MAC ACTION
(NCAAF) Ball State vs. Miami-OH,
Point Spread: -2.00 | -105.00 Miami-OH (Home)
Result: Win
The Miami (Ohio) Redhawks host the Ball State Cardinals on Wednesday night to start the MAC season. Ball State posted a 41-27 home win against Miami (Ohio) last season. The Cardinals offense was among the best in the conference in 2019. Drew Plitt returns at quarterback after throwing for 2918 yards with 24 touchdowns and 7 interceptions last season. Caleb Huntley returns at running back. Last season he rushed for at least 100 yards in all but one conference game and finished with 1275 yards. They also return last year's top receiver in Justin Hall. They will need to improve on the defensive side of the ball. Last season the defense was the worst in the MAC, but was also one of the worst in the FBS. Ball State averaged 34.8 points last year, good for 19th in the entire FBS. They allowed an average of 31.4 points, placing them 94th overall.



The Cardinals finished last season 5-7 and 4-4 in MAC play. The Redhawks won the MAC title, with an overall 8-6 record, and won seven of nine of their MAC games. They return a good portion of last year’s offense. The Redhawks return quarterback Brett Gabbert. Gabbert threw for 2411 yards with 11 touchdowns and 8 interceptions. Miami did most of their damage on the ground. Jaylon Bester and Tyre Shelton combined for over 1300 yards last season but Shelton is out for the season due to injury. The Miami (Ohio) defense is the strength of the team. The Redhawks averaged 24.1 points in 2019, ranking them 99th in the FBS. They allowed an average of 28.1 points, placing them 69th overall.

The road team is 2-5 ATS in the last 7 meetings between Ball State and Miami Ohio. Miami Ohio is 6-2 ATS in their last 8 games overall and 8-2 ATS in their last 10 home games. The favorite is 4-1 ATS in the last 5 meetings between Ball State and Miami Ohio. The Redhawks return a good portion of last year’s roster that won seven MAC games and the MAC title in 2019. The Miami Ohio offense should thrive against a poor Cardinals defense. The Redhawks feature a strong pass defense that will at least contain the Cardinals offense.

Play on Miami of Ohio.