This year, the Eastern Michigan Eagles and the Liberty Flames — both 7-5 — battle it out for college football supremacy in the 2021 Lending Tree Bowl. Here’s all the information you need to bet on this Eastern Michigan vs. Liberty bout, including our own pick and prediction.
Make sure to check out our pick and prediction for all the other bowl games being played today: the Independence Bowl, the Celebration Bowl, the New Mexico Bowl, and the Boca Raton Bowl.
Eastern Michigan vs. Liberty betting odds and trends
- Spread: Liberty -8.5 (Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook)
- Moneyline: Liberty -350, Eastern Michigan +270
- Total: 58.5
The presence of Malik Willis alone has a notable impact on the betting odds for the Eastern Michigan vs. Liberty matchup. Willis is by far the most important player in this game — and that’s not a knock on anyone else. It’s just recognition of Willis’ talent and his nearly cemented status as a potential early-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft.
Willis could ultimately be a first-rounder, and it’s easy to see why.
Willis is one of the most exciting passers in the 2022 class from a pure upside perspective. Liberty’s passer has a live arm and can generate easy velocity. But more than that, Willis also has elite short-range athleticism and elusive capacity. Few in the league can create like Willis can.
With all that being said, however, Willis has rarely played up to his potential first-round status this year. Against teams comparable to Eastern Michigan, he hasn’t always shown up. Against a 6-6 Middle Tennessee State team, Willis threw 3 interceptions and completed just 56.7% of his passes. A week later, Willis dished out 3 more picks in a loss to a 4-8 UL Monroe club.
In spite of his stock as an NFL Draft prospect, Willis has been startlingly volatile this year. Part of that is exacerbated by a scheme that does little to help Willis. But at the same time, Willis himself is a dynamic, yet imperfect talent. The spread is decently large because of Willis’ talents, but it would be larger without his inconsistency.
Eastern Michigan vs. Liberty prediction
All things considered, few bowl-eligible teams have been more volatile than both Liberty and Eastern Michigan.
Liberty’s highs and lows have been well-documented, thanks to the attention that Willis draws at QB. The Flames started the season 7-2 before losing their final three regular-season games to Ole Miss, Louisiana, and Army, respectively.
The Eagles, meanwhile, have been similarly up and down. Eastern Michigan never won more than two games in a row this year and never lost more than one game in a row. They were quite literally back and forth all the way from September to December, and their resulting record is 7-5. The entire MAC conference cannibalized itself throughout the year, and Eastern Michigan was not immune, proving unable to rise above MAC competition.
The two teams appear similar on the surface. They even had a common opponent in Massachusetts, and both beat the Minutemen by double-digits. Liberty won 62-17, while Eastern Michigan won 42-28. With how unpredictable each team has been from week to week, it makes definitively choosing an outcome for this game a greater struggle.
What ultimately decides the Eastern Michigan vs. Liberty showdown?
It seems simplistic, but you have to look back at Willis to find a potential game-changer in this one. The Liberty offense runs through Willis, who at the very least has the ability to be a dynamic dual-threat weapon.
Eastern Michigan’s offense is perhaps more well-rounded. Ben Bryant is a serviceable passer, while the three-headed RB tandem of Darius Boone Jr., Jawon Hamilton, and Samson Evans provides solid utility. But Eastern Michigan doesn’t have the surefire catalyst that Liberty has in Willis. As long as Willis doesn’t get worked out of his comfort zone by the Eagles’ defense, he can put up numbers and create a cushion for Liberty.
Most of the defenses that gave Willis trouble this year had some form of high-level talent. UL Monroe is the anomaly, but Ole Miss was quietly a talented defensive team this year, as was Syracuse. Louisiana has an underrated amount of NFL Draft prospects, and even Army has standout Andre Carter II.
Eastern Michigan’s defense, which allowed 27.8 points per game this year, doesn’t have a clear difference-maker. Willis likely won’t be perfect, but there’s a clear talent gap between himself and the Eagles’ defensive unit. As long as his supporting cast doesn’t crumble around him, Willis can end the year on a high note and lift Liberty to victory.
Eastern Michigan vs. Liberty Prediction: Eastern Michigan 30, Liberty 45