MACtion: 2 College Football Best Bets for Tuesday, October 31

College football fans will be given both tricks and treats on Halloween, as the slate gives us all a little Tuesday night MACtion. NIU will head to CMU for a 7 p.m. kick on ESPNU. Toledo will host Buffalo for a 7:30 p.m. tilt on ESPN2.

Need help betting the Tuesday CFB card? Here are 2 college football best bets for October 31. Happy Halloween!

Best Bet: Central Michigan +5.5 (BetMGM)

It has been a tale of 2 seasons during the 1st half of the year for the Huskies. They opened with a win over Boston College before losing 4 straight games. They then faced Akron on the road where they won 55-14 and not only snapped their 4-game losing streak but also began a 3-game winning streak that they are currently riding into this contest.

Last week was their bye week but the week prior was a come-from-behind victory against Eastern Michigan. On the season, they are allowing just over 21ppg which is 75th in the country. It has been that defense that has helped the Huskies during this current win streak. Antario Brown has been averaging 84.5 rushing yards per game and has scored 6 of the team’s touchdowns.

The Chippewas are at .500 on the season after losing 2 weeks ago on the road against Ball State. They were held under 100 yards on the ground and went just 3 for 13 on 3rd downs. While they held the passing game of Ball State to just 100 yards, they allowed an outrageous 243 yards on the ground.

Like NIU, CMU is also coming off a bye. Jesse Prewitt III has been the most consistent performer on offense as the receiver has collected 26 receptions and 379 yards and 4 touchdowns.

The Chippewas have been owning the Huskies recently in this series in terms of covering the spread. NIU has needed to come from behind in their last 2 games and seem to be ripe for having their win streak snapped. CMU is undefeated at home and with them catching a couple of points here gives us a nice security blanket.

Key Trends:

• NIU is 1-8 ATS in their last 9 games against Central Michigan.
• NIU is 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games played in week 10.
• CMU is 12-4 ATS in their last 16 games against Northern Illinois.
• CMU is 5-2 ATS in their last 7 games when playing at home against Northern Illinois.

Best Bet: Buffalo +16 (Unibet)

Buffalo opened their season with 4 straight losses but have won 3 of their last 4. They defeated Kent State 2 weeks ago by holding them to just 6 points. Jacqez Barksdale used his limited carries (10) to gain 84 yards on the ground, however, it was Ron Cook Jr. that found the endzone early in the 2nd quarter.

Cole Snyder found 8 different receivers but only compiled 195 yards while throwing 1 interception and 1 touchdown. The defense sacked Michael Alaimo 3 times and held Kent State to just 4 of 17 on 3rd downs.

Toledo has been on an epic run. They lost their opener at Illinois 30-28. From there, they have won 7 straight. That said, the last 2 were weaker wins. 13-6 over Ball State and 21-17 over Miami Ohio were not impressive. They are currently 37th in scoring with a 34.9ppg and 9th in the nation in rushing yards per game at 232.5.

Peny Boone is averaging 108ypg and has found paydirt on 8 separate occasions. Dequan Finn has thrown 14 touchdowns to just 5 interceptions. He has also added almost 500 yards on the ground and has scored 5 rushing touchdowns.

The Bulls will need to contain the rushing attack of Toledo, just like they did against Kent State when they held them to just 86 yards. The Rockets’ win streak seems to be living on borrowed time as the last 2 games were narrow escapes. We don’t expect to see Buffalo pull off the road upset but they could certainly keep this within 2 touchdowns.

Key Trends:

• Buffalo is 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games.
• Buffalo is 7-2 ATS in their last 9 games on the road.
• Toledo is 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games.
• Toledo is 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games played in October.