Week 13 is rivalry week. It’s also a week filled with schools looking for their sixth win for bowl eligibility, and of course, we have contests that will shape the FBS playoffs, and conference championship pairings will be decided this weekend.
Join me as I share my best Week 13 NCAA bets for Illinois bettors to bet on.
Pittsburgh Panthers vs. Duke Blue Devils 12:00 p.m. ET
Pitt has one of the worst offenses in the nation and is 0-4-0 ATS as the away team. They aren’t much better defensively, and Duke is a bad matchup for the Panthers. The Blue Devils’ defense is stout and has allowed just 59 points over their past five home games.
Duke will find the endzone against the Panthers’ defense, shut the door on the Pitt offense, and win this one by a touchdown or more.
Best Bet: Duke -6 (-110) at Caesars Illinois
San Jose State vs. UNLV Rebels 3:00 p.m. ET
UNLV has a slim, one-game lead in the Mountain West standings over three teams, including San Jose State. The Rebels are 5-0 at home, 10-1 ATS, and they play a San Jose State group with a 4-0-1 ATS record as the away team but 2-2-0 overall in the visitors’ jerseys.
This will be a tight one, but the Rebels have been a solid cover team all season is undefeated at home and I expect them to win this game and cover the -2.5 (-110).
Best Bet: UNLV -2.5 (-110)
Kansas Jayhawks vs. Cincinnati Bearcats
The Cincinnati Bearcats’ inaugural season in the Big 12 has been rough. The Bearcats are 1-5 this season at home, 1-7 in the Big 12 and 2-4-0 ATS at Nippert Stadium this season. Kansas gets a huge lift with quarterback Jason Bean returning from a concussion.
Cincinnati has struggled against the rush all season long and faces a challenge facing Jayhawks RB Devin Neal. Kansas is 1-3-0 ATS as the away side, but Cincinnati has a -9.3 margin of victory, and I believe the Jayhawks win this one in a rout.
Best Bet: Kansas -7 (-105) at FanDuel Illinois
North Carolina vs North Carolina State 8:00 p.m. ET
Both sides have reached bowl eligibility without a shot of winning the ACC. That’s okay because this rivalry is huge, and these two groups will get after it.
It’s the Tar Heels offense vs. the Wolfpack defense, and I believe NC State can keep North Carolina QB Drake Maye from running up a big number. The Wolfpack has won their past two meetings, and their offense will do just enough to outscore a leaky Tar Heels defense.
Best Bet: NC State +120 at FanDuel
