Illinois vs. Michigan Pick
Can No. 3 Michigan continue its dominance in the Big Ten this season when it hosts Illinois at 3:30PM ET on Saturday?
According to oddsmakers at BetDSI, Michigan is the clear favorite in this game, as the Wolverines are getting odds of -35.5 points against Illinois. The over/under total for the contest has been set at 55.5 points. Michigan has won three straight over the Illini and the two have hit the under in three of their last four meetings.
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Michigan is coming off the bye week, but the Wolverines are 6-0 on the season and 3-0 in the Big Ten while going 5-1 with the over. Michigan brings one of the best defensive units in the country to the field for this game, as U-M is giving up 10.3 points and 212.8 yards per game. They are holding opponents to only 113.7 passing yards per contest. On offense, Michigan is averaging 50 points and 470 yards per game, including 255 rushing yards per contest. The run game has been spread out, with four different players posting over 250 yards this season. Wilton Speight has been strong in his first season as starting QB, throwing for 1,194 yards and 11 touchdowns with only two interceptions.
Illinois is coming off a 24-7 win at Rutgers to move to 2-4 on the season and 1-2 in the Big Ten. The Illini have hit the under in four of the six games this season. Illinois hasn’t been terrible on defense this season, allowing just 26.2 points and 388.5 yards per game while the offense is posting only 26 points and 371.3 yards per contest. The Illini have some real concerns at QB coming into this game as Wes Lunt and Chayce Crouch are both questionable with injuries. Lunt missed last game with a back injury and Crouch injured his shoulder during the game. Illinois is likely to rely heavily on its run game, which has 1,139 yards and 10 touchdowns this year.
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Michigan has proven it will stop most opponents and this certainly shouldn’t be any different, especially with the QB injuries to Illinois. So, that means Michigan will have to do the majority of scoring, maybe even all 56 points. I am not confident enough in Michigan’s offense for that to happen, as Illinois actually has some players on the defensive side of the ball. This could be a 42-7 game, but I don’t think Michigan scores 50 points or more to get the over.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL WEEK 8 PICK: ILLINOIS/MICHIGAN UNDER 55.5