Welcome to the last Wednesday night MACtion slate of the 2025 college football season.
With two Tuesday games and no Wednesday games next week, we need to enjoy weeknight games from America's favorite college football conference while we still can.
Wednesday's MACtion slate features two games: the Buffalo Bulls vs. the Miami (OH) RedHawks and the Central Michigan Chippewas vs. the Kent State Golden Flashes.
So, without further ado, let's take a look at our Wednesday college football predictions and NCAAF picks for the 2-game MAC slate on Wednesday, Nov. 19.
Wednesday College Football Predictions
The team logos in the table below represent each of the matchups that our college football betting staff is targeting from Wednesday's slate of MACtion games. Click on the team logos for any of the matchups below to navigate to a specific bet discussed in this article.
| Game | Time (ET) | Pick |
|---|---|---|
  | 7 p.m. | |
  | 7 p.m. | |
Specific betting recommendations come from the sportsbook offering preferred odds as of writing. Always shop for the best price using our NCAAF Odds page, which automatically surfaces the best lines for every game. | ||
Buffalo vs Miami (OH) Prediction
By Joshua Nunn
This line has bounced around between Buffalo -1.5 and Miami -1.5, where it currently sits, with a total of 40. To try to avoid the high variance and unpredictability of this one, I'm going to isolate the first half under, which comes in at 19.5
The circumstances surrounding Miami (Ohio) and its game last week against Toledo were bizarre to say the least.
The RedHawks are squarely in the thick of the MAC race, and just shortly before kickoff, it was announced that starting quarterback Dequan Finn would sit out due to an “illness.” After the game, it was announced that he had left the program to prepare for the NFL Draft.
This was shocking to many, as his team was competing for a conference championship. It left the RedHawks dependent on Henry Hesson to lead the offense, and as you might imagine, things did not go well. Miami scored three points and generated 222 total yards on 3.2 yards per play.
On the other side, Buffalo games have been highly variant in MAC play this season, and we often see wild swings, costly turnovers and other miscues that cost them. One thing we know it's going to do is run the football.
I expect a heavy dose of run action early in this game, given how poorly the quarterback play was last week when Roberson was asked to drop back and throw.
Running back Al-Jay Henderson has been consistent for Buffalo this season, averaging 4.2 yards per carry. He's spelled by Lamar Sperling, another solid option at tailback.
Miami has a solid run defense that doesn't give up explosive plays, and Buffalo comes in at just 113th nationally in explosive play rate.
The Bulls require long, methodical drives in order to move the ball, and they've been terrible in third-and-short situations this season.
Miami will certainly be run-heavy in the first half of this one as it gets Hesson settled into the game flow. The RedHawks are a rush-heavy team, but there's very little explosiveness out of the run game.
Buffalo defends the run well and ranks 11th nationally in preventing explosive plays on the ground. I wouldn't expect Miami to come out slinging the ball around after Hesson completed just 11-of-38 passes last week while throwing three interceptions.
Plus, Chuck Martin and Pete Lembo are two of the most conservative coaches in the country, so if either team has a fourth-and-short situation, we should see field-goal attempts or punts in the first half.
I believe the first half will be called conservatively with an emphasis on the run. I'm diving in on the first-half under.
Pick: 1H Under 19.5
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Kent State vs Central Michigan Prediction
By Road to CFB
Central Michigan opened as a modest -7.5 road favorite but climbed to -9.5 before settling at -8.5. The over/under rose from 45.5 to 49.5 following a 77-point affair in the Wagon Wheel.
Kent State quarterback Dru DeShields had a career outing against the Zips, throwing for 317 yards and five touchdowns. That performance added nearly 50% to his season passing touchdown total.
DeShields really was the X-factor — no receiver had more than four receptions or 100 yards, and all five touchdown passes went to different receivers.
DeShields was pressured 10 times (just one sack), and his average time to throw was a season-best and lightning-quick 2.49 seconds. He sliced and diced his way through the Akron defense with confidence and decisiveness.
Kent State's postseason aspirations hang in the balance Wednesday night. The Golden Flashes — who, in the preseason, had no business sniffing a bowl berth — sit 4-6 with a solid path to bowl eligibility should they pull off the upset here.
Central Michigan already has a spot in bowl season locked up but is still very much in the driver's seat for a spot in the MAC Championship. CMU needs some help, but Step 1 is to win out.
The Chippewas are just 2-4 away from Mount Pleasant, including a loss at Akron as -7 road favorites (lost 28-22). Kent State is 3-1 at home and 4-0 ATS.
Central Michigan has been a pretty opportunistic team this year.
It beat San Jose State (113th in FBS), Wagner (109th in FCS), Eastern Michigan (122nd), Bowling Green on the decline (also 120th), UMass (245th in all of Division I) and a wildly inconsistent Buffalo (110th).
There's not a single quality win on this schedule.
It's also a team that hasn't played overly well on the road. The Chips are 2-3 ATS away from home, and one of those covers came in Week 1 against a San Jose State team that was heavily favored in the market before taking a nosedive (current line projects to be CMU -2 vs. +13.5).
I'm betting against the turnover luck continuing in CMU's favor against a team that doesn't turn the ball over very much.
CMU also runs such a methodical offensive pace that, when the explosive passes aren't there, it can't build a huge lead so long as the opposing offense doesn't make back-breaking mistakes.
Kent State hasn't been prone to those mistakes this season and plays the ball-control game itself. This is a game that could legitimately have 16 or fewer possessions.
In a projected low-scoring MACtion game, I'm backing the home underdog getting spotted nearly double digits. The Flashes still have something to play for, though making a bowl is pretty far-fetched. I expect a strong fight from Kent State here.
Pick: Kent State +8.5
