2019 Senior Bowl odds, line: North vs. South picks, best college football predictions from expert who's 73-59
Mike Tierney has his finger on the pulse of college football
by CBS Sports Staff
The South aims for its fourth straight win over the North in the 2019 Senior Bowl on Saturday. It's a 2:30 p.m. ET kickoff from Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile, Ala. The South has held the North to 16 or fewer points in three straight years, including last year's 45-16 romp. But with Missouri quarterback Drew Lock throwing pinpoint, deep passes in practice this week, the North is expected to put up more points this time around. The Mobile weather forecast calls for clear skies and light winds, allowing players to showcase their skill sets without interference from Mother Nature. Bookmakers list the North as a 2.5-point favorite in the latest 2019 Senior Bowl odds, with the over-under for total points set at 40.5. Before you make any 2019 Senior Bowl picks and college football predictions, you need to hear what SportsLine's Mike "Top Dog" Tierney has to say.
A national sportswriter whose work appears in the New York Times and Los Angeles Times, Tierney is a well-known college football expert who writes the team previews millions of fans read before each season. He went 73-59 on his college football picks last season, and anyone who has followed him is way, way up.
Tierney knows that Lock, the SEC's single-season touchdown pass leader, is a 6-4 gunslinger who can make every throw. Plus, he excels when he rolls out of the pocket. Some mock drafts have him going as high as No. 6 overall to the New York Giants as the heir apparent to Eli Manning. In practice this week, he found Ohio State wideout Terry McLaurin with a perfect bomb that left coaches in awe. Lock and McLaurin could hook up on a few big plays Saturday for the North.
The North features another first-round quarterback in Duke's Daniel Jones, who's thriving in practice under the tutelage of Raiders coach Jon Gruden. Jones is a three-year starter who completed 61 percent of his throws last season. In the 2018 Independence Bowl, Jones had a season-high five touchdowns and 423 yards in Duke's 56-27 win.
But just because the North is stacked on offense doesn't mean it will cover the 2019 Senior Bowl spread.
The South has dominated lately, holding the North to 16 or fewer points while winning the past three Senior Bowls. West Virginia QB Will Grier (3,864 passing yards, 37 TDs) leads a potent South attack featuring running back Darrin Hall (Pittsburgh) and Grier's teammate, wideout David Sills V. who exploded for 65 catches, 986 yards and 15 touchdowns. Defensive end Jonathan Ledbetter (Georgia) and safety Jaquan Johnson (Miami) will make their presence felt as they look to shoot up NFL Draft boards.
We can tell you Tierney is leaning Over, but his much stronger play is on the spread. Tierney says there's one eye-popping betting trend that's impossible to ignore. He's only sharing what it is, and who to back, at SportsLine.
Who wins the 2019 Senior Bowl? And what eye-popping trend makes one side of the spread a must-back? Visit SportsLine now to see which side you should be all over Saturday, all from the renowned expert who keeps crushing his college football picks.
