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The Daily Sweat: Midweek MACtion was made for nights like Tuesday

Pete Truszkowski
·5 min read

Monday was a wild day across the sports world. Of course, Monday Night Football took centerstage like it usually does. In addition to the football, all 30 NBA teams were in action on a loaded slate. On top of that, the college basketball season tipped off with around 200 games on the schedule. There was no shortage of sports watching and sports betting opportunities. The same can't be said about Tuesday unfortunately, but midweek MACtion saves the night.

Quite a few years ago, the Mid-American Conference noticed that there was an opportunity to showcase their product by playing games on Tuesdays and Wednesdays beginning in November. The NFL doesn't play those days, the MLB season is over and the NHL and NBA seasons are still in their early stages. On Tuesday, the NBA is off for Election Day. The World Series is over. Thankfully, sports bettors have three MAC games to feast on.

Three MAC games on the schedule

Not only do we get college football on this beautiful Tuesday, but we get three games as the MAC delivers.

Akron is a 7-point home underdog against Eastern Michigan in the earliest kick of the three games. The Zips enter with a 1-8 record in their first season under head coach Joe Moorhead. Their lone win of the season came in Week 1, when they needed overtime to beat St. Francis PA. Eastern Michigan has a chance to earn their sixth win and become bowl eligible.

The best game on Tuesday's slate features Ohio visiting Miami (Ohio). Miami is a 2-point home underdog with the total set at 51.5-points. Ohio is 4-1 in conference play and looks to stay on top of the East division with a road win. Miami treaded water when starting quarterback Brett Gabbert was injured in their opener and missed almost two months. With Gabbert back, the Redhawks need to win two of their final three games to become bowl eligible.

In the last kick of the night, Toledo is a sizable 11.5-point favorite at home against Ball State. Toledo will likely roll with backup quarterback Tucker Gleason, who is filling in for the injured Dequan Finn. Gleason might not be as dynamic as Finn, but he threw for three touchdowns in a come-from-behind win against Eastern Michigan last time out. Ball State is coming off an outright victory as a 7-point underdog against Kent State last time out. All five of Ball State's conference games have been decided by seven points or fewer.

KENT, OH - NOVEMBER 01: Ball State Cardinals running back Carson Steele (33) carries for a 15-yard touchdown during the second quarter of the college football game between the Ball State Cardinals and Kent State Golden Flashes on November 1, 2022, at Dix Stadium in Kent, OH. (Photo by Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Can Carson Steele and Ball State keep it close against Toledo during midweek MACtion? (Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) (Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Fun NHL slate on deck

The NHL season is just about one month old and we have a fun 11-game slate on Tuesday with some intriguing matchups.

The best matchup of the night is in Toronto, where the Maple Leafs are slight -125 home favorites against the Vegas Golden Knights. After a slow start, it seems like Toronto is slowly figuring things out as they've won three straight. However, Tuesday will provide a huge test as the Golden Knights are currently the best team in hockey and have won seven straight games.

On paper, the Edmonton Oilers-Tampa Bay Lightning matchup sticks off the page. Both teams made appearances in their respective conference finals last season and are loaded with talent. However, they're both off to somewhat mediocre starts. The Lightning are 7-4-1, while the Oilers have lost three straight and are just 7-6-0. Edmonton played and lost last night against the Washington Capitals, so the Lightning are sizable -155 home favorites at home.

Elsewhere, the battle of New York takes place at Madison Square Garden. The Islanders won the first game between these teams a few weeks ago by a score of 3-0, but the Rangers are massive -175 favorites on Tuesday night. The Islanders had a thrilling come-from-behind victory on Monday while the Rangers were resting. The Isles are likely to start backup Semyon Varlamov, who has shutouts in four straight games at MSG.

The New Jersey Devils might be the most surprising team in hockey. They are a deserving -140 home favorite against the Calgary Flames, who played last night against the aforementioned Islanders. In the night cap, the Los Angeles Kings are -115 home favorites against the Minnesota Wild. Both teams made the playoffs last season but are playing basically .500 hockey to open this season.

Slow CBB slate, NBA off

College basketball can probably do better than what they are currently doing to kickoff their season. There was almost 200 games on Monday's slate but no real marquee matchups. On Tuesday, there's seven games currently posted at BetMGM with betting lines. In terms of bigger name programs, Purdue is a 25.5-point favorite against University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Georgetown is an 18.5-point favorite against Coppin State.

As mentioned earlier, the NBA is off on Tuesday as the league tries to encourage its fans to vote.

First look at Week 10 lines

Week 9 of the NFL season wrapped up on Monday night with the Baltimore Ravens rolling to a 27-13 road victory over the New Orleans Saints as a 1.5-point road favorite. At the risk of sounding like a broken record, under bettors once again cashed their tickets as well.

The Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, New York Jets and New England Patriots are on a bye in Week 10, but there's still 14 games on the schedule beginning on Thursday night. Here are the early lines at BetMGM: