Boston College vs. Northern Illinois odds, time: 2023 college football picks, Week 1 model predictions
The Boston College Eagles will open their 2023 season against the Northern Illinois Huskies on Saturday afternoon. Boston College went 3-9 last season, but returns most of its production under fourth-year coach Jeff Hafley. NIU lost four of its final five games last year en route to a 3-9 record of its own. These teams have not met since the Eagles notched a 23-20 road win in 2017.
Kickoff is set for noon ET on Saturday at Alumni Stadium. The Eagles are favored by 8.5 points in the latest Boston College vs. Northern Illinois odds, while the over/under is set at 50.5 points, per SportsLine consensus. Before entering any Boston College vs. Northern Illinois picks, you'll want to see the college football predictions from the model at SportsLine.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every FBS college football game 10,000 times. Since its inception, the proprietary computer model has generated a stunning profit of almost $2,500 for $100 players on its top-rated college football picks against the spread. Anyone who has followed it has seen huge returns.
The model has set its sights on Northern Illinois-Boston College. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Here are several college football betting lines for the game:
- Boston College vs. Northern Illinois spread: Boston College -8.5
- Boston College vs. Northern Illinois over/under: 50.5 points
- Boston College vs. Northern Illinois money line: Boston College: -341, Northern Illinois: +265
- Boston College vs. Northern Illinois picks: See picks here
Why Boston College can cover
Boston College returns 74% of its production from last season as Hafley enters his fourth year at the school. The Eagles return starting quarterback Emmett Morehead, who was one of three freshmen in college football to have multiple games of at least 325 passing yards and three touchdowns last year. He took over the starting job in November, throwing for 1,254 yards and 10 touchdowns.
UCF transfer Ryan O'Keefe, who was a two-time All-American Athletic Conference selection. The Eagles also had a chance to heal along the offensive line after graduate student Jack Conley was the only player to start all 12 games last year. Boston College has won four of its last five season openers, while Northern Illinois has only covered the spread once in its last five games.
Why Northern Illinois can cover
Northern Illinois is happy for a fresh start as well, returning eight starters on offense from last year's team. Quarterback Rocky Lombardi was injured in the third game last season, while 2021 All-MAC receiver Trayvon Rudolph suffered an injury in preseason camp. They will be playing behind an offensive line that allowed just 12 sacks in 12 games last year.
Lombardi has been playing collegiately since 2018, beginning his career at Michigan State before transferring to Northern Illinois prior to the 2021 season. Boston College lost top wide receiver Zay Flowers to the NFL, so the Eagles will need some time to fill that void. Northern Illinois has been an excellent team to back on the road, as it has covered the spread in five of its last seven road games. See which team to pick here.
How to make Boston College vs. Northern Illinois picks
The model has simulated Northern Illinois vs. Boston College 10,000 times and the results are in. The model is leaning Over, and it's also generated a point-spread pick that is hitting in almost 60% of simulations. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.
