Two 1-2 teams face off as FAU visits Illinois. It is time to continue our College Football odds series with an FAU-Illinois prediction, pick, and how-to-watch.

FAU enters the game at 1-2 on the season. They won big in their first week against FCS Monmouth, taking a 42-20 victory. The next week they faced Ohio. After taking a 10-7 lead into the half, FAU could not score anything in the second and would fall 17-10. Then the next week was Clemson. They would lose big in the game 48-14, but lost more than just the game. In the game, their starting quarterback Casey Thompson would injure his knee and be lost for the season.

Illinois is also 1-2 on the year. It was a hard fought first victory for the year against Toledo. After being down at the half, Illinois took a 20-19 lead into the fourth quarter. Still, with 2:59 left, Toledo took a one-point lead, but Illinois would drive the field and hit a game-winning field goal with five seconds left. The next two weeks did not go as well. First, they lost to Kansas 34-23, and then it was a 30-13 loss to Penn State. Now Illinois will look to bounce back before continuing its Big Ten slate.

Here are the college football odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

College Football Odds: FAU-Illinois Odds

FAU: +15.5 (-110)

Illinois: -15.5 (-110)

Over: 45.5 (-110)

Under: 45.5 (-110)

How to Watch FAU vs. Illinois

TV: Big Ten Network

Stream: Fox Sports APP

Time: 3:30 PM ET/ 12:30 PM PT

*Watch college football LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*

Why FAU Will Cover The Spread

For FAU to cover, they will need a big game from their new starting quarterback Daniel Richardson. On the year, Richardson has thrown 34 passes, completing 20 of them. that is for just 120 yards though, an average of just 3.5 yards per attempt. He also has not thrown a touchdown and has been intercepted once.

With Richardson behind center, the running game is going to become more important. Last time out, Kobe Lewis was the primary back. He ran 14 times for 49 yards. He did not get great blocking in the game, with his average point of first contact just a half-yard beyond the line of scrimmage. FAU could also use more of Larry McCammon, who missed the Clemson game. On the year he has 150 yards running on 21 attempts. He had a touchdown and a fumble on the year as well. He has been the more elusive of the FAU backs, creating nine missed tackles in two games.

The key for FAU this year has been the defense. While they have not gotten a great pass rush this year, just 28 quarterback pressures with two sacks in three games, they have been solid. Against the run, they have missed just five tackles all year while having 58 stops for offensive failures on 96 rushes. That means FAU has an over 50 percent success rate on defense on running plays. In coverage, they have also been solid. That has started with Jarron Morris. He has allowed just six of 12 passes going his way to be completed for just 32 yards. Meanwhile, he has broken up three passes, had an interception, and dropped one as well.

Why Illinois Will Cover The Spread

For Illinois, covering will start with Luke Altmyer. This year Alymyer has not been great. He is 52-82 passing for 567 yards and three scored. He has made two big-time throws according to PFF, and is averaging a depth of target 8.7 yards downfield. The issues have been turnovers and protection. Altymer has thrown seven interceptions this year while throwing another five turnover-worthy passes. Further, he has been pressured 43 times on 101 dropbacks. This has led to nine sacks and nine scrambles for positive yardage.

Altmyer has been solid on the ground though. He has run for 129 yards in those scrambles, and 187 overall with two scores. He does not do a lot after contact, but he can extend plays with his legs. Illinois will need some help in the ground game though. Altmyer is the team leader in rushing yards. Right behind him is Reggie Love III. He has 167 yards on 33 attempts this year with a score. He has not gotten the best blocking though with an average depth of first contact just 1.5 yards beyond the line of scrimmage.

Altmyer also needs some help from his receivers. His favorite target this year has been Isaiah Williams. Williams has been targeted 27 times this year but brought in just 16 targets for 213 yards and no scores. The positive is he is doing work after the catch, grabbing 102 yards after the catch this year for an average of 6.4 yards per reception. He has also hauled in two of six contested matches. Still, he has also dropped three balls this year.

Illinois also needs to get a solid pass rush in this game with a new quarterback taking over for FAU. This year, they have not had that minus one guy. They have 34 quarterback pressures on the year with three sacks. Jer'Zahn Newton has 14 of those pressures and two of the three sacks this year. They have been solid against the run though. Illinois has 57 stops for offensive failures on 101 rushing attempts. Newton has 12 of those stops. Meanwhile, Xavier Scott has five with a forced fumble this year. Still, they have to tackle better. They have already missed 18 tackles in the run game this year, with over half of those resulting in first downs due to the missed tackle.

Final FAU-Illinois Prediction & Pick

Illinois has yet to cover a spread this year. They almost lost to Toledo as 7.5-point favorites, and then did not come close in the other two games. FAU is also 0-3 against the spread, but they missed by just the hook in their game with Monmouth. The big issue here is going to be turnovers. Illinois turns the ball over far too much. FAU may not get a lot of points out of those turnovers, but it should be enough to keep it close. Expect a low-scoring game in this one, with a lot of punts and turnovers. Illinois wins the game, but FAU gets the cover.

 Final FAU-Illinois Prediction & Pick: FAU+15.5 (-110)