UMass vs Eastern Michigan Betting Prediction: Eagles Soar in Season Opener

Eastern Michigan Eagles (0-0 SU, ATS 0-0) vs UMass Minutemen (0-0 SU, ATS 0-0)

Date: 3:30 EST Saturday, August 31st

Location: Warren McGuirk Alumni Stadium, Amherst, MA

TV: ESPN+

Point Spread: E. Mich +1.5/Mass -1.5 (Get a 100% bonus from our best sportsbooks list!)

Money Line: EMU +104/UMass -125

Over/Under: 49.5

ESPN+ will be covering the season opener between the Eastern Michigan Eagles and UMass Minutemen as they face off at Warren McGuirk Alumni Stadium in Amherst. Kick-off is set for 3:30 ET on Saturday, August 31st. The over/under line is at 49.5 points, and the UMass Minutemen are the slight -1.5 point favorites at home. This is the first game of the season for both teams.

Head-to-Head Matchup:

Last season, the Eastern Michigan Eagles and UMass Minutemen did not face off head-to-head. When looking back over the last three times these two teams have played, the UMass Minutemen have the leg up at 2-1. Against the spread, each team went 1-2 and finished with an over/under mark of 2-1. These games averaged a combined 45 points per contest.

Eastern Michigan Eagles Recent Form:

Eastern Michigan is ranked 125th in our pre-season power rankings, with a 47.2% chance of being bowl-eligible this season. Last year, the Eagles finished with a 6-7 record, going 5-2 at home and 1-5 on the road. They were the underdog in eight of their 13 games, going 3-5, and went 3-2 as the favorite.

In the futures market, the Eagles are listed at +3220 to win the Mid-American Conference, placing them 8th out of 12 teams. However, their chances of making it to the Mid-American Conference title game are set at +1200, with an implied probability of 8%.

Eastern Michigan’s passing game struggled last season, ranking 115th in passing yards per game. Overall, the Eagles’ offense averaged 19.5 points per game, placing them 86th in the country. Their rushing attack was also limited, finishing 101st in rushing yards per game. This season, the Eagles are looking to improve with the addition of quarterback Cole Snyder, who threw for 2,109 yards and 13 touchdowns last year at Buffalo. Snyder’s completion percentage was 54.6%, slightly better than Eastern Michigan’s season-long rate of 55%.

Delbert Mimms III, who ran for 282 yards last season at NC State, has also joined the Eagles’ backfield, which includes returning running back Dontae McMillan. In the receiving corps, JB Mitchell III is the top returning player. Last season, the Eagles threw the ball 27.5 times per game, and they will be looking for more production out of their passing game this year.

Eastern Michigan’s defense allowed 26.7 points per game last season, putting them 61st in the nation. They were better against the pass, giving up 213 passing yards per game (70th), but struggled to stop the run, allowing 189.8 rushing yards per game, which ranked 151st in college football. Opposing offenses also averaged 38.8 rushing attempts per game against the Eagles.

Away Injury Report

No Injuries Reported

UMass Minutemen Recent Form:

Last season, UMass was 1-3 in games where they were favored and finished with a 3-9 overall record. They were the underdog in eight of their 12 games, going 2-6. UMass struggled at home, finishing 1-5, but were slightly better on the road, ending with a 2-4 record.

Heading into this season, UMass is ranked 124th in our power rankings, with a 29.9% chance of becoming bowl-eligible, which ranks 118th in the nation.

UMass quarterback Taisun Phommachanh threw for 1,507 yards last season, finishing with a passer rating of 78.6. He threw six touchdowns and 11 interceptions, leading an offense that averaged 23.2 points per game (80th in the country). The Minutemen struggled on third down, converting just 36.4% of their chances (88th), and their rushing attack averaged only 142.3 yards per game, ranking 88th nationally.

Phommachanh’s top returning target is wide receiver Anthony Simpson, who had 792 receiving yards and three touchdowns last season. UMass also added Keshawn Brown from Duquesne to bolster their receiving corps. In the backfield, Jalen John is the top returning running back, and the Minutemen have added CJ Hester, who ran for 124 yards at Western Michigan last season.

UMass had a tough season defensively last year, giving up 37.8 points per game. They struggled to stop the run, allowing 222.4 rushing yards per game, which ranked 171st in the nation. Despite being better vs. the pass, where they allowed 206.2 yards per game (58th), opponents found a lot of success running the ball vs. the Minutemen.

Home Injury Report

No Injuries Reported

Betting Trends

• In their last five road games, Eastern Michigan has averaged 16 points per game while allowing 25. The team’s record in this stretch was 1-4 while going 3-2.
• When looking at their past five home matchups, UMass has an ATS record of 3-2 while averaging 15 per game. The team went 1-4 overall in these games.
• Spanning across their last three games as the betting underdog, the Eastern Michigan Eagles have gone 1-2 vs the spread. Their overall record in these games was 1-2.
• Going back to their last ten games as the favorite, the UMass Minutemen have a straight up record of 4-6. But, their mark vs the spread was just 3-7.

Free Pick

Based on our power rankings, these teams are neck and neck, and the point-spread lines reflect that, as UMass is favored by just -1.5 points. For this one, I am actually going with Eastern Michigan to pull off the slight upset. The way I’d play this one is to take Eastern Michigan on the money line, where you can get +104.