2005 Central Michigan Chippewas Handicapping Review

 

By Tom Wilkinson

 

As a perennial Mid-American Conference loser, Central Michigan has received scant sports handicapping attention, with the exception of being a “go against” team, over the past several seasons. Central Michigan entered the 2004 campaign having come off five consecutive losing seasons and with ten failures against the odds in their prior thirteen games dating back to the final three weeks of the 2002 season. The potential for a sports handicapping market correction was tempered by the fact that MAC losers simply don’t draw enough support from the general sports betting public to overcome their perception. After a 2003 season of 3-9 straight up and 3-7 against the odds, Central Michigan was a virtual anonymous college football team to the sports betting bloggers and even to the most serious amongst the sports handicapping fraternity.

It was apparent right away in 2004 that Central Michigan would be offering more of the same, as they were pummeled 10-41 by a weak Indiana team as 12.5-point road dogs. In their next game at erratic Michigan State, Central Michigan proved to be a sports handicapping bargain as 25.5-point dogs in a 7-24 loss. Unfortunately, Central Michigan’s poor reputation amongst the general sports betting public kept them off the vast majority of football picks lists.

After a 44-27 home win over 1-AA SE Missouri State, Central Michigan hosted Kent State and was installed as 1.5-point dogs by the sports betting odds makers, winning straight up 24-21. Central Michigan now stood at 2-2 straight up and 2-1 against the odds as they prepared to host Bowling Green for their homecoming game in a “fork in the road” type of game that often defines a season for a college football team.

Central Michigan was installed as 16-point home dogs by the sports betting odds makers against MAC powerhouse Bowling Green and lost 14-38, which confirmed any doubts about this team being a MAC weakling once again. Northern Illinois re-confirmed Central Michigan’s inability to compete with the best of the MAC in a 42-10 win as 20-point home chalks. Incredibly enough, Central Michigan gave Toledo all they could handle in a 22-27 loss as 24-point road dogs but apparently had nothing left for the rest of 2004 as they failed to beat the sports betting line in their final four games of the season, finishing 4-7 straight up and 3-7 against the pointspread to stand at 6-17 in their last 23 games against the odds.