Subscribe
Follow Us
The Michigan football team has another big road game this week as they will be taking on #22 Illinois. The Fighting Illini are having a great year so far as they have just one loss, and they are trying to make a push for the College Football Playoff. The Wolverines suffered their second loss of the season in their last game on the road against Washington. This is a must-win game for Michigan if they want to keep their playoff hopes alive. It is time to continue our college football odds series with a Michigan-Illinois prediction and pick.
So far, this has been a disappointing season for Michigan. The Wolverines are coming off of a national championship, and they already have two losses just six games into the season. Their first loss against Texas wasn't that bad as the Longhorns are the #1 team in the country, but the Washington loss stings. Michigan now has to win out if they want to make the playoff, and they still have to play four ranked teams. Two of those teams are ranked inside the top five. The back half of the season could get ugly.
Illinois has surprised a lot of people with the product that they have displayed on the field this year. The Fighting Illini typically aren't the best when it comes to football, but they are 5-1 and ranked #22 in the country right now. If they can get past Michigan, Illinois has a good chance of finishing the regular season with 10 wins. They still have to play Oregon, but other than that, the rest of the schedule shapes up nicely after this week. This is a huge game in terms of their playoff hopes.
Here are the Michigan-Illinois College Football odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
College Football Odds: Michigan-Illinois Odds
Michigan: -3.5 (-102)
Moneyline: -150
Illinois: +3.5 (-120)
Moneyline: +125
Over: 43.5 (-110)
Under: 43.5 (-110)
How to Watch Michigan vs. Illinois
Time: 3:30 ET/12:30 PT
TV: CBS
Stream: fuboTV (Free Trial)
Why Michigan Could Cover The Spread/Win
Michigan can cover this spread and win the football because of their recent quarterback change. If the Wolverines had started Jack Tuttle against Washington, they would've won the game. Tuttle came in after the team was already down 14-0. Michigan outscored the Huskies 17-13 after he came in, but they lost the game. Still, Tuttle actually possesses the ability to complete downfield passes, and the Wolverines didn't have that before. They can now balance their offense out, and it will help them establish the run as opposing defenses have to respect the passing game.
Why Illinois Could Cover The Spread/Win
Illinois can cover the spread and win this game because they are at home, and because of their passing attack. The home crowd will certainly be rowdy for this game, and that will give the Fighting Illini an advantage. Illinois also has had great quarterback play this season from Luke Altmyer, and the Wolverines have a passing defense that ranks outside of the top 100 in the FBS. Altmyer should be able to have a successful day.
Final Michigan-Illinois Prediction & Pick
We're going with the over in this one. Illinois should find success moving the football because of their passing game, and Michigan should finally get into a rhythm on offense with their new quarterback. This one could end up being way more high-scoring than people are expecting. Michigan gets the win 35-31.
Final Michigan-Illinois Prediction & Pick: Over 43.5 (-110)
