Central Michigan vs. Northwestern Picks and Predictions: GameAbove Sports Bowl
Written by: Nate Hornung
Last Update: Fri Dec 26, 2025, 11:03 am ET
Read Time: 5 minutes
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Early Friday afternoon we've got the Big Ten and the MAC meeting at Ford Field for some midday college football. Bowl Season continues with the GameAbove Sports Bowl, as the Central Michigan Chippewas take on the Northwestern Wildcats. Both teams ended their regular season on a loss, but will be eager to cap things off on the right side, well, at least one of them. Can CMU pull off this 10 point upset? Let's find out with our favorite picks.
Best Bet: Central Michigan/Northwestern Under 43 (-110) Lucky Rebel Sportsbook
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Central Michigan Chippewas vs. Northwestern Wildcats GameAbove Sports Bowl Insights
The Chippewas are a very heavy rushing team
Central Michigan finished the season 7-5, winning four of their last six after starting off 3-3. Their only Power Four opponents were road games early on against Pittsburgh and No. 23 Michigan. The Chippewas lost 45-17 to the Panthers and 63-3 to the Wolverines. Sure Northwestern isn't as potent as those two teams, but could they still lay the hammer on CMU?
Northwestern lost four of their last five after an impressive 5-2 start to finish 6-6. Thankfully neither team has too many opt outs, so we should be getting a solid football game on Friday afternoon. The Wildcats have certainly been the more battle tested team this year simply by being in the Big Ten, and they only lost by two to Michigan, instead of 60 like their opponent did.
Chips quarterback Angel Flores should play in the bowl game, which significantly helps a CMU rushing attack.
Matchup Information – Central Michigan vs. Northwestern – December 26
- Venue & Location: Ford Field (Detroit, MI)
- Date: Friday, December 26, 2025
- Kick Off: 1:00 p.m. Eastern
- Broadcast: ESPN
Central Michigan vs. Northwestern Betting Odds
Odds are courtesy of Lucky Rebel Sportsbook, one of our favorite online sportsbooks, as of December 24, 2025 at 9:08 a.m. eastern. Sign up today and get a $1,250 deposit bonus & 50 slot spins right away. Lucky Rebel offers a wide variety of unique markets across nearly every sport imaginable.
Spread
- Central Michigan +10.5 (-111)
- Northwestern -10.5 (-109)
Moneyline
- Central Michigan +320
- Northwestern -425
Total
- Over 43 (-110)
- Under 43 (-110)
Central Michigan vs. Northwestern GameAbove Sports Bowl Picks and Predictions
Preston Stone threw over 2,100 yards for the Wildcats
Central Michigan vs. Northwestern Prediction: Northwestern Wins, Central Michigan Covers, Under 43
Best Bet: Central Michigan/Northwestern Under 43 (-110) Lucky Rebel Sportsbook
We have two extremely heavy rushing offenses that don't finish drives. The Chips run the ball over two thirds of the time, ranking top five in rush play percentage, but they are No. 92 in yards per rush. They pass the ball very effectively but are bottom four in pass play percentage. The Wildcats aren't as extreme, but they still run the ball 54% of the time. They severely struggle to move the ball through the air, so look for Northwestern to keep this game on the ground as often as they can.
Central Michigan's offense is north of 100 in yards and points per game, plus third down conversions, while the defense is top 55 in points allowed. Northwestern is also north of 100 in yards and points per game, and their defense is top 40 in both of those categories defensively.
So we have two heavy rushing offenses, meaning the clock should keep moving. But overall, both team's defenses are better than their offenses. I see them sticking to what they know, running the ball, in which they should both have some success. Northwestern and CMU both are north of 80 in yards per carry allowed to their opponent, and they are both north of 100 in third down conversions allowed. But, but, but, the Chips somehow are top 10 in red zone scoring while ranking north of 90 offensively.
The clock is going to be our best friend, as we watch both teams chew up plenty of it on their drives that hopefully end in field goals or punts. Northwestern should have their two stud running backs on the field, giving them extra horsepower on the ground to keep things moving. I could see it being a bit one sided, but 10 points is too much to cover with as little as these teams will score.
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Nate has been a recreational sports bettor for about 5 years. In that time, he has grown to love the pursuit of winners and sticking it to The Man. Nate loves data and uses his understanding of numbers to help him be a more profitable sports gambler, however he will be the first to tell you this game is about more than just stats.
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