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Ohio St vs. Illinois CFB Week 12 Preview

College Football Betting Preview and football handicapping plus free picks for the NCAAF Week 12 Wagering matchup between the Ohio State Buckeyes vs. Illinois Fighting Illini…

NCAAF Week 12 Betting – Ohio State Buckeyes vs. Illinois Fighting Illini

It’s another week of fantastic college football betting, and BetUS Sportsbook has all of the sports betting action you can handle. On Saturday afternoon, the Ohio State Buckeyes (8-2, 3-6 ATS) put their BCS hopes on the line in Champaign against the Illinois Fighting Illini (5-5, 4-5 ATS), who will be hoping to gain bowl eligibility. Revenge is the theme for the Buckeyes this year, as they will be looking to get some payback for last season’s 28-21 loss at the Horseshoe that knocked them from the ranks of the unbeaten teams in America.

After losing 13-6 to Penn State back on October 25th, the Buckeyes needed a statement win to keep in the race for one of the at-large bids in the BCS. They got just that on Saturday in Evanston, crushing Northwestern 45-10. It was an easy cover for Ohio State bettors who laid the 12-points on the closing NCAA football betting line.

Freshman superstar QB Terrelle Pryor had the best game of his young career, completing 9-of-14 passes for 197 yards and three touchdowns to go with his 33 rushing yards. RB Chris ‘Beanie’ Wells rushed the ball 28 times for 140 yards and two scores. The offense ranks 89th in the nation, only managing 330.6 yards per game, but the defense has picked up the slack and kept the Buckeyes on the national scene. The unit ranks in the Top-10 in total yards (269.8), passing yards allowed (164.4), and points allowed (13.0).

Illinois had its chance to gain bowl eligibility against Western Michigan at Ford Field last weekend, but wasted that opportunity by losing to its MAC opponents by a 23-17 final count. QB Juice Williams tried his best to erase the 23-10 4th quarter deficit, but his 396 yards of offense wasn’t quite enough to complete the comeback. Williams led the team in both passing (328 yards) and rushing (68 yards). The rest of the offense only combined for 47 yards.

It was a disaster for Illini bettors, who have alternated wins and losses both straight up and against the spread in every game since October 4th. Though the offense has been one of the best in the Big 10 this season, the defense has left a ton to be desired. The unit ranks just 72nd in the nation in points per game allowed (26.2), and it’s doomed the Illini this year after playing in the Rose Bowl just a short year ago.

For the fifth time this season, the oddsmakers installed the Buckeyes as double-digit favorites. However, Ohio State currently sits as a 9.5-point road favorite with a game ‘total’ of 47.5.

The Buckeyes have been a fantastic team for football bettors away from Columbus of late, going 14-4 ATS in their L/18 road games. However, Illinois is 7-2 ATS in its L/9 Big 10 games. The road team has won seven of the L/8 games in this series, but the Illini have dominated the betting outcomes, covering six of the L/7.

By Cappers Picks

Articles on CappersPicks.com are written by Q (the Head Honcho) at Cappers Picks or by our resident "in house" handicapper Razor Ray Monohan! Enjoy the free picks folks! "Pad that bankroll one day at a time!"