The Northern Illinois Huskies are not afraid to play anyone. Northern Illinois will play three power conference opponents and BYU in its non-conference slate this season, and a win or two would be huge for the program. The Huskies didn’t have much luck in their season opener against the Iowa Hawkeyes, failing to cover in a 33-7 loss even though they were a popular college football betting pick to pull off the upset. They are hoping their fortunes will change at home in a Week 2 clash with the Utah Utes.
Kickoff for this regular season Week 2 game is set for Saturday, September 8, 2018, at 7:30 p.m. ET at Huskie Stadium in DeKalb, Illinois.
College Football Odds at BookMaker.eu
Utah -10
Northern Illinois +10
Over/Under 47
Odds Analysis
There has been little movement with regards to the side in this one. Utah opened up as a 10-point favorite per the CFB betting odds on Sunday evening, and that has not changed over the course of the week. However, the total has seen some action on the NCAAF betting line. Originally, the over/under came out at 49.5, but it has since taken a dip down to 47.
Matchup to Watch
For Northern Illinois to pull off the upset, this offensive line must block better than they did against Iowa. The Huskies failed to average more than three yards per carry against the Hawkeyes defense last week, and they were only able to muster four runs of 10 yards or more. Three of those four runs came in the first quarter, and they were unable to have any real success on the ground, or through the air for that matter, until Iowa was up 33-0 and the game had been decided.
Iowa’s defense picked up five sacks and had eight tackles for loss, and that’s a bit concerning when the offensive line was considered to be the strength of the team. All five starters return from last year’s squad, and according to Phil Steele there are 111 total starts in this unit.
The Utes don’t have a very experienced defensive line, and there is not much depth up front either. Only one starter returns from last season, and the ends especially may be susceptible to outside runs. Northern Illinois has to establish the run to get a win here.
Player to Watch
A lot of Utah’s hopes rest on the shoulders of quarterback Tyler Huntley this season. Huntley is entering his second season as the Utes’ starting quarterback, and Kyle Whittingham is hoping that he can take a big step forward.
Huntley is a dual-threat quarterback that likes to take off, but Utah’s coaching staff may be trying to turn him into more of a pocket passer this season. He had just one yard rushing against Weber State last week, but he threw 40 passes. Huntley threw for 279 yards and four touchdowns with one pick in a very efficient outing against the Wildcats.
Northern Illinois has a very good secondary. Nathan Stanley had a lot of trouble throwing the ball on the Huskies last week, so Huntley needs to make good decisions. Getting some play action going early on would likely help him out significantly.
Free ATS Pick
Utah easily handled a rebuilding Weber State team last week, and this will be a far tougher test. There might be some lookahead potential too. Next week, Utah will host another team of Huskies, Pac-12 favorite Washington, and the Utes may already have that game in the back of their minds. Utah has a week off after that one too, adding to the lookahead effect.
While it won’t cost them the game, I think it will make this one closer than it would be otherwise. Look for the Utes to edge a victory out late.
College Football Odds: Utah 24, Northern Illinois 20
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