Harvard vs. Holy Cross odds, line, start time: Picks, predictions from expert on 10-3 run

Mike Tierney is dialed into the pulse of college football and FCS games

Week 7 of the college football season includes multiple games on Friday night. At the FCS level, a battle between the Ivy League and Patriot League will be on display when Holy Cross (1-5) visits Harvard (2-2) at 7 p.m. ET. As both teams look to get their seasons turned around, sportsbooks have set the Crimson as 13.5-point favorites in the latest Harvard vs. Holy Cross odds. The Over-Under for total points, meanwhile, is 43.5.

In this matchup of teams you might not have seen play this season, it's important to hear what veteran sportswriter and handicapper Mike Tierney has to say before locking in your own Harvard vs. Holy Cross picks. 

Tierney is having another strong college football season for SportsLine members and enters Week 7 on a blistering 10-3 run on all his college football picks. Now, Tierney has turned his attention to Harvard vs. Holy Cross and has analyzed all the key factors that will influence the outcome. He has released a confident point-spread selection, which is available only at SportsLine. 

Tierney has taken into account Harvard's recent struggles that have led to consecutive losses to Rhode Island and Cornell after opening the year 2-0. 

A Week 6 loss at Cornell will be weighing heavily on Harvard's minds after the Crimson blew a late lead and allowed Cornell to rally with two touchdowns in the final seven minutes.That late meltdown wasted a 191-yard performance on the ground from running back Aaron Shampklin. 

Those recent performances put Harvard's ability to cover a 13.5-point spread in question, but a struggling Holy Cross squad could be the remedy the Crimson have been looking for. 

A Week 3 overtime victory over Yale looked like it could be a turning point, but Holy Cross has failed to build on that momentum. The Crusaders dropped the next two games to Dartmouth and Bucknell and then had a complete no-show on offense in a 28-0 road loss to New Hampshire in Week 6. 

Holy Cross has scored more than 20 points just once on the season and ranks outside the top 100 in scoring offense at the FCS level. 

We can tell you Tierney is leaning to the Over, but he has also unearthed a critical stat that makes one side of the spread a must-back. He's only sharing at SportsLine. 

Who covers Harvard-Holy Cross? And what critical stat makes one side of the spread a must-back? Visit SportsLine now to see which side you need to jump on Friday, all from an accomplished handicapper on a 10-3 run on his college football picks.