The Eastern Michigan Eagles (0-1, 0-1 MAC) and Ball State Cardinals (0-1, 0-1) meet in Muncie, Ind., for a 7 p.m. ET kickoff Wednesday. Below, we analyze the Eastern Michigan-Ball State college football betting odds and lines, with picks and predictions.
Eastern Michigan at Ball State: Betting odds, spread and lines
Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated at 12:15 p.m. ET.
- Money line: Eastern Michigan +260 (bet $100 to win $260) | Ball State -334 (bet $334 to win $100)
- Against the spread/ATS: Eastern Michigan +9 (-110) | Ball State -9 (-110)
- Over/Under: 61.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)
Eastern Michigan at Ball State: Three things to know
- Eastern Michigan is coming off a 27-23 loss at Kent State, although it did hang on for the narrow cover at +4.5. The Eagles were able to amass just 302 total yards of offense, including just 61 yards on the ground, something they’ll need to pick up dramatically if they want to hang with the high-flying Cardinals.
- Ball State went down to Miami-Ohio and fell 38-31 as a 1-point road favorite. The Cardinals were able to rack up 478 total yards, including 309 through the air. Defensively, the Cards had few answers in Miami, yielding 422 total yards, including 288 passing. Ball State might be involved in plenty of shootouts if that continues.
- The Eagles have covered in five of the past six trips to Ball State, while the road team is 6-1 ATS in the previous seven in this series. The Over is 9-2 in the previous 11 meetings, while hitting in each of the past five meetings in Muncie.
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Eastern Michigan at Ball State: Odds, betting lines, predictions and picks
Prediction
Ball State 37, Eastern Michigan 30
Money line (ML)
Ball State (-334) will cost you more than three times your potential return, and that’s just too risky on a team which doesn’t exactly play a brand of lockdown defense. The Cards are going to be in close games every time they take the field, so unless they’re at -170 or lower, AVOID.
Against the spread (ATS)
EASTERN MICHIGAN +9 (-110) will be able to keep it within one score against Ball State. Yes, the Cardinals have a fairly prolific offense, and yes, the Eagles struggled in their initial outing, but Ball State has a bear of a time stopping people, and that’s not a new thing. That was its issue last season, too. Ball State might win at home, but EMU is a safe play catching 8 and a hook.
Over/Under (O/U)
The OVER 61.5 (-110) is the best play on the board in this game. EMU scored late to bag a cover, but it did struggle against Kent State last week. However, that loss doesn’t look so bad now, and, in fact, Eastern Michigan looks a little better after keeping it so close. Ball State looks like a ball of confusion on defense, so points should not be at a premium here.
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