The Ball State Cardinals (4-4, 2-2 MAC) and Akron Zips (2-6, 1-3) meet for a Tuesday 7 p.m. ET game at InfoCision Stadium. Below, we look at the Ball State vs. Akron odds and lines, and make our expert college football picks, predictions and bets.
Ball State is coming off a 24-17 loss against Miami (Ohio) on Oct. 23. That loss snapped a three-game win streak, and that trio of wins was earned against teams — Army, Western Michigan, Eastern Michigan — that currently have winning records.
Two of those wins were on the road. Straight up, BSU is 2-2 away from home this season. Against the spread, the Cardinals are 7-4 since 2019 (5-2 ATS as a road favorite).
Akron lost at home against Buffalo on Oct. 23. The Zips have lost four of their last five, and it’s been the UA defense posing the team’s biggest problem. At 38.9 points allowed per game, Akron ranks 126th in FBS.
These programs haven’t met since 2017. Akron leads the all-time series, 12-11-1.
Ball State at Akron odds, spread and lines
Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Tuesday at 3:15 p.m. ET.
- Money line: Ball State -1400 (bet $1,400 to win $100) | Akron +750 (bet $100 to win $750)
- Against the spread (ATS): Ball State -20.5 (-108) | Akron +20.5 (-112)
- Over/Under (O/U): 58.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)
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Ball State at Akron odds, lines, picks and predictions
Prediction
Ball State 34, Akron 17
Money line
AVOID the wide gulf in prices here.
Against the spread
By most advanced analytic measures accounting for offensive and defensive lines, staying on schedule, explosive plays, etc., Akron figures as a bottom-5 team in the nation. Only a +21 should draw even a half-measure of interest in the Zips.
AKRON +20.5 (-112) is the best of two plays with negative value.
Over/Under
The top play in this “MACtion” contest on a chilly night in Northeast Ohio is the UNDER 58.5 (-110).
The Cardinals do well to take care of the football while limiting negative plays and turnovers. The Cards will be up against an abysmal Akron run defense ranked 122nd in the nation (217.5 yards allowed per game).
And while Ball State isn’t really a play at -20.5, a one-sided 35-to-10-type game would not at all be a surprise. Any sort of back-and-forth spiral of scoring into the 60s would be.
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