UNC vs. Illinois Pick
Will Illinois and North Carolina find themselves in a defensive battle when they meet up tonight at 7:30PM ET?
According to oddsmakers at Bovada.lv, North Carolina is favored on the road, as the Tar Heels are getting odds of -7.5 points against Illinois. The over/under total for the game is listed at 58.5 points. These two met last season with UNC picking up a 48-14 win, which was under the 64-point total.
Bet on North Carolina vs. Illinois
North Carolina opened the season with a 24-23 loss to Georgia in the Georgia Dome. The Heels have now lost three straight games as a program, but those losses came against Georgia, Baylor and Clemson. In their last seven games, they have combined with their opponent to put up at least 57 points, hitting the over in five of those seven games. UNC gave up 474 yards to Georgia last week while being held to only 315 total yards. The real issue was QB Mitch Trubisky, who was only 24 of 40 passing for 156 yards.
Illinois beat up Murray State 52-3 in the debut of new coach Lovie Smith last week. The Illini had 515 total yards in the win while Murray State was held to just 165. Illinois really shined on the ground where they ran for 287 yards, led by Kenrdick Foster, who had an impressive 118 yards and two touchdowns on just four carries. Wes Lunt was efficient as well, going 15 of 21 passing for 226 yards and three touchdowns.
NCAA FB QUICK LINKS: Scores & Matchups | Injuries | Odds Comparison | Betting Trends | ATS Stats | Standings
The total isn’t very high for a North Carolina game. That means that the oddsmakers think the Heels may continue to struggle on offense, or they think Illinois’ performance last week meant nothing. It looks like the Illini should be able to run the ball against UNC, and I would suspect that the Heels will have better play making on offense against this Illinois defense. Don’t be afraid to go with the over here. UNC knows how to play in high-scoring games.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL WEEK 2 PICK: NORTH CAROLINA/ILLINOIS OVER 58.5