College Football ATS Picks - Boston College at Northern Illinois Game Preview

There are a lot of games with big point spreads in the first week of college football action, as many powerhouses load up with easy out-of-conference foes to start. That’s not the case for the matchup between the Boston College Eagles and the Northern Illinois Huskies.

Boston College will hit the road for a challenging matchup to start, and it is expected to be a defensive battle. One or two plays could be the difference in this contest. While blowouts will be a common sight on the scoreboard, this one should be a drag-out affair that could go down to the wire. The spread is close enough that this one could go either way.

Kickoff for this regular season Week 1 game is set for Friday, September 1, 2017 at 9:30 p.m. ET at Huskie Stadium.

NCAA Football Opening Odds at BookMaker.eu

Boston College -3
Northern Illinois +3
Over/Under 48

Odds Analysis

Boston College is a slight road favorite, which is sometimes a dangerous spot to be in. However, the bettors are believing in the Eagles, as they are currently getting more than 85 percent of the action on the spread. The scoring total is low because both defenses are solid and 53 percent of the early money is taking the “under.”

Boston College is a slight favorite on the moneyline at -155. The Eagles are getting 80 percent of the money there, while a small percentage is choosing Northern Illinois at +135. Clearly those wagering on this game have their preferences, and the Huskies are hoping to prove the majority wrong by coming away victorious.

A Faster Pace

Boston College had all sorts of trouble on offense last season, but may have given a hint of what’s to come in its bowl game by throwing more and speeding up the tempo. If the Eagles have a similar strategy this year, it could score more and allow more points, which will be notable when it comes to the scoring total.

The Eagles have some work to do to get in the end zone regularly in 2017. They averaged only 293 yards per game and 20 points per contest and need to find more consistency. The running attack seems like it will be the key. Jon Hillman is the lead back and the offensive line returns four starters, so there is some room for progress there.

Key Stat

4. That’s how many games Northern Illinois had last year that were decided by seven points or fewer, and they lost them all. The season started with a close loss as the Huskies fell to Wyoming 40-34. That was followed by a 28-23 loss to Western Illinois on September 24.

By the time the Huskies fell 34-28 to Western Michigan, they were a disappointing 1-6 on the season. Northern Illinois rallied down the stretch and finished with four wins in its final five games, but the last loss was also in a close game as Toledo beat the Huskies 41-34.

If this one is close as expected, Northern Illinois hopes to turn around its luck in 2017.

Free ATS Pick

Boston College had the better record a season ago and should have a solid defense. The Huskies lost a lot of key players from an offense that wasn’t great to begin with, so it could be in trouble in this one. The Eagles don’t have to score a ton of points to win this game.

The home field advantage is a big plus for Northern Illinois, and its crowd will be into it. However, the Eagles are the more talented team and should be able to overcome the environment. Take Boston College to cover the spread in a low-scoring game in which the “under” will be the correct call on the scoring total.

College Football Odds: Boston College 24, Northern Illinois 20

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