College Football Week 2 Odds, Picks & Prediction: Northern Illinois vs. Tulsa (2022)
Let’s take a look at the College Football Week 2 odds, picks, and predictions for this week’s game: Northern Illinois vs. Tulsa.
And check out our other game previews for Week 2:
- Alabama vs. Texas
- USC vs. Stanford
- Baylor vs. BYU
- Kentucky vs. Florida
- Mississippi State vs. Arizona
- Ohio vs. Penn State
- Duke vs. Northwestern
- Maryland vs. Charlotte
- Hawaii vs. Michigan
- Virginia vs. Illinois
- Oregon State vs. Fresno State
- UAB vs. Liberty
- Tennessee vs. Pittsburgh
- Ohio State vs. Arkansas State
- Texas Tech vs. Houston
- TCU vs. Tarleton State
- Arizona State vs. Oklahoma State
- UNC vs. Georgia State
- Colorado vs. Air Force
- Houston vs. Texas Tech
- Ohio vs. Penn State
- South Carolina vs. Arkansas
- Notre Dame vs. Marshall
- Miami vs. Southern Miss
Check out Thor Nystrom’s Week 2 College Football Power Rankings >>
College Football Week 2 Odds, Picks & Prediction: Northern Illinois vs. Tulsa
It's a bit surprising to see Tulsa get this much respect. Last week, Tulsa opened the season against Wyoming, a team that had just been beaten silly by Illinois (which proceeded to lose to Indiana). Wyoming upset Tulsa 40-37 in 2OT.
Tulsa had all sorts of success attacking Wyoming's secondary (460 passing yards), but struggled to run the ball, and struggled to prevent Wyoming's feeble offense from converting. Tulsa's defense has been strong in recent years, but it's going to have more problems stopping the run this year than in recent memory after losing three front-six starters in the 3-3-5 scheme.
Northern Illinois, the defending MAC champions, went 9-4 last season with an inexperienced roster. This year, 18 starters returned, catapulting NIU from Phil Steele's No. 126 most-experienced roster in 2021 to No. 12 this year.
The market may be slightly underselling NIU after its opening-week 34-27 win over FCS Eastern Illinois. But the final score made that game appear closer than it really was. NIU led 31-13 with 10 minutes left and began to get reserves on the field. EIU scored two TD over the last 10 minutes, including one with two minutes left to pull within seven.
NIU's RB combination of Harrison Waylee and Antario Brown should keep the chains moving against Tulsa's new-look front. I like the Huskies to spring the upset.
What is Betting Against the Spread?
Betting "against the spread" refers to the act of choosing the winning team based on a numeric handicap placed on the team that oddsmakers believe is superior, rather than picking the outright winner. For example, if the Rams face the Bengals, and oddsmakers set the spread at Rams -3.5, you would need Los Angeles to win by 4 or more points in order to cash your Rams bet.
What is an Over/Under Bet?
Over/Under is a wager based on how many points you think will be scored in a specific game. Oddsmakers set the total, and bettors decide whether the final score will be higher or lower than that number. If an Over/Under is set at 44.5 points and you bet Over, you will need the combined score of both teams to be 45 points or higher to win your bet.
What is a Moneyline Bet?
A moneyline bet involves choosing which team you believe will win a specific matchup. The moneyline favorite carries a minus designation, like -130. This means that you need to wager $130 to earn a $100 profit. Conversely, the underdog carries a plus designation, like +110. This means that you win $110 in profit on a $100 bet.
Prop Bet Analyzer: View top rated props and historical prop performance by player >>
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | RadioPublic | Breaker | Castbox | Pocket Casts
Whether you’re new to sports betting or a betting pro, our How To Bet and Sports Betting Strategy and Advice pages are for you. You can get started with our Sports Betting 101 Section - including 10 Sports Betting Tips for Beginners - or head to more advanced sports betting strategies - like Key Numbers When Betting Against the Spread - to learn more.