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Chris ‘Bear’ Fallica makes pick for Penn State vs. Illinois
By Paul Harvey
Published:
Chris ‘Bear’ Fallica is one of the lead betting analysts for FOX College Football. After a long tenure on ESPN’s College GameDay, Fallica joined FOX as a part of Big Noon Kickoff coverage this fall.
Saturday morning, the popular pre-game show was live from Boulder, Colorado, but Fallica spent time to breakdown Penn State’s road showdown vs. Illinois. The last time the two sides faced off was a 9-OT thriller in 2021.
While Fallica admitted Penn State is better and should win, he’s siding with Illinois to keep the game closer than the -14.5 spread. Part of Fallica’s reasoning is Penn State hitting the road for the first time this season in the Week 3 showdown.
“I think any time you go on the road in your first road game of the year, you’re out of your comfort zone of home, I think you are going to have some trouble. Nothing we’ve seen out of Illinois so far this year has suggested they’re going to be competitive in this game… but now, it’s kind of circle the wagons,” said Fallica. “You have a productive QB In Luke ALtmyer, they’ve still got some pieces on defense. I don’t think this is a gimme game for Penn State. I think the Nittany Lions are better and will win but I expect Bret Bielema to have that team ready.”
Can the Illini bounce back after a disappointing performance against Kansas last weekend? Coverage for the B1G matchup is on FOX.
Paul is a lifelong fan and student of all things college football. He has been covering college football since 2017 and the B1G since 2018.