2008 Ball State Football Betting Preview

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NCAA College Football Betting – Ball State Cardinals

Ball State will be Central Michigan’s main sports wagering competition for the MAC Championship this year, even though they have never won it in 12 seasons.



The two teams are similar to online NCAA football betting faithful: they both have underrated quarterbacks, explosive offenses and sub par defenses.

The difference might be home field advantage: Ball State has to travel to Central Michigan for their matchup on November 19th.

Offense

Ball State’s offense is clearly one of the best in the conference but the running game still leaves much to be desired.

Time and time again, the Cardinals had problems with short-yardage situations, which cost them a couple of games last year.

Quarterback Nate Davis is one of the better ones in the MAC and will be working with plenty of the same weapons from last year. Davis has already thrown for a school record 48 touchdowns and had a 30-6 TD-INT ratio last year.

Wide receiver Dante Love and tight end Darius Hill return after finishing as All-MAC first-teamers last year. Davis and Hill have good chemistry. This might be the best passing game in the conference.

The best part about this offense is that all five starting linemen return. That should ensure good security for the passing game and the running game might improve because of it.

Defense

Like almost every team in the MAC, Ball State has problems on defense. They were used as a treadmill last year, permitting just under 205 rushing yards per game. The good news is that they have three new defensive linemen. Actually, that is bad news.

In general, the front seven for the Cardinals is small. They might have speed but they get pushed out of the way a little too frequently.

The defensive line will be led by Brandon Crawford, a 32-year-old former Marine, who has played well with the team.

The linebacking corps looks good if Bryant Haines returns healthy. He was a second-team All-MAC performer but is dealing with back problems. The back seven returns five starters.

The one to keep an eye on is cornerback B.J. Hill, who is a converted tailback but played really well last year. He had five interceptions last year.

The defense will be the difference between the Cardinals winning or losing the MAC.

Outlook

Ball State has an explosive offense that will keep them in competition throughout the year. But traveling to Central Michigan figures to be the deciding game as the two teams are favored to win the MAC West division.

Ball State has an easier schedule than Central Michigan, which might be the eventual difference. If the Cardinals can win road games at Indiana and Akron, they could be 4-0 before the start of the conference schedule.

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