Northern Illinois’ season was on a fantastic trajectory early on.
After opening the season with a win over FCS Western Illinois, the Huskies upset Notre Dame on the road and climbed into the Associated Press Top 25.
But NIU lost its next two games against Buffalo and NC State to fall back to .500. Though the Huskies did have a decent chance of competing for a MAC Championship appearance after beating Bowling Green, NIU went 4-4 in conference play and ended the regular season with a 7-5 overall record – still good enough for bowl-eligibility.
Fresno State entered the season with Mountain West Championship aspirations, and it seemed like the Bulldogs were in a good position after starting the season 3-1 overall with their only loss being at Michigan.
But the Bulldogs went 4-3 against Mountain West foes for the season. They did, however, defeat conference championship contender Colorado State late this season to earn a sixth win and also earn a spot in a bowl game.
That leads to Fresno State meeting NIU in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl.
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Northern Illinois vs. Fresno State Betting Odds
Northern Illinois is a -3 college football betting odds favorite against Fresno State, with the Over/Under being 40.5.
The moneyline for Northern Illinois is -155, while it’s +130 for Fresno State.
Northern Illinois vs. Fresno State On TV
The matchup between Northern Illinois and Fresno State will be televised on ESPN.
The game will kick off at 2:30 p.m. ET on Monday, Dec. 23. The contest is taking place at Albertsons Stadium in Boise, Idaho.
Northern Illinois vs. Fresno State Prediction
I predict NIU will win and cover the spread at -3. I also project the game will go Under 40.5 total points.
Fresno State is going through a coaching change, as the Bulldogs recently named Matt Entz as their head coach. That’s after Tim Skipper was the team’s interim head coach for the 2024 season.
But regardless of that, I think NIU’s roster has just a little bit more talent at the moment. The Huskies allowed the fifth-fewest yards in the country on defense, as they gave up 281 per game going into bowl season. They also ranked 15th in the FBS in scoring defense with 18.42 points per game allowed.
With Thomas Hammock still leading the Huskies as their head coach and providing the team some stability at the moment, I think NIU will find a way to win by a touchdown in a low-scoring battle.
