Ball State Cardinals vs. Western Michigan Broncos Picks and Prediction for Saturday, October 11, 2025
Use Code SSWC We have an interesting Mid-American Conference game in Week 7 of the college football season as the Ball State Cardinals will be travelling to Waldo Stadium in Kalamazoo, Michigan, on Saturday afternoon to face off against the Western Michigan Broncos in our Cardinals prediction. The Cardinals (2-3, 1-0 MAC) are coming off a 20-14 home win over the Ohio Bobcats on Saturday. The Broncos (3-3, 2-0) are on a three-game winning streak after coming off Saturday’s 21-3 road win against the UMass Minutemen. Find the edge fast with NCAAF picks for Ball State Cardinals vs. Western Michigan Broncos.
Cardinals Looking to Spread Their Wings
The Ball State Cardinals are looking to step up after a home win over the Ohio Bobcats 20-14. Ball State did enough offensively as the team scored 20 points on 357 total yards of offense (185 passing, 172 rushing). Quarterback Kiael Kelly completed 17-of-33 passes for 185 yards with a touchdown pass as well as a team-high 21 rushes for 96 yards (4.6 yards per carry) with a rushing touchdown. The Cardinals recorded 20 first downs as they were 9-for-20 on third downs while also going 1-for-2 on fourth down tries. The Cardinals ran the ball effectively as they averaged 4.1 yards per carry as a team.
The defense did enough to get off the field and get stops as the Cardinals allowed the Bobcats to score 14 points on 358 total yards (188 passing, 170 rushing). The defense struggled as they allowed Ohio to pass for 6.5 yards per pass attempt in the game while allowing 7-for-14 conversions on third down. Despite not forcing a turnover, this is a solid portion of the program going forward.
Kelly is completing 60.6% of his passes for 657 yards with four passing TDs and two picks up to this point of the season. RB Qua Ashley leads the program in the rushing game with 316 yards (4.9 yards per carry) and three TDs running the football. Ball State has been brutal throughout the opening handful of weeks as they are 121st in the sport with 19.6 points per game while averaging 289.0 total yards of offense. Their defense is giving up 29.4 points per game to put them tied for 104th in college football.
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Injury Report for Ball State
- Offensive guard Kaden Mayle: Undisclosed (Questionable)
- Wide receiver Derion Talbert: Undisclosed (Questionable)
- Kicker Brody Boehm: Undisclosed (Questionable)
- Cornerback Jalon Jones: Undisclosed (Questionable)
- Wide receiver Nick Presley: Undisclosed (Questionable)
- Cornerback Micah Lillard: Undisclosed (Questionable)
- Wide receiver Bradyn Fleharty: Undisclosed (Questionable)
- Offensive guard Luke Dalton: Undisclosed (Questionable)
- Offensive guard Cody Smith: Undisclosed (Questionable)
- Defensive tackle Hunter Sanderson: Undisclosed (Questionable)
- Defensive tackle Khristian Zachary: Undisclosed (Questionable)
- Linebacker DeJuan Echoles Jr: Undisclosed (Questionable)
Broncos Looking to Get Over .500
The Western Michigan Broncos are looking to build off Saturday's 21-3 road victory over the UMass Minutemen. Their offense took a step forward as they recorded 21 points on 380 total yards of offense (163 passing, 217 rushing) while recording 23 total first downs. Quarterback Broc Lowry finished the game by completing 18-of-25 passes for 163 yards with one passing touchdown as well as 15 rushing attempts for 92 yards (6.1 yards per rush) with one rushing touchdown. Their offense averaged 5.2 yards per rush and 6.5 yards per pass attempt. The team turned the ball over with a pair of fumbles so they need to improve going forward.
The defense allowed only three points on 260 total yards (203 passing, 57 rushing) and the Minutemen was 5-for-15 on third downs and 0-for-2 on fourth downs against the Broncos. The defense was able to force a takeaway with an interception. Holding the opposing offense to 2.0 yards per carry out the program in a great position going forward.
Lowry is completing 60.5% of his passes for 751 yards with three passing TDs and one pick entering this game. He is also leading the rushing attack with 319 yards (4.6 ypc) and six TDs. The Broncos are not doing well offensively as they are currently 117th in the NCAA with 19.7 points per game. Their defense is allowing 20.7 points per game, which places them 72nd in college football. They also allow 315.2 yards per game to rank 46th and they are strong in stopping the run, ranking 65th, allowing 128.0 yards per game. Their offense is pedestrian at best as they average 294.5 yards per game.
Injury Report for Western Michigan
- Offensive guard John Hofer: Undisclosed (Questionable)
- Defensive end Noah Bishop: Undisclosed (Questionable)
- Running back Cole Cabana: Undisclosed (Questionable)
- Long snapper Will Peterson: Undisclosed (Questionable)
- Offensive guard Zach Vaughan: Undisclosed (Questionable)
- Defensive end August Johanningsmeier: Undisclosed (OUT)
- Offensive guard Chad Schuster: Knee (OUT)
Ball State Cardinals vs. Western Michigan Broncos Pick
Spread Pick for Ball State vs. Western Michigan
- Ball State Cardinals +8.5 (4 units)
This game originally opened at 9.5 points and has been bet down a full point, so we lost a bit of value, but it did not cross a key number. These teams are very similar in their production and this game should be close. Broc Lowry needs to prove he can win a game with his passing ability, but he has not done it thus far as he has two passing touchdowns in his previous four games. Ball State’s Nathan Voorhis has a nose to getting in the backfield and getting to the opposing quarterback,k so go with the Ball State Cardinals getting more than a full possession.
Over/Under Pick for Ball State vs. Western Michigan
- OVER 42.5 (5 units)
Neither offense has been able to step up and control the game, but scoring about 10.5 points per quarter seems to be more than viable. Both defenses are allowing big plays consistently, as the Broncos are giving up 5.0 yards per play while the Cardinals are allowing 6.1 yards per play so far. These teams do not turn the ball over too often, so drives should end in points. In head-to-head matchups, these teams have gone over in four straight meetings and eight of the last nine.
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