College Football Odds: Boston College Favored By 17 Points Vs. UMass

The Boston College Eagles will look for their first straight-up win in almost a year when they face the UMass Minutemen on Saturday as 17-point road favorites at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.

Boston College kicked off the 2016 campaign on a losing note last week, dropping a 17-14 decision to Georgia Tech, but covered as 3 1/2-point underdogs. That improved BC to 4-3 against the spread in its past seven games ahead of Saturday afternoon’s Eagles vs. Minutemen betting matchup at Gillette Stadium.

The Eagles once again showed why they led the nation in team defense last year, holding the Yellow Jackets to just 238 total yards and allowing them to penetrate Boston College territory just once in the first 35 minutes of the contest.

Boston College continued to be limited by an ineffective offense, however, twice turning over the ball in the first half, and missing a pair of field goals that proved to be the difference.

The Eagles have failed to score more than 17 points in 11 straight contests, with their last offensive outburst coming in a 76-0 blowout of FCS Howard back in Week 2 of last year.

Boston College has mustered just 10.9 points per game since, consistently rewarding bettors playing the UNDER in totals betting, which has paid out in 10 of its past 11 games.

However, the Eagles will have ample opportunity to take out their frustrations against UMass. The Minutemen posted just three SU victories overall in their final season in the Mid-American Conference last season.

UMass has enjoyed success against the spread of late, going 3-1 ATS in its past four, including covering as huge 34 1/2-point underdogs in a 24-7 loss to Florida last week.

But the Minutemen are winless SU and ATS in their past four home dates, including three outright losses as betting chalk, and have lost four straight to the Eagles, most recently dropping a 30-7 decision as 17-point home underdogs two years ago.

Elsewhere around the ACC this weekend, the Louisville Cardinals kick off their conference schedule Friday when they visit the Syracuse Orange as heavy 14 1/2-point chalk. As well, the Duke Blue Devils host the Wake Forest Demon Deacons as five-point favorites.

The Clemson Tigers are set as massive 36 1/2-point betting favorites against the Troy Trojans for their Week 2 matchup this weekend, while the Pittsburgh Panthers renew their century-old rivalry against the Penn State Nittany Lions as 5 1/2-point home favorites at the sportsbooks.

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