Northern Illinois Huskies vs. Ohio Bobcats, Picks and Predictions, Saturday, October 18, 2025
Use Code SSWC Northern Illinois is traveling to Peden Stadium in Athens, Ohio for their week 8 matchup against Ohio; keep reading for our Northern Illinois versus Ohio prediction. Northern Illinois is 12th in the MAC standings with a conference record of 0-2 and a season record of 1-5. Ohio is fifth in the MAC standings with a conference record of 1-1 and a season record of 3-3. Ohio lost their last game against Northern Illinois back in 2023 with a final score of 23-13. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. EDT. Do you need a boost in your handicapping? Try our NCAAF Betting Picks
Northern Illinois Lacking Offense
The Huskies are coming off another loss last week versus Eastern Michigan with a final score of 16-10. This is the fifth loss in a row for the Huskies as they have not been able to grab a win against a non-subdivisional team this year. Northern Illinois looks to break its losing streak on the road against a conference opponent.
Northern Illinois has been unreliable on offense this season, ranking 135th in scoring and 133rd in yards generated. The Huskies have needed to rely on their run gam,e which has struggled, sitting 75th overall in rushing yards. With the Huskies relying more on their run game, which has not looked great, their pass game is virtually nonexistent. This has hurt the chances of the Huskies continuing their drives as they are unable to generate first downs.
To combat the poor offense, Northern Illinois has looked toward its defense to help keep their games close, but it has not worked thus far this season. The Huskies are 42nd in points allowed and 38th in total yards allowed. Northern Illinois has been able to stop opposing drives, ranking 53rd in opponent first downs. Senior Defensive Back Muhammed Jammeh has been a huge driving force for the defense as he leads the team in interceptions at 2 in his six games played.
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Injuries:
- Paasch OG Questionable - Undisclosed
- Jimmar OG Questionable - Undisclosed
- Ingold DL Questionable - Undisclosed
- Poe RB Questionable - Undisclosed
- McIvory WR Questionable - Undisclosed
- Skartvedt OG Questionable - Undisclosed
- Taylor Jr. WR Questionable - Undisclosed
- Rumohr OG Questionable - Undisclosed
Ohio Falls Short In Road Loss
Ohio picked up a loss last week against Ball State with a final score of 20-14. This would be their third road loss of the season as they have yet to find a win away from home this year. The Bobcats will be aiming to keep their perfect win streak at home untouched as they host Northern Illinois.
The Bobcats this season have not generated too many points this season ranking 84th in scoring despite them sitting 61st in yards. This is mostly due to their offensive line as they have been unable to protect their quarterback. The loss of yards from sacks has given more opportunity for generating yards, but not so much in generating points. This season, Ohio is 103rd in sacks, which has severely hurt their ability to generate first downs. Senior Running Back Sieh Bangura leads the team in rushing yards this season at 481 and has averaged 4.9 yards per carry across his six games played thus far.
The defense for the Bobcats has been able to suppress scoring opportunities in the red zone for their opponents as they rank 77th in points allowed but are allowing far too many yards. While Ohio is ranking 103rd in total yards allowed, they have made up for this by ranking 39th in total plays for their opposition. Ohio has great clock management on offense and this has turned out as a positive for their defense, not allowing too many opportunities to their opponents. Even with the low amount of plays allowed, the Bobcats are still 114th in rushing yards allowed per carry at 4.8 and 118th in passing yards allowed per reception at 8.1.
Injuries:
- Jackson Jr. CB Questionable - Undisclosed
- Seegars DL Questionable - Undisclosed
- Pugh WR Questionable - Undisclosed
- Perry WR Questionable - Undisclosed
- Keuchler DL Questionable - Undisclosed
- Fries LB Questionable - Undisclosed
- Winters QB Questionable - Undisclosed
- Rodarte WR Questionable - Undisclosed
- Mathis CB Questionable - Undisclosed
- Hurst WR Questionable - Undisclosed
- Mack II CB Questionable - Undisclosed
- Odjugo DL Questionable - Undisclosed
Northern Illinois versus Ohio Picks and Predictions
Spread Pick for Northern Illinois versus Ohio
- Ohio -11.5 (-105 ) ( 4 units)
In conference games since 2024, Ohio has a record against the spread of 8-3-0 while Northern Illinois has a record of 2-8-0. Ohio also has a record against the spread of 5-2-0 in games where they are a home favorite since 2024. Northern Illinois is going up against a team that prefers to focus on defense and with Northern Illinois already struggling in producing points, I doubt they will be producing much against Ohio. The Bobcats do not have the strongest offense but with the deficit in points coming from Northern Illinois, I believe they should be capable of covering this spread.
Over/Under Pick for Northern Illinois versus Ohio
- Under 41.5 (-110) (5 units)
Northern Illinois has an over/under record of 0-6-0 since 2024 in games where they are a road underdog. Since 2023, Ohio has an over/under record of 2-6-0 in games that follow a loss. Neither team has looked great this season on offense, and I do not suspect this game will be close enough to force extra time. Ohio has been relying on its defense to grab wins and with how much Northern Illinois has struggled on offense, I doubt Ohio's ability to get us over the total itself.
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