Miami (OH) at Northwestern Betting Pick & Prediction – 8/31/2024

The Miami (OH) RedHawks will take on the Northwestern Wildcats on August 31, 2024, at 3:30 pm ET. DraftKings Sportsbook has the RedHawks as 2.5 point underdogs. Currently, 29% of spread bets favor Miami (OH), while 71% of bets back Northwestern. The opening total of 42.5 has seen 29% of bets on the under and 71% on the over. Keep reading for our breakdown of this Miami (OH) vs Northwestern matchup.

Miami (OH) Opens MAC Title Defense In Evanston

Last season, the Miami (OH) Redhawks went 11-3 overall and 7-1 in the MAC, winning the MAC championship over Toledo. Perhaps more impressive than the fact that they won their conference championship is the fact that they won their conference and a bowl game despite starting quarterback Brett Gabbert missing most of last season due to injury. This year, Gabbert is back and Miami (OH) will hope that means another big season in the MAC.

As for this game, the question will be whether the physicality of Miami (OH) can hold up against a team in Northwestern that is simply bigger in the trenches. While the Redhawks have covered the spread in seven of their last eight non-conference games, they could struggle to do so if they are getting pushed backwards at the point of attack on both sides of the ball.

Northwestern Hoping For QB Continuity In 2024

Last season was a tough year for the Northwestern Wildcats, even though they won a respectable eight games overall. Their quarterback situation was a nightmare, with four quarterbacks seeing action throughout the year. They are hoping to not have to shuffle in as many signal callers this season, as senior transfer Mike Wright is expected to be the quarterback they rely on in 2024.

Wright will be on his third team in his fifth year as a collegiate quarterback this season, having seen limited action at Vanderbilt and Mississippi State in the past. His experience at major conference programs will be welcomed, even if he doesn't have a ton of on-field experience to lean on with just over 100 pass attempts per season on average going into this year. This game will be a nice measuring stick for Wright against a Miami (OH) team that was terrific on defense last season.

Miami (OH) vs Northwestern Best Bet

While Northwestern certainly has a physicality advantage going into this Miami (OH) vs Northwestern matchup, we will take the Redhawks as a slight underdog to cover the number here. The Redhawks are solid defensively and they might just have the better quarterback play going into this contest. Look for them to potentially win outright against a Big Ten opponent here in what would be a brilliant start to their season if they were to pull that off.

Visit the NCAAFB picks and predictions section for the rest of today's games.