Week 5 brings a big matchup between the Western Michigan Broncos (1-2) from the MAC and the Marshall Thundering Herd (1-2) from the Sun Belt Conference at Joan C. Edwards Stadium in Huntington, West Virginia. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. ET on ESPN+.
Western Michigan enters following a home win over Bethune-Cookman, while Marshall is coming off a thumping it received at the Shoe at the hands of the Ohio State Buckeyes.
Western Michigan had a bye following its win, so it should be feeling good and ready to go for this one.
Marshall will be looking for a clean slate while trying to find its way back into the win column after an ugly loss last week.
The Thundering Herd are favored by three points on the spread and are -160 on the moneyline. Meanwhile, the total is 54.5.
Can Marshall rebound at home, or will the Broncos continue to keep the Thundering Herd down in the dumps? Let's get into my Western Michigan vs. Marshall prediction.
Western Michigan vs Marshall Prediction
- Western Michigan vs Marshall Pick: Under 54.5
My Western Michigan vs Marshall best bet is on the under, with the best line currently available at BetMGM, according to our live NCAAF odds page.
Western Michigan vs Marshall Odds
| Western Michigan Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+3 -110 | 54.5 -110 / -110 | +135 |
| Marshall Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-3 -110 | 54.5 -110 / -110 | -160 |
- Western Michigan vs Marshall Point Spread: Western Michigan +3 (-110) · Marshall -3 (-110)
- Western Michigan vs Marshall Total: Over/Under 54.5
- Western Michigan vs Marshall Moneyline: Western Michigan +135 · Marshall -160
Western Michigan vs Marshall Preview
Western Michigan Broncos Betting Preview: Shaky Start for Offense
The Broncos enter this one under second-year head coach Lance Taylor, who's hoping to improve upon his first one up in Kalamazoo. Taylor finished 2023 with a 4-8 record. He currently has this team at 1-2, and Marshall seems like an opportunity to get his team back to .500.
Coach Taylor brings back senior quarterback Hayden Wolff in 2024, but Wolff has had to look for a new No. 1 target after leading receiver Kenneth Womack graduated.
Wolff has been a little shaky as a result, with two interceptions on the year already. He'll need to keep it clean in this one, which figures to be close and dependent on turnover margin.
The strength of this Western Michigan offense is its physicality and ability to run the ball.
Leading rusher Jaden Nixon is averaging nearly seven yards per carry on the season. The Broncos run the ball at the 14th-highest rate in the nation, are 26th in rushing explosiveness and are 51st in rushing success rate.
They know who they are, and they whip teams up front. This is the key to helping their pass game that would normally be weaker if relied upon more consistently. They'll need to find success in the ground game this week to dominate time of possession and keep their defense off the field.
Western Michigan’s defense has been a sore subject early in this season. It's allowed 38 points per game and nearly 450 yards per game of total offense, granted a lot of that came against a tough Ohio State team.
The Broncos rank 128th in defensive success rate, but they do have the ability to force some turnovers, which will be key for them in this one. They rank 60th in Havoc and 30th in defensive explosiveness, so the turnover margin will be more key for this Western Michigan defense.
Marshall Thundering Herd Betting Preview: Need to Be Physical
Marshall brings back Charles Huff for his fourth season as head coach after two winning seasons in three years. Huff has his team poised for another winning campaign after a disappointing season a year ago ended in a loss at the Frisco Bowl.
Coach Huff lost his quarterback Cam Fancher to the transfer portal in the offseason, so he found a tough senior quarterback in Stone Earle, who transferred in from North Texas.
Earle leads a strong rushing offense headlined by star running back A.J. Turner, who's averaging 12 yards per carry on the young season.
Marshall has a lot of faith in Earle to make the right decisions, favoring more pass plays to run plays on the year.
That being said, the Herd's run success rate is 36th and their pass success rate is 98th. Coach Huff needs to go back to his roots as a running backs coach and rely upon his offensive line and rushers in this one against a weak Western Michigan defense.
The way to attack this Marshall defense has been on the ground, as its pass defense has proven to force turnovers and slow down the opposition, even against Ohio State for a little while last week.
The pass defense ranks 19th in success rate, while the run defense ranks 70th.
The Herd also limit big plays, for the most part, ranking 17th in defensive explosiveness. A few big Ohio State touchdown plays actually skewed that metric a bit.
Marshall will need to focus on playing physical this week against a tough front coming in from Kalamazoo.
Western Michigan vs Marshall
Matchup Analysis
Toggle the dropdowns below to hide or show how Western Michigan and Marshall match up statistically:
Western Michigan Offense vs. Marshall Defense
 |  Offense |  Defense |  Edge |
| Rush Success | 56 | 63 | |
| Line Yards | 40 | 52 | |
| Pass Success | 50 | 19 | |
| Havoc | 21 | 92 | |
| Finishing Drives | 32 | 50 | |
| Quality Drives | 111 | 67 | |
Marshall Offense vs. Western Michigan Defense
| Offense | Defense | Edge |
| Rush Success | 38 | 129 | |
| Line Yards | 22 | 118 | |
| Pass Success | 96 | 113 | |
| Havoc | 27 | 67 | |
| Finishing Drives | 128 | 123 | |
| Quality Drives | 115 | 128 | |
Pace of Play / Other
| | |
| PFF Tackling | 110 | 80 |
| PFF Coverage | 93 | 15 |
| Special Teams SP+ | 120 | 129 |
| Middle 8 | 97 | 26 |
| Seconds per Play | 28.5 (89) | 25.3 (29) |
| Rush Rate | 66% (11) | 53% (92) |
Western Michigan vs Marshall Pick & Prediction
This game brings in two teams that find a lot of success on the ground, and I expect both teams to use that to their advantage against each other in this one.
Because of that, I'm expecting a low-scoring, bleeding-the-clock-type game, especially given both defenses’ weak spots are against the run.
For that reason, I'll take the under at 54.5 points in this one.
Pick: Under 54.5
How to Watch Western Michigan vs Marshall Live: Start Time, TV Channel, Location
| Location: | Joan C. Edwards Stadium, Huntington, WV |
| Date: | Saturday, Sept. 28 |
| Kickoff Time: | 3:30 p.m. ET |
| TV / Streaming: | ESPN+ |
Western Michigan vs Marshall Betting Trends
- 60% of bets and 44% of the money are on Marshall to cover the spread.
- 58% of bets and 32% of the money are on the over.
- 96% of bets and 99% of the money on the moneyline are on Marshall.
