Northern Illinois vs Western Michigan prediction & betting tips - Nov. 5 | College Football Week 11

The Northern Illinois Huskies are on the road to play the Western Michigan Broncos on Wednesday at 7 p.m. ET. The game will be broadcast on ESPN2.

Northern Illinois (4-4, 1-3 MAC) is coming off a 25-23 loss to Ball State. On the other hand, Western Michigan (5-3, 4-0) earned a 52-21 win over Kent State in their previous outing.

Northern Illinois vs. Western Michigan: Preview

The Huskies are one-point favorites on the road, while the over/under is set at 52.5 points.

Northern Illinois has lost back-to-back games and is 2-4 since the win over Notre Dame as the Huskies have struggled. In the loss to Ball State, the Huskies allowed a field goal as time expired.

“Obviously a tough loss – one that falls squarely on my shoulders,” coach Thomas Hammock said, via NorthernStar. ”I’ve got to do a better job of getting our team ready to play and ready to execute in all situations, and we’ll get better from this.”

NIU is also out of contention for the MAC championship, so now the goal is to get to six wins to be bowl-eligible.

“The MAC Championship is over,” Hammock said. “There’s a lot of teams with minimal losses. What we have to do is be able to play for these seniors and try to extend the season for our seniors. And that’s got to be our focus.”

The Huskies are led by Ethan Hampton, who's thrown for 1,100 yards, nine touchdowns and five interceptions. Antario Brown has rushed for 516 yards and four touchdowns.

Defensively, NIU is led by Roy Williams, Devonte O'Malley and Nevaeh Sanders, who have 4.5 sacks, while Jaden Dolphin leads the team with 44 tackles.

Meanwhile, Western Michigan is coming off a 52-21 road win over Kent State and is on a four-game winning streak. In the win, the Broncos rushed for 358 yards, and coach Lance Taylor said the team has the best backfield in the country.

“It’s one of the most fearsome backfields in the MAC and probably in the country right now,” Taylor said, via MLive. “When those guys take turns and all contribute in a huge way, it’s really special to see and they challenge each other and cheer for each other. They set a mentality for our team.”

Western Michigan is led by Jaden Nixon, who's rushed for 752 yards and 10 touchdowns. Zahir Abdus-Salaam has rushed for 379 yards and two touchdowns, and Jalen Buckley has 351 yards and four touchdowns.

As the odds suggest, this should be a close contest, but the Broncos' running game is legit. Western Michigan should be able to have success running the ball while its defense will get a turnover or two to get a big win in MAC play here.

Prediction: Western Michigan 27, Northern Illinois 24

Northern Illinois vs. Western Michigan: Betting Tips

Tip 1: Western Michigan ML (-105)

Tip 2: Under 52.5 points (-112)

Tip 3: Jaden Nixon anytime TD scorer