Western Michigan vs Northern Illinois, Picks and Prediction for Tuesday November 18, 2025
The Northern Illinois Huskies (3-7, 2-4 MAC) host the Western Michigan Broncos (6-4, 5-1 MAC) on ESPN2. Northern Illinois has won the last three meetings straight up and against the spread, including a 42-28 road win last season.
Read more about this NIU vs WMU prediction, and check out all our NCAAF picks for the week.
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On top of the MAC
Western Michigan controls its path to the MAC Championship Game. The Broncos are the only team in the conference with one league loss, a 26-17 setback at Miami on Oct. 25. Their other losses came in nonconference play against Michigan State, North Texas, and Illinois.
The Broncos are coming off a 17-13 win over Ohio last Tuesday, outgaining the Bobcats 336-287 and winning the turnover battle 1-0.
QB Broc Lowry is completing 64.7% of his passes for 1,440 yards with seven TDS and one pick. He also leads the Broncos with 683 yards rushing and nine TDs.
Western Michigan is absolutely a defense-first team. The Broncos allow 291.4 yards per game, which ranks 12th in the FBS. They are 14th against the pass, 32nd against the run, and 17th in scoring defense at 18.4 points per game. Offensively, it is the opposite story. Western Michigan ranks 118th in total offense, 124th in passing, 58th in rushing and 110th in scoring at just 21.8 points per game.
Key Injuries for Western Michigan
- Several defensive linemen are out but are backups.
A disappointing season
It feels like forever ago that Northern Illinois went into Notre Dame and shocked the Irish, followed by Thomas Hammock’s emotional postgame interview. That was last season, and NIU finished 8-5. This year has been a major regression. The Huskies are 3-7 and out of bowl contention. They’re coming off a 45-3 win over UMass, but UMass might be the worst FBS team in years. NIU’s MAC wins are UMass and Ball State, a 21-7 home victory on Oct. 25.
Jalen Macon (6-5, 230) took over at quarterback last week for Josh Holst He's thrown just four times all year, but is a dual-threat QB, who has 120 yards rushing overall.
| # | Handicapper | Profit |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Earle Sports Bets | +1,154.00 |
| 2 |  David Hess | +868.00 |
| 3 |  Stephen Nover | +634.00 |
| 4 |  Rob Vincilleti | +600.00 |
| 5 |  Dan Kaiser | +547.00 |
The Huskies' offense has struggled badly. They haven’t had a passer top 90 yards in their last three games. NIU ranks 132nd in scoring at 15.5 points per game and averages 283.3 yards. They’re solid running the ball at 48th, but they are 134th in passing. Defensively, NIU has been respectable. The Huskies are 48th in yards allowed at just under 346 per game, 24th against the pass, 91st against the run, and 50th in scoring defense at 22.2 points allowed.
| # | Handicapper | Profit |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rob Vincilleti | +1,778.00 |
| 2 |  Ross Benjamin | +1,716.00 |
| 3 | David Hess | +1,326.00 |
| 4 | Earle Sports Bets | +1,323.00 |
| 5 | Dan Kaiser | +1,071.00 |
Key Injuries for Northern Illinois
- Tight end Jake Appleget: Undisclosed (Questionable). Has 7 catches for 57 yards and 1 TD.
- Offensive lineman Thomas Paasch: Undisclosed (Questionable)
- Offensive lineman Erik Murray: Undisclosed (Questionable)
- Safety James Finley IV: Undisclosed (Questionable). Has 17 tackles and 2 INTs.
- Defensive lineman Jalonnie Williams: Undisclosed (Questionable). Has 27 tackles.
- Wide receiver George Dimopoulos: Undisclosed (Questionable). Has 11 catches.
Western Michigan vs Northern Illinois Predictions
ATS Predictions for Western Michigan vs. Northern Illinois
- NIU +6.5 (3 units)
Western Michigan has won five MAC games, but three of them were decided by four points or fewer. The only comfortable wins came against Ball State, which couldn’t move the ball, and UMass, which is barely functioning at the FBS level. Even then, the Broncos only managed 21 points against UMass. I don’t trust NIU much, but this sets up as a slow, ugly MAC game where points will be at a premium. I’d rather take the home dog than lay almost a touchdown.
Give me the Huskies.
Total Predictions for Western Michigan vs. Northern Illinois:
- Under 38.5 (5 units)
This number is low, but both offenses are so limited that it still feels high. Northern Illinois ranks 98th in seconds per play and Western Michigan ranks 106th, so neither team is looking to push tempo. They’re also bottom 20 in total offense and bottom 15 in passing yards. Two slow-paced teams that struggle to move the ball usually mean one thing. I’m on the under, and I expect this total to keep sliding down.
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