Akron vs Eastern Michigan Pick, Prediction, Odds: The First-Half Bet to Make
Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images. Pictured: Eastern Michigan’s Samson Evans.
Akron Zips vs Eastern Michigan Eagles Odds
| Akron Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+3.5 -110 | 39 -110o / -110u | +140 |
| Eastern Michigan Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-3.5 -110 | 39 -110o / -110u | -165 |
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Eastern Michigan welcomes Akron to Rynearson Stadium on Tuesday night for weekday MACtion in a push for bowl eligibility.
The Eagles have dropped three straight to fall to 4-6 overall on the season and 2-4 in the MAC.
Meanwhile, the Zips have struggled this year, securing only two victories under head coach Joe Moorhead.
With only two weeks remaining in the regular season, every contest has higher significance for the teams involved. I also see great betting value in this one in Ypsilanti, Michigan.
So, let's dive into the Akron vs. Eastern Michigan odds and find a prediction and pick for Tuesday's MAC college football matchup.
In a disappointing season, the one thing Moorhead’s squad can boast its the victory over rival Kent State to bring the Wagon Wheel back to Akron.
The Zips ended the game with 21 unanswered points, which all came in the fourth quarter. It also ended a run of six consecutive losses.
In the victory, the top performer was Jeff Undercuffler Jr. The quarterback was named MAC Player of the Week after racking up 298 yards passing and two touchdowns with an additional score on the ground.
The Zips also had three players with over 100 yards of offense in their best performance of the season.
Akron can't reach bowl eligibility this season, but a couple of wins to close out the year would be great momentum to take into the offseason.
Following back-to-back seasons with bowl trips, Eastern Michigan head coach Chris Creighton has the chance to send the program to a third straight bowl game for the first time in program history.
However, the Eagles have hit a skid at the worst time, losing the last three games to Northern Illinois, Western Michigan and Toledo.
Creighton should have a motivated team for this game, as the team will be honoring 18 seniors playing their final home contest.
One of those key veterans is offensive lineman Brian Dooley, who recently made his 57th career start while playing in his 59th game at EMU. To put this into perspective, he now has more collegiate starts than Oregon’s Bo Nix.
Meanwhile, Creighton’s Eagles have also been very good in midweek MACtion in his tenure. In 17 games, Eastern Michigan owns an 11-6 record, and this should be a great spot to add to the win column.
Toggle the dropdowns below to hide or show how Akron and Eastern Michigan match up statistically:
Akron Offense vs Eastern Michigan Defense
 | Offense | Defense | Edge |
| Rush Success | 73 | 117 | |
| Line Yards | 123 | 122 | |
| Pass Success | 115 | 69 | |
| Havoc | 106 | 83 | |
| Finishing Drives | 133 | 55 | |
| Quality Drives | 130 | 65 |
Eastern Michigan Offense vs Akron Defense
| Offense | Defense | Edge |
| Rush Success | 100 | 46 | |
| Line Yards | 77 | 59 | |
| Pass Success | 126 | 25 | |
| Havoc | 122 | 107 | |
| Finishing Drives | 69 | 69 | |
| Quality Drives | 126 | 69 |
Pace of Play / Other
| ||
| PFF Tackling | 46 | 24 |
| PFF Coverage | 59 | 64 |
| Special Teams SP+ | 129 | 11 |
| Middle 8 | 111 | 88 |
| Seconds per Play | 27.6 (81) | 29.5 (112) |
| Rush Rate | 43.9% (128) | 54.1% (77) |
Akron vs Eastern Michigan
Betting Pick & Prediction
When I look at this game, the home and road splits for these teams lead me to only want to back EMU in this spot, but I have a better way to do so other than the full-game spread.
With that said, my best bet is to take the Eagles on the first-half spread at -2.5, which I would bet to -3.
If you start first with the home team, Eastern Michigan has won all four of its games at Rynearson Stadium this season, averaging more than double the number of points compared to its games on the road.
With strong home metrics, EMU would've covered this same opening-half spread in four of its five contests at home. In fact, the Eagles rank in the top 20 in FBS with a 7-3 against-the-spread record in the first half this season.
On the other side of the field, Akron has struggled on the road. The Zips have lost seven straight road games, the fourth-longest active FBS streak.
This includes Moorhead’s team failing to cover this first-half spread in four of its six road games.
As far as how the teams stack up, EMU is the squad that has the better coach, special teams unit and tackling rating, according to PFF.
Once you add in how these teams have stacked up in the first half throughout the year, I like the Eagles to get off to a hot start in this matchup.
Pick: Eastern Michigan 1H -2.5 (Play to -3)
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