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The Central Michigan Chippewas take on the Ohio Bobcats in Athens, Ohio. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. EDT on ESPN+.
Ohio is favored by -2.5 points on the spread with a moneyline of -150. The total is set at 46.5 points.
Here's my Central Michigan vs. Ohio predictionand college football pick for Saturday, October 10, 2026.
Central Michigan vs. Ohio Pick: Under 46.5 Points (-108 | Play to 44.5)
My Ohio vs. Central Michigan best bet is under 46.5 points. Find the best line available on our live NCAAF odds page and be sure to download the Action Network app for more picks and analysis.
Central Michigan vs Ohio point spread: Ohio -2.5 (-122), Central Michigan +2.5 (+100)
Central Michigan vs Ohio over/under: 46.5 (-112o / -108u)
Central Michigan vs Ohio moneyline: Central Michigan +125, Ohio -150
Since getting blasted 38-7 at New Mexico , Central Michigan has managed to rattle off some wins and reestablish itself as a serious contender in the MAC. Jim Chapin's offense asserted itself against Akron , scoring its most against an FBS foe since Chapin came to Mount Pleasant in a 41-17 rout. The Chips ran for 331 yards, led by QB Angel Flores ' career-best 154 yards. They also connected on a couple of explosive pass plays from Flores and Jadyn Glasser .
The recipe for success here is obvious — so long as CMU controls the line of scrimmage, its offense will beat the opponent up physically and score at will. But winning the line of scrimmage battle hasn't always been guaranteed, and that wasn't more obvious than in a lackluster 13-10 win over FCS Colgate . Although Flores is an explosive athlete–three times this year he's gone over 120 rushing yards–the offense can become too reliant on him. Flores' 79 rushing attempts lead the team by 42, with the next-closest being Jayden Clerveaux (37 attempts).
When not totally outmanned, CMU's defense is pretty good. In its three wins this year, CMU has forced eight turnovers and held opponents to just over 12 points per game. At this juncture, it's safe to remove the New Mexico and Miami (FL) results given the lopsided talent there.
However, CMU lacks up front on defense, giving up a successful run on 53% of opposing attempts, worse than all but two FBS teams this year. Run-focused teams upcoming include Ohio , Western Michigan , and Miami — all teams capable of taking advantage of a soft line of scrimmage.
Ohio is one of college football's winningest programs of the last half-decade, posting four consecutive 9+-win seasons and finding 10+ in three of those years. Thanks to Ohio's standing in the MAC, that 9+ win streak could continue despite a 3-2 start with just one top-100 power-rated team left on its schedule ( Toledo , Week 13). But to get there, Ohio has some improving to do.
Under new DC Kurt Mattix, the Bobcat defense has regressed to lows not seen since at least 2007, with its first points per drive rank outside the top 100 since 2021 (and, before that, it had been at least 20 seasons). But the current concern lies on offense without starting QB Nick Poulos . The senior has missed Ohio's last two games since sustaining an injury against Jacksonville State . Those two games resulted in a 35-7 win over hapless FCS Stonehill College (103rd in FCS) and a 13-10 rock fight against Kent State .
The latter is significantly more concerning considering OU played two quarterbacks who played with similar, uninspiring results. Matt Vezza , a New Hampshire transfer, completed 4-of-9 passes for 39 yards and nothing else; freshman Levi Davis was brought in to see if he could provide a spark, but he finished 4-of-5 for 34 yards and nothing else. The Bobcats put the ball on the turf three times, losing two of those fumbles, and ran just 54 plays from scrimmage.
OC Scott Isphording runs a slow tempo, running a new play every 28 seconds (104th). The combination of the plodding pace, injury to Poulos, and general lack of explosiveness and urgency makes this offense tough to watch and hard to trust.
Note: Ohio owns the nation's second-longest home winning streak (16 games). In its last 26 games at Peden Stadium, Ohio is 25-1.
The opening total of 48.5 was simply too much and was bet down to 46.5 points by Monday morning. Given the low total, some action came in on Central Michigan, moving the Chips from +3.5 to +3. Ohio has yet to beat an FBS foe by more than three points this season.
Reports suggest that Poulos was a late scratch Saturday, hinting at a possible return to play sooner rather than later. As of Wednesday, it has not been confirmed whether he will play.
Under Poulos, this is a significantly better offense, even scoring 21 on Nebraska (and even giving the Huskers a scare!). He exited midway through the Jacksonville State game — Ohio had scored just 14 offensive points in regulation, was aided by a kickoff return touchdown, then needed four overtime periods to settle on 29. Davis found a groove against South Alabama when Vezza was forced out, but since teams have had time to prepare for both QBs, it's been rough offensively.
The only quarterback to find rushing success against the Bobcats was Caden Creel , who carried the ball 29 times for 120 yards in the multi-overtime loss. Expect Ohio to key on Flores and force the football into the hands of the other backs.
Both teams run a slow pace, with Central Michigan calling a new snap every 29.9 seconds (127th). Two run-first offenses with limited explosiveness, two slow paces, questions about the health of Poulos, and over-reliance on Flores lead me to play under here.
