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It is a Big Ten rivalry as Illinois faces Northwestern. It is time to continue our college football odds series with an Illinois-Northwestern prediction and pick.
Illinois-Northwestern Last Game – Matchup History
Illinois comes into the game sitting at 8-3 on the year, but 5-3 in conference play. They have now won two in a row, facing Rutgers last time out. In that game, Rutgers would have a 24-15 lead in the fourth quarter but would need a touchdown with 1:08 left in the game to take the lead again. Still, Illinois would score with just four seconds left to win the game 38-31. Meanwhile, Northwestern is 4-7 on the year and just 2-6 in conference play. They have lost four of their last five games, including losing 50-6 to Michigan last time out.
Overall Series: This will be the 118th meeting between these two schools. Illinois leads the all-time series 57-55-5. Still, Northwestern has won seven of the last nine meetings, including last year, winning 45-43.
Here are the Illinois-Northwestern College Football odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
College Football Odds: Illinois-Northwestern Odds
Illinois: -7.5 (-110)
Moneyline: -300
Northwestern: +7.5 (-110)
Moneyline: +240
Over: 43.5 (-110)
Under: 43.5 (-110)
How to Watch Illinois vs. Northwestern
Time: 12:00 PM ET/ 9:00 AM PT
TV: Big Ten Network
Stream: fuboTV (Free Trial)
Why Illinois Could Cover The Spread/Win
Illinois is led by Luke Altmyer this year. He has completed 188 of 308 passes for 2,373 yards. Altmyer has 20 touchdown passes to just three interceptions. He has been sacked 29 times this year. Still, he has 242 yards rushing and three scores on the ground.
Pat Bryant has led the way in the receiving game this year. He has brought in 50 receptions for 914 yards and nine touchdowns this year. Meanwhile, Zakhari Franklin has been solid as well. He has 48 receptions for 559 yards and three scores. Finally, Hank Beatty comes in with 16 receptions for 204 yards and a score. Josh McCray has led the way out of the backfield. He has 12 receptions for 11 yards and a score. He has also run for 449 yards on 93 carries with eight touchdowns. Further, Kaden Feagin has 306 yards rushing and three touchdowns this year.
Illinois is 48th in the nation in opponent points per game this year. They are also 70th in opponent yards per game this year. They are 68th against the run and 60th against the pass. Gabe Jacas has been solid this year. He is second on the team in tackles, while having 8.5 sacks, three forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery. Meanwhile, Xavier Scott has a sack, five pass breakups, three interceptions, and a touchdown on the season.
Why Northwestern Could Cover The Spread/Win
Jack Lausch has led the way for Northwestern this year. Lausch has completed 134 of 248 passes for 1,427 yards since taking over as the starting quarterback. He has five touchdown passes and six interceptions on the year. Lausch has also been sacked 21 times this year. Still, Lausch has run well this year. He has 82 carries for 191 yards and two touchdowns.
The top target this year has been AJ Henning. He has 49 receptions on the year for 484 yards and three touchdowns. Meanwhile, Bryze Kirtz has been solid this year. He has 37 receptions on the year for 573 yards but has not scored. Finally, tight end Thomas Gordon has 20 receptions for 199 yards this year. In the running game, Cam Porter has led the way. He has 114 carries for 448 yards and six touchdowns on the year. Further, Joseph Himon III has 49 carries for 236 yards and two touchdowns.
Northwestern is 75th in the nation in opponent points per game this year, while sitting 63rd in opponent yards per game. Northwestern is also 35th against the rush while sitting 94th against the pass. Xander Mueller has led the way this year. He is second on the team with 54 tackles on the year while having a sack, four pass breakups, an interception, and a fumble recovery. Meanwhile, Mac Uihlein has been solid this year. He has two sacks, a pass defended, and leads the team with 72 tackles. In the secondary, Theran Johnson has led the way. He has broken up ten passes this year while also having two interceptions.
Final Illinois-Northwestern Prediction & Pick
Illinois has been solid this year. They are 7-4 against the spread on the year and have covered in each of the last two. Still, they are just 2-2 against the spread as a favorite this year. Northwestern is just 4-7 against the spread, but have covered in two of their last three games. Still, they missed covering last time out by 33.5 points. Turnovers will be the difference in this one. Illinois is 56th in the nation in turnover margin, while sitting 25th in giveaways per game. Northwestern is 72nd in the nation in turnover margin and 60th in giveaways this year. Take Illinois in this one.
Final Illinois-Northwestern Prediction & Pick: Illinois -7.5 (-110)
