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The Minnesota Golden Gophers will travel to take on the Illinois Fighting Illini in a Big Ten college football matchup on Saturday afternoon in Champaign. With that said, it’s a good time to check out our college football odds series, which includes a Minnesota-Illinois prediction and pick, laid out below.
Minnesota has surged to a 4-1 record this season, winning their first four before a 20-10 loss against Purdue two weekends ago. The team has gone 1-1 in conference play this season, possibly the best chance for head coach PJ Fleck to play for a conference championship.
Illinois has opened their season 5-1, winning four games in a row after a 23-20 loss to Indiana in week two. Head coach Bret Bielema has turned around this once dormant program into a legit conference contender. The defense is the story for the Fighting Illini, more on that later.
Here are the Minnesota- Illinois college football odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
College Football Odds: Minnesota-Illinois Odds
Minnesota Golden Gophers: -6.5 (-110)
Illinois Fighting Illini: +6.5 (-110)
Over: 39.5 (-105)
Under: 39.5 (-115)
Why Minnesota Could Cover The Spread
Tanner Morgan has been the starting quarterback for Minnesota since the end of the 2018 season. Morgan has gotten better as time has gone on, and has already set the career mark for wins at Minnesota. Morgan has completed 71 percent of his passes this season for 1,143 yards, seven touchdowns, and four interceptions this season. Morgan has also punched in three rushing touchdowns.
Mohamed Ibrahim is one of the most talented running backs in the nation, leading the team with 567 rushing yards and eight touchdowns. Trey Potts ranks second with 304 yards and three touchdowns. Bryce Williams has added two touchdowns on the ground. As a team, Minnesota has totaled 1,225 rushing yards and eighteen touchdowns. Michael Brown-Stephens leads the team with fifteen catches for 223 yards. Brevyn Spann-Ford is second with 220 yards and a touchdown. Daniel Jackson leads the team with two receiving touchdowns. Minnesota is averaging an impressive 38.6 points per game.
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Minnesota's defense has been dominant this season, allowing just 8.8 points and 222 yards of offense per game. Mariano Sori-Marin leads the team with 32 tackles and is tied for the lead with three tackles for loss. Minnesota has sacked their opponents nine times this season, paced by three from Danny Striggow. Jordan Howden leads the team with two interceptions, accounting for a third of the team's six picks.
Why Illinois Could Cover The Spread
Tommy DeVito, a Syracuse transfer, has lived up to the billing of his four-star prospect rating but may miss this game with an ankle injury. DeVito has completed 69 percent of his passes for 1,163 yards, nine touchdowns, and two interceptions this season. DeVito also ranks second on the team with three rushing touchdowns. Should DeVito miss this game, the nod will likely go to Artur Sitkowski, who was a former blue-chip Rutgers recruit. Sitkowski threw for six touchdowns in limited action last season.
Chase Brown leads the team with an impressive 879 rushing yards and four touchdowns. Reggie Love III is second with 152 rushing yards, adding a touchdown run. Pat Bryant leads the team with 313 receiving yards, scoring two touchdowns on eighteen catches. Isaiah Williams leads the team with 38 catches, totaling 284 yards and two touchdowns. Williams is also injured, and his status is unclear for this one. Illinois has averaged 26 points per game this season.
Illinois' defense is one of the most feared groups in the nation, surrendering just eight points per game. Illinois leads the nation in points per game and yards per play. Jer'Zhan Newton leads the team with 33 tackles, seven of which have gone for loss, along with three sacks. Illinois has sacked their opponents 21 times, led by four from Keith Randolph, Jr., who also leads the team with eight tackles for loss. Kendall Smith leads the team with three interceptions, while Matthew Bailey has returned one of his two interceptions for a touchdown. Illinois has picked off their opponents nine times this season.
Final Minnesota-Illinois Prediction & Pick
These are two great defenses, so do not expect a ton of offense.
Final Minnesota-Illinois Prediction & Pick: Illinois +6.5 (-110), under 39.5 (-115)
