The MAC Championship Game will be contested on Friday night at Ford Field, and we are set to make our Ohio Bobcats vs. Northern Illinois Huskies picks for one of the biggest games on the schedule! Check out the MAC Championship keys to the game!

MAC Championship Game: Ohio Bobcats vs. Northern Illinois Huskies
MAC Championship Game Location: Ford Field, Detroit, MI
MAC Championship Game Date/Time: Friday, December 2nd, 7:00 p.m. (ET)
MAC Championship Game Television Schedule: ESPN2, ESPN3.com

Key #1: The Bobcats have to put a harness on Harnish
QB Chandler Harnish is one of the most athletic players in the entire country, and he is going to be the one player on the field that the Bobcats truly have to contain. If Harnish gets going with his legs and his arm, this NIU offense is absolutely impossible to stop. Harnish accounted for 2,692 passing yards and 1,351 rushing yards this year, and he has a total of 34 TDs to his credit. He hardly ever turns the ball over either, as he only has five picks on the campaign. The Bobcats have the speed in their front seven on defense to be able to at least keep Harnish under wraps, but the problem is that he can beat you with his arm as well in a big time way, and he isn’t afraid to spread the ball around to a slew of receivers. Ohio only ranked No. 62 in the nation against the pass at 226.7 yards per game.

MAC Championship Game Odds at Wager Web Sportsbook
Ohio Bobcats +3.5
Northern Illinois Huskies -3.5
Over/Under 70.5
Click Here to Bet on Your MAC Championship Game Picks!Key #2: Ohio needs to own the clock
The Huskies make no bones about the fact that they want to run up and down the field to wear down your defense, and that’s exactly what the Bobcats need to avoid. The ground game for Ohio is as good as any in the MAC, averaging 211.7 yards per game. Sure, QB Tyler Tettleton can and will run whenever he gets the chance, but the real key is going to be keeping the ball in the hands of RBs Donte Harden, Ryan Boykin, and Beau Blankenship. These three toted the rock a total of 339 times this season, and they averaged right around five yards per carry in this stretch as well. If they can keep the ball moving on the ground against a rush defense which ranks No. 84 in the nation, the Bobcats are going to be in good shape.

Key #3: NIU special teams have to at least be remotely special
Though the Huskies do score a slew of points, they have a big time problem on special teams. Kick and punt returning isn’t a problem, but when it comes to the kicking game, there are some issues. P Ryan Neir is only averaging 35.3 yards per punt this year, and his long boot is only 54 yards. Meanwhile, K Mathew Sims has had problems kicking the ball from any sort of distance. He is only 3-of-6 in kicks that are longer than 38 yards on the season, and he hasn’t hit one from further than 44 yards. We tend to think that Ohio’s defense will at least make this sophomore kicking in his first big time game work for his points, and if that turns out to be the case, the Huskies could be in some real trouble.

The first annual Pac-12 Championship Game kicks off on Friday night at Autzen Stadium, as the Oregon Ducks vs. UCLA Bruins odds will be contested. The team that makes for great college football picks in this one will end up playing on January 2nd in the Rose Bowl!

Pac-12 Championship Game: UCLA Bruins vs. Oregon Ducks
Pac-12 Championship Game Location: Autzen Stadium, Eugene, OR
Pac-12 Championship Game Date/Time: Friday, December 2nd, 8:00 p.m. (ET)
Pac-12 Championship Game Television Schedule: FOX Sports

Key #1: UCLA has to show some heart
It goes without saying that the Bruins are the decided underdogs in this game, and everyone is just expecting them to lay down and die on Friday night. This is the last time that Head Coach Rick Neuheisel will get to coach the Bruins, and the team might be brutally disappointed, especially knowing that a bowl game would require a petition to the NCAA if this one is lost. Last week, UCLA just looked like it gave up after the first quarter against the USC Trojans, a game that ended 50-0, and if it isn’t going to show any more intensity than that on Friday, the final score could be a heck of a lot worse than that.

Pac-12 Championship Game Odds at Wager Web Sportsbook
UCLA Bruins +31.5
Oregon Ducks -31.5
Over/Under 66.5
Click Here to Bet on Your Pac-12 Championship Game Picks!Key #2: LaMichael James needs to play like a Heisman Trophy contender
There is a real chance for James to be a finalist for the Heisman Trophy this year in spite of the fact that he missed two full games and pieces of others due to injury. He still has 1,427 rushing yards and 15 scores on the campaign, and he has the ability to go for over 200 yards on any team in America. UCLA’s defense ranks No. 81 in the country against the rush, and if that unit doesn’t improve, not only will James get 200+ yards on the ground, but RB Kenjon Barner might be over 100 by the time the day is said and done as well. Head Coach Chip Kelly isn’t shy and has no problem beating a team by 70 points and keeping the starters in for at least the first three quarters regardless of what the scoreboard says. If this really is James’ last home game, expect it to be a special one, as Kelly is going to do everything in his power to make sure that his best player is in New York for the Heisman Trophy presentation.

Key #3: UCLA has to hit the big play
We know that the Ducks are going to have a number of plays that travel at least 30 yards on Friday night, especially at home, but UCLA has to take advantage of its chances as well. Oregon doesn’t have the greatest defense in the world, and just as its offense plays with a lot of spunk, its defense does as well. Sometimes, that leaves the Ducks out of position and prone to the big play. Last week, QB Kevin Prince had his chances to hit players like WR Shaq Evans and WR Nelson Rosario down the field, until the last drive of the game, it just didn’t happen. Neuheisel is surely going to use every last trick that he has in his bag to get his team to Pasadena in shocking fashion, but when those tricks come out, the Bruins have to capitalize.