Toledo vs. Sacramento State prediction: Odds, picks, best bets for MACtion
Sacramento State got its maiden MAC win last week over Kent State, but the Hornets will be truly christened as a member of the conference Wednesday night when they partake in Midweek MACtion for the first time in school history.And bookmakers are expecting it to be a baptism by fire.The Hornets (2-7, 1-5 MAC) are an obscene 25.5-point home underdog against Toledo (6-2, 3-1) on ESPN.Toledo isn’t regarded as a powerhouse in the Group of 6 like Boise State, New Mexico, or Liberty, but its not that far off.The Rockets are 62nd in the latest SP+ power rankings, putting them in the same tier as Virginia, Arizona State and Auburn.And this was meant to be a rebuilding year for Toledo.Jason Candle, the winningest coach in program history, bolted for UConn at the end of the 2025 campaign, forcing the most stable program in the MAC to stare down some chaos.Enter Mike Jacobs.Rather than get cheeky with a hire, Toledo opted to simply bring in a winner.Jacobs went 42-8 as head coach of Notre Dame College (D-II), 32-9 at Lenoir-Rhyne (D-II) and 20-6 in two seasons at Mercer (FCS).
He has never suffered a losing season in 10 years as a college head coach.That streak is almost certain to continue thanks to a well-balanced team that ranks 14th in yards per play (6.5) and 24th in the same category on defense (4.8).Quarterback John Alan Richter has fit like a glove with Jacobs, completing 66.8 percent of his passes for 2,244 yards and 17 touchdowns against just two interceptions.Richter will be taking on a defense that ranks 120th in yards per play allowed.And if that wasn’t enough, there are some other forces at play here, too.Toledo may be traveling 2,300 miles, but the Rockets had a bye last week while Sacramento State hosted Kent State on Friday.
That’s not a lot of time to prepare for the best team in the conference.It may seem crazy to lay 25.5 points for MACtion, but this doesn’t seem like a fair fight.The Play: Toledo -25.5 points (-110, DraftKings)Michael Leboff is a...