Beware of the MAC.  

Northern Illinois upset Notre Dame as a four-touchdown underdog last Saturday and Penn State escaped Bowling Green winning by only seven points as 34-point favorites.

Now it's Central Michigan's turn to stay close to Illinois - if not pull the outright upset. 

When last seen, the Illini had just upset ranked Kansas, 23-17, as 5-point home underdogs this past Saturday. Illinois fans stormed the field following the victory. 

Not only is Illinois in a major letdown situation, but also a look-ahead spot as it opens Big Ten play the following week against much-improved Nebraska in a nationally televised Friday night game. 

I've never been able to trust Illinois coach Bret Bielema and I don't trust him to have his Illini fully motivated for this matchup.
It's easy to see why Illinois could be overconfident as Central Michigan is coming off a 52-16 loss to Florida International last week. The Chippewas were favored in that game, too. 

So, what happened? The score is highly misleading. Central Michigan actually outgained FIU by 60 yards. The Chippewas were done in by a 6-0 turnover disadvantage. 

The Chippewas won 10 games in 2021, including defeating Washington State in a bowl game. They've had some tough luck the past two seasons going 9-15 in one-score games. 

I don't see Illinois being this high of a favorite, especially given the circumstances.