Two MAC teams at the end of encouraging seasons will meet on Wednesday night.

Central Michigan can keep its faint hopes of making it to the MAC Championship Game alive with a win over Kent State, but the Golden Flashes also have plenty to play for on Wednesday.

Kent State was left for dead before the season started, but it can still get to a bowl game with wins against Central Michigan and Northern Illinois to close out the campaign.

The Golden Flashes are 9.5-point underdogs in the friendly confines of Dix Stadium in beautiful Kent, Ohio, on Wednesday night.

Central Michigan vs. Kent State odds, prediction

It won’t get much love in the mainstream, but what is happening at Kent State this season is remarkable. Projected to be the worst team in the country after going a combined 1-23 in 2023 and 2024, the Golden Flashes were rocked in April when head coach Kenni Burns was fired with cause for violating his contract.

Mark Carney took over on an interim basis, but it didn’t take long for the school to take away that tag. Carney got the Golden Flashes to believe, winning four of their first 10 games. It may not sound like a big deal, but Kent State’s Over/Under for 2025 was 1.5 wins, so it’s some job that Carney has done with the Flashes.

The numbers are not that impressive, but what the Golden Flashes are doing is just hanging around in games long enough to turn them into coin flips. They were on the right side against Akron, Bowling Green, and Merrimack, and the wrong end against Ball State and Buffalo.

Betting on College Football?

Central Michigan will come into Kent with plenty of betting support. The Chippewas are the better team, they have more on the line, and they are in good form with three wins from their last four games. The problem is that the lopsided action for this game has caused this line to balloon, putting some value on Kent State.

The Golden Flashes should stick around in this one, and it’s certainly not out of the realm of possibilities that Central Michigan falls flat, like it did against Akron not too long ago.

The Play: Kent State +9.5 (-110, DraftKings)

Why Trust New York Post Betting

Michael Leboff is a long-suffering Islanders fan, but a long-profiting sports bettor with 10 years of experience in the gambling industry. He loves using game theory to help punters win bracket pools, find long shots, and learn how to beat the market in mainstream and niche sports.

BLACKMAN TWP., MI – Elected officials unanimously oppose state plans to reduce the size of Michigan Avenue through Blackman Township.

The Jackson County Board of Commissioners approved a resolution opposing a “road diet” proposed for East Michigan Avenue during its regular board meeting Tuesday, Nov. 18.

The Michigan Department of Transportation has been busy drafting plans to rebuild E. Michigan Avenue from Page Avenue eastward.

The current plan would remove 5 feet of drivable roadway, reducing it from four lanes to two lanes with a single shared center turn lane.

The commission believes this would likely slow down traffic in the area, make it harder to enter and exit E. Michigan Avenue and would make it harder for emergency vehicles to navigate the roadway, leading to longer response times.

“Our township board passed a similar resolution unanimously in opposition to it,” Blackman Township Clerk David Elwell said. “We’re not big fans of road diets as you can guess.”

A representative with the Michigan Department of Transportation was not immediately available for comment.

Want more Jackson-area news? Bookmark the local Jackson news page.

COLUMBUS, Ohio — After three consecutive losses to Michigan and countless hours of analysis, the solution for Ohio State might be simpler than anyone thought: just win the damn game.

This straightforward conclusion emerged as the central theme of Monday’s Buckeye Talk podcast, where hosts Stephen Means and Stefan Krajisnik cut through the typical complex analysis to deliver a message that resonated with many frustrated Buckeye fans.

“I think you and I both watch that Northwestern game and our reaction was like just win the damn game. You’re better than them. Like let’s not overthink this, dude,” Krajisnik said bluntly on the podcast, referring to Michigan’s uninspiring performance against Northwestern the previous weekend.

This sentiment captures the mounting frustration within Buckeye Nation as the team prepares for its fourth attempt to overcome Michigan under head coach Ryan Day. After years of overthinking and falling short, the podcasters suggest the solution isn’t about intricate schemes but about executing and letting superior talent take over.

Means emphasized this isn’t dismissing the rivalry’s importance but acknowledging the straightforward reality of the situation: “It’s not that’s not flippant. That’s not dismissing the rivalry. It’s we’re just four years into this thing and this is the point we’ve reached of just go win the freaking game… But the conclusion at the end of every single thing we do is going to be this is all great. Just go win the freaking football game.”

The podcast hosts expressed optimism that all the pieces Ohio State has been developing throughout the season – from the emerging right guard rotation to the improving run game – could finally come together against Michigan. Means painted a hopeful picture of what that might look like: “Everything that we think this offense is finally comes all together in two weeks against Michigan. And it’s like, that’s the Ohio State offense we thought we were going to get this year. And they spent 12 weeks putting it together. Now they’re now they’re fully unloading it on Michigan and they never close the book again.”

This perspective shifts the conversation from “how can Ohio State beat Michigan?” to “Ohio State simply needs to play to its potential.” The hosts noted that over-analysis of Michigan’s weaknesses isn’t necessary when Ohio State clearly possesses superior talent at most positions.

The podcast touched on how the Buckeyes have methodically built their offense over 12 weeks with a mixture of veteran leadership and young talent. From Julian Sayin’s precise passing to the emergence of running backs like Bo Jackson and Isaiah West, plus receivers Jeremiah Smith and Brandon Innis, all the pieces appear to be in place.

For Ohio State fans tired of complicated explanations for the team’s struggles against Michigan, this straightforward message from the podcast offers a refreshing perspective: stop overthinking and just win the damn game.

Here’s the podcast for this week: