With Saturday around the corner, gamblers are getting their picks ready for the weekend.
For the most part, the lines have been set on the college football weekend. Barring any late injuries or surprising turn of events, lines shouldn’t move much. For most local teams, that means playing the role of the favorite.
Notre Dame -29 vs. UMass
The Fighting Irish are coming off of a rare home game where they were the underdog against Georgia Tech. After their dominant win, they likely won’t be a dog any time soon.
UMass shouldn’t be much of a test. They have started the season 0-2 with few signs of a quick improvement.
The large spread should scare off many bettors, as the Irish may use the game to help get young quarterback DeShone Kiser comfortable.
O/U: 59
Northwestern -20 vs. Ball State
Now firmly entrenched in the top 25, Northwestern has an interesting matchup against Ball State.
The Cardinals (2-1) are a strong MAC team that has hopes of shaking things up in their conference this year. No, they shouldn’t be good enough to beat Northwestern, but it may be competitive.
If Northwestern can avoid overlooking Ball State before the start of their Big Ten schedule, they have the talent to cover the spread.
O/U: 50 1/2
Illinois -6 vs. Middle Tennessee State
Illinois is coming off of their first loss of the year and clearly the line makers don’t have much faith in them coming back strong.
What makes Illini loss last week to North Carolina so much worse is how it happened. The Tar Heels won in blowout fashion and made the seemingly dominant defense look pedestrian.
Middle Tennessee State has looked good so far, starting 2-1 with their only loss coming at the hands of Alabama. In their other two games they put up at least 70 points both games.
Illini fans waiting for the season to turn may be prepared for the worst this weekend. Not only could the fail to cover, but lose outright.
O/U: 62
Lines and over/under courtesy of Bovada.lv and vegasinsider.com
