Week 13 brings us our last Wednesday night of MACtion when the Buffalo Bulls (6-4, 4-2 MAC) travel to Rynearson Stadium in Ypsilanti, Michigan to face off against the Eastern Michigan Eagles (5-5, 2-4).
Buffalo has won 2 in a row and is coming off a 51-48 victory over Ball State in an absolute barn burner. Eastern Michigan, meanwhile, has lost 3 in a row, including a tough 25-21 defeat at the hands of lowly Akron 3 weeks ago.
Buffalo has won 3 of the past 4 matchups with Eastern Michigan with the single loss coming a season ago in Buffalo.
The Eagles are -1.5 point home favorites over Buffalo with an over/under of 53.5.
Can Eastern Michigan win back-to-back, or will Buffalo reclaim the throne over the Eagles? My Buffalo vs. Eastern Michigan predictions and college football picks for Wednesday, Nov. 20 are below.
Buffalo vs Eastern Michigan Prediction
- Buffalo vs. Eastern Michigan Pick: Buffalo ML +100
My Buffalo-EMU best bet is on the Bulls to win outright, with the best line currently available at BetRivers, according to our live NCAAF odds page.
Buffalo vs Eastern Michigan Odds
| Buffalo Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+1 -110 | 51.5 -110 / -110 | +100 |
| Eastern Michigan Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-1 -110 | 51.5 -110 / -110 | -120 |
- Buffalo vs Eastern Michigan Spread: Buffalo +1 (-110) · Eastern Michigan -1 (-110)
- Buffalo vs Eastern Michigan Total: Over/Under 51.5
- Buffalo vs Eastern Michigan Moneyline: Buffalo +100 · Eastern Michigan -120
Buffalo vs Eastern Michigan Preview
Buffalo Bulls Betting Preview: Offensive Explosiveness Needed
Head coach Pete Lembo is off to a solid start in his first season in Buffalo, as he's already clinched a bowl berth and has an opportunity to win a few more games to ensure a winning season regardless of the bowl result.
The Bulls also are sitting in a spot where there is a path to playing in the conference championship if they get some help and win out themselves.
Quarterback C.J. Ogbonna has had another solid season in Buffalo, leading the Bulls to 26.9 points per game. While he has been solid with 13 touchdowns and just four interceptions, the Bulls are a run-focused team.
They rank 20th in Rush Rate but are only 112th in Rush Success Rate. The Bulls’ passing game isn't much better, as they rank 104th in Pass Success Rate.
The Bulls don't run a very successful offense,but have hit on some big plays this season and rank 74th in Explosiveness. The offensive explosiveness will need to be there this week in order to help them get some quick, easy scores.
The defense has certainly been the stronger side of the ball. The Bulls have allowed 30.9 points per game, but that's a bit misleading as they rank 118th in Average Field Position allowed. Teams have been getting short fields and capitalizing with scores.
The Bulls defense has been a bit better than the offense, ranking 92nd in Success Rate allowed. They do an excellent job of limiting chunk plays, ranking 23rd in Explosiveness allowed.
No quick or easy scores will come against this defense, which could loom large in keeping this one low-scoring and giving the Bulls an opportunity to win.
Eastern Michigan Eagles Betting Preview: Bowl Eligibility on the Line
Chris Creighton is in his 11th season at Eastern Michigan and has had plenty of ups and downs along the way. This game weighs heavily for the Eagles as they need one more win to gain bowl eligibility. I expect Creighton to have a good game plan in place for this matchup.
The Eagles run a pretty balanced offense with dual-threat quarterback Cole Snyder and have averaged 27.3 points per game this season.
Eastern Michigan definitely has the better offense in this game, ranking 87th in Success Rate.
The problem is the Eagles' inability to create explosive plays. They rank 111th in Explosiveness, which puts a lot of pressure on Snyder and the offense to sustain drives.
Defensively, the Eagles have only allowed 27.2 points per game, but unlike Buffalo, they rank 52nd in Average Field Position allowed, forcing teams to drive the entire field on most of their possessions.
The defense has been awful at stopping opposing offenses, ranking 95th in Success Rate allowed. If it can't get off the field, it'll be a long game.
The bright spot for this defense is its ability to limit big plays, ranking 37th in Explosiveness allowed.
Buffalo vs Eastern Michigan Matchup Analysis
Toggle the dropdowns below to hide or show how Buffalo and Eastern Michigan match up statistically:
Buffalo Offense vs. Eastern Michigan Defense
 |  Offense | Defense |  Edge |
| Rush Success | 112 | 95 | |
| Line Yards | 112 | 79 | |
| Pass Success | 104 | 116 | |
| Havoc | 79 | 56 | |
| Finishing Drives | 31 | 64 | |
| Quality Drives | 107 | 71 | |
Eastern Michigan Offense vs. Buffalo Defense
| Offense | Defense | Edge |
| Rush Success | 89 | 80 | |
| Line Yards | 97 | 70 | |
| Pass Success | 86 | 104 | |
| Havoc | 55 | 61 | |
| Finishing Drives | 106 | 82 | |
| Quality Drives | 82 | 95 | |
Pace of Play / Other
| | |
| PFF Tackling | 15 | 35 |
| PFF Coverage | 17 | 127 |
| Special Teams SP+ | 50 | 78 |
| Middle 8 | 89 | 129 |
| Seconds per Play | 25.0 (28) | 25.2 (30) |
| Rush Rate | 59% (39) | 54% (84) |
Buffalo vs Eastern Michigan Pick & Prediction
This figures to be an important matchup between two very similar teams, but I have to side with the team with the better defense despite what the points-per-game stats show.
I think this game plays out slowly and will be tight all the way to the end, but I trust Buffalo’s defense to get that one extra stop and pull this game out late. Give me Buffalo on the moneyline.
Pick: Buffalo ML +100
Buffalo vs Eastern Michigan Start Time, TV Channel, Location, How to Watch
| Location: | Rynearson Stadium, Ypsilanti, MI |
| Date: | Wednesday, Nov. 20 |
| Kickoff Time: | 7 p.m. ET |
| TV / Streaming: | ESPNU |
Buffalo vs Eastern Michigan Betting Trends
Buffalo vs Eastern Michigan Weather
