Mid-week MACtion is back and the game of the week is a battle for first place in the Mid-American – East division between the 4-4 Miami Ohio RedHawks and the 4-4 Ohio Bobcats. This will be the 96th Battle of the Bricks in a rivalry game that been dominated by the Bobcats since 2006.
Miami Ohio is currently tied for first place in the Mid-American – East as the RedHawks currently have a 3-1 conference record which is tied with this Ohio Bobcats. The RedHawks still have some work to do as their overall 2019 record is 4-4, so they will need at least two wins out of their last four games. Like their rivals, Ohio is also tied for first in the MAC-East with a 3-1 record in conference. Also, like Miami Ohio, the Bobcats sit at 4-4 on the season and will need to get at least two wins out of their last four games to get to a bowl in 2019.
Below is my pick for the Miami (OH) RedHawks and the Ohio Bobcats. All lines are from the PointsBet Sportsbook.
Miami (OH) RedHawks at Ohio Bobcats (-7): O/U 54.5 points (-110/-110)
Miami Ohio extended their winning streak to two games with a big road win over Kent State two weeks back. The RedHawks were up 9-6 at the half and were able to hold off the Golden Flashes in the second half to walk away with a 23-16 win. Miami also has wins over Northern Illinois and Buffalo during conference play. Sitting at 3-1 in the conference, the RedHawks lone conference loss was a 38-16 defeat at Western Michigan. Miami Ohio is 3-5 ATS and the over has hit in six of their eight games this season.
The Ohio Bobcats also extended their winning streak to two games with a 34-21 win over MAC-West leaders Ball State. There are a ton of similarities between Miami Ohio and Ohio, including the fact they both have won their last two games after starting conference play at 1-1. Ohio has conference wins over Ball State, Kent State and Buffalo and suffered their lone loss at home against Northern Illinois. Ohio is 2-6 ATS and the under has hit in four of their eight games this season.
Series History: Miami (Ohio) extended their series lead to 53-40-2 with a tight 30-28 win last season. Ohio has won 11 of the last 13 meetings between these two schools.
Game Prediction: These games tend to have a lot of scoring, so I am going to back the over 54.5 points Wednesday night.
YTD College Football Results: 32-25-1