Ball State at Ohio

Mike Neu brought back nine starters on offense, including his quarterback, and it appeared that Ball State would take a major leap forward on that side of the ball. They have improved but are still a sub-par offense at 25 points per game. The bigger problem is their seven games vs. FBS competition shows them at 24 or fewer points in six of the seven. If that holds, it would mean Western Michigan would have to put up 40+ against the Cardinals to get this one over the top, and the Cardinals have allowed only one opponent all season to do that. If you then add in the extra intensity of a Thursday Night game, which has delivered 55.4% to the UNDER in a 280+ game sample, this one is not making it. Play on the UNDER.