Northern Illinois prediction, odds, pick, how to watch College Football

Two teams hoping to get back to .500 on the year face off, as Tulsa visits Northern Illinois. It is time to continue our College Football odds series with a Tulsa-Northern Illinois prediction, pick, and how-to-watch.

Tulsa enters the game at 1-2 on the year. They opened the season with an easy victory, putting up 42 points against Arkansas-Pine Bluff to take a 42-7 win. Then, they stepped up in competition. Michael Penix Jr. threw three touchdown passes in a 43-10 Washington victory over Tulsa. Then Dillion Gabriel threw five touchdowns in a 66-17 win for Oklahoma.

Meanwhile, Northern Illinois is also 1-2 on the year. They opened with an overtime win over Boston College. After giving up a 14-point lead in the fourth quarter, the Huskies were able to score the touchdown in overtime to take the win. Then, they were the victim of an upset. Southern Illinois took them down 14-11 the next week. After that, they faced Heinrich Haarberg making his first start for Nebraska, and Northern Illinois saw their offense struggle again. It was a 35-11 loss to the Cornhuskers.

Here are the college football odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

College Football Odds: Tulsa-Northern Illinois Odds

Tulsa: +3.5 (-105)

Northern Illinois: -3.5 (-115)

Over: 54.5 (-108)

Under: 54.5 (-112)

How to Watch Tulsa vs. Northern Illinois

TV: CBSSN

Stream: CBS App

Time: 12:00 PM ET/ 9:00 AM PT

*Watch college football LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*

Why Tulsa Will Cover The Spread

For Tulsa to cover, they are going to need solid play from the quarterback. Cardell Williams may get the start in this game. He came off the bench in the game against Arkansas-Pine Bluff and then started against Washington. It was back to the bench for Oklahoma, but when he got in, he did provide a spark. In the game with Oklahoma, he went 11-8 for 196 yards and two touchdowns. He did have two interceptions and another turnover-worthy pass though.

If it is not him, it will be Roman Fuller. Fuller struggled last time out, going 6-10 for 21 yards and three interceptions. Although he was the one to come off the bench and provide a spark against Washington. In that game, he was 12-18 for 85 yards and a score.

Tulsa will also need to control the ground game to come away with a win. That is the job of Anthony Watkins and Bill Jackson. Watkins has run for 152 yards this year on 35 attempts. He has been great after his first contact this year. Watkins has caused seven missed tackles this year and has 98 yards after first contact. Still, he has yet to find the endzone. Jackson has 149 yards on 27 carries this year. He also has been great after first contact, racking in 109 yards after first being hit.

Tulsa would also like to see the run defense they had last week against Oklahoma. Kendarin Ray was great in the game, coming from his safety spot. He has seven tackles and assisted on another while making seven stops for offensive failures in the game. Even playing safety, he got to the line quickly. He averaged making the tackle just 1.2 yards beyond the line of scrimmage. Overall, Tulsa had 14 stops for offensive failure on 22 run attempts from Oklahoma.

Why Northern Illinois Will Cover The Spread

For Northern Illinois to cover, Rocky Lombardi has to start playing better. On the year he is just 47-94 passing for 535 yards and a touchdown. The issue for him has been accuracy. He has already thrown four interceptions while having another seven turnover-worthy passes. He has also had to deal with plenty of drops. Northern Illinois receivers have dropped eight on-target passes this year. Further, Lombardi has to do better with pressure. He has been pressured 31 times this year, but that has resulted in nine sacks of Lombardi on the season.

At receiver, Lombardi needs some help. Davis Patterson this year has brought in just five of 11 targets for 55 yards and four drops. Meanwhile, Jalen Johnson has pulled in just four of ten targets this year for 29 yards.

Another major help would be a solid ground game. That is going to start with Antonio Brown. He has 130 yards this year on the ground on 46 carries. He has a touchdown and a fumble as well. The biggest issue for Brown this year has been blocking. He is averaging finding first contact under a yard beyond the line of scrimmage. While he has 95 yards after contact, with better blocking, he could be going for more total yards.

On defense, there was a mixed bag last game for Northern Illinois. First, they were solid in tackling. They have just six missed tackles all game against Nebraska. Still, they need to get pressure on the quarterback. Last game they came away with just eight quarterback pressures, but did have two sacks. They also need to be better in pass coverage. Last time out, they allowed nearly 65 percent of passes on target defenders to be caught. Further, they also allowed two passing touchdowns. The biggest issue was yards after the catch. They allowed 88 yards after the catch last time out. They also had just six stops for offensive failures in the passing game.

Final Tulsa-Northern Illinois Prediction & Pick

The Northern Illinois offense has been struggling as of late. They have put up just 22 points, and while one of the games was against Nebraska, the other was against an FCS school. Meanwhile, Rocky Lombardi has been far too careless with the ball and turning it over way too much. Tulsa will not have to worry much about the running game for Northern Illinois, and they can focus on creating turnovers. Tulsa has been beaten down the last two weeks, but that was against to top 20 teams. They have still played well for the most part even when being heavily outmatched. The biggest concern for them is at quarterback. Still, they have the running game to control the game. The prediction for this game is that Tulsa will control both lines of scrimmage. They will stop the Northern Illinois attack while putting up points of their own. Taking Tulsa on the money line could also be a good play, but they should cover in this game.

Final Tulsa-Northern Illinois Prediction & Pick: Tulsa +3.5 (-105)