalry is 4-1 ATS in their last 5 meetings. As far as the Over/Under is concerned, I’m going to go with a pick for the Over, seeing as how Michigan State has allowed 21 points or more in all three of their games this season. The Over is 11-3 in Michigan State’s last 14 games following an SU win and 8-3 in the Spartans’ last 11 home games.

The Picks: Central Michigan +28.5 Points/Over 54 Total Points