Northern Illinois Huskies vs Fresno State Bulldogs Betting Pick & Prediction Famous Idaho Potato Bowl

ESPN is set to broadcast the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl, featuring the Northern Illinois Huskies and the Fresno State Bulldogs, from Albertsons Stadium in Boise. Kick-off is scheduled for 2:30 ET on Monday, December 23rd. The Huskies are the slight -1.5-point favorites, with the over/under line currently set at 42 points. The game is being played on a neutral site, and the money line odds are -128 for Northern Illinois and +107 for Fresno State. Northern Illinois comes in with a 7-5 record, while Fresno State is 6-6 on the season.

NORTHERN ILLINOIS HUSKIES VS FRESNO STATE BULLDOGS BETTING PICK

The Pick: Fresno State Bulldogs +1.5

This game will be played at Albertsons Stadium at 2:30 ET on Monday, December 23rd.

WHY BET THE FRESNO STATE BULLDOGS:

• We have the Fresno State Bulldogs winning this one by a score of 22 to 18
• Not only do we have the Fresno State Bulldogs winning straight-up, we have them covering the spread at +1.5
• We see this game finishing below the line of 42 points

Can The Northern Illinois Huskies Pick Up A Win At Albertsons Stadium?

Northern Illinois enters Week 1 against Fresno State with a 7-5 record. They’ve gone 3-3 on the road and 3-1 at home this season. The Huskies have been favored in six of their 12 games, going 4-2 as the favorite.

NIU’s ATS record is 4-5-1, with a 4-2 mark on the road and 0-3-1 at home. They’ve gone 1-4-1 against the spread as the favorite and 3-1 as the underdog. Their average scoring margin this season is +5.8 points per game.

The Huskies’ over/under record is 4-6, with an average line of 44.9 points. They’ve averaged 42.7 points per game, and their average margin against the total is -4.6 points. This week’s line is set at 42 points.

Northern Illinois has leaned heavily on their rushing attack, ranking 12th in the nation with 41.8 attempts per game, and they are 20th in rushing yards, averaging 208.6 yards per game. Gavin Williams leads the team with 741 rushing yards, averaging 5 yards per carry, and has scored four touchdowns.

Overall, the Huskies are 71st in scoring, with 24.2 points per game, and we have them ranked 104th in our offensive power rankings. Quarterback Ethan Hampton has thrown for 1,600 yards and 12 touchdowns, but he has also been intercepted six times, and the team ranks 116th in passing yards per game.

Defensively, Northern Illinois has been strong this season, ranking 12th nationally by allowing just 18.4 points per game. In their latest game, they held Central Michigan to 16 points and gave up only 204 total yards, including 92 passing yards, while forcing one interception.

Opponents are averaging 113.2 rushing yards per game on 31.5 attempts against Northern Illinois, while quarterbacks have managed a passer rating of 77.3 and a completion percentage of 54.2%, averaging 169.2 passing yards per game.

Can The Fresno State Bulldogs Take Care Of Business On A Neutral Field?

Fresno State enters Week 13 with a 6-6 record, going 3-2 at home and 2-4 on the road. They’ve been favored in seven of their 12 games, posting a 5-2 record as the favorite. At home, they are 3-1 when favored and 0-1 as the underdog.

Against the spread, Fresno State is 6-4-1, with a +2 average scoring margin. They are 4-2-1 ATS as the favorite and 2-2 as the underdog, holding a 3-2 ATS record at home.

Their over/under record stands at 4-7, with their games averaging 51.2 points. The average over/under line has been 49.6 points, and this week’s line is set at 42 points.

Fresno State’s offense is centered around their passing game, ranking 18th in completions and averaging 244.7 yards per game. They are 56th in scoring, with 26.6 points per game, and are 93rd in our offensive power rankings heading into week 11.

Quarterback Mikey Keene has thrown for 2,887 yards, completing 70.4% of his passes, with 18 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. He has a passer rating of 95. Mac Dalena leads the receivers with 941 yards and eight touchdowns. Fresno State’s run game is struggling, averaging just 97.4 yards per game.

Fresno State’s defense has allowed 24.6 points per game this season, ranking 45th nationally. They’ve given up 217 passing yards per game, with opposing quarterbacks completing 54.5% of their passes, the 15th-lowest percentage in the country. On the ground, Fresno State has allowed 139.1 rushing yards per game.

In their recent game against UCLA, Fresno State’s defense gave up 20 points. They allowed just 76 rushing yards on 31 attempts, but surrendered 289 passing yards. UCLA finished with 20 first downs in the game.