Illinois vs Michigan Prediction, Game Preview, Live Stream, Odds & Picks
Michigan Out to Stay Perfect vs Visiting Illini
Illini’s Lost Last Two
The No. 3 Michigan Wolverines (10-0, 7-0 in Big Ten) eye an 11th straight victory when they host the Illinois Fighting Illini in a key Big Ten battle Saturday afternoon. Michigan can’t afford to look ahead to next week’s showdown with Ohio State (and the Big Ten East title), with both teams currently at 7-0 in the conference. Illinois is in a battle of its own, having lost two in a row, It is part of a four-way scrum atop the Big Ten West, with Purdue, Iowa, and Minnesota. Perhaps this serves as a preview of the Big Ten title game. Check out our in-depth look at this game before you do any betting online.
Let’s check the latest college football odds, stats, injury reports, and college football lines for Illinois vs Michigan. We’ve plenty of NCAA football odds for you to consider.
Defense Lacking
The Illinois Fighting Illini are allowing just 12½ points per game this season (third in the country), but losing their last two contests, they surrendered 54 points to Purdue and Michigan St. Illinois is going to have to tighten its rush defense, which surrenders just 85.9 yards per game but struggled the last two.
Offensively, the Illini are going to need a big game from junior running back Chase Brown, if he’s able to play. Brown is leading everyone with 1,442 rushing yards (seven touchdowns). He is considered questionable (lower leg injury), though coach Bret Bielema said Brown is “trending in the right direction” to play against Michigan. Illinois lost, 31-24, at home to Purdue last week.
“Very positive and excited, but don’t know where we’ll be by Friday for the trip and Saturday for the game,” Bielema said about Brown’s injury.
Quarterback Tommy Devito also needs to play well against the pressure of the Wolverines’ defensive line. Devito has 2,083 passing yards (15 touchdowns), with only three interceptions this season, He’s been sacked six times over the last three games.
Game Before the Game
The game of the season with the Michigan Wolverines is a week away. They can’t afford to be looking ahead to the annual showdown with Ohio State. Michigan is also in play to again make the College Football Playoff, so it needs to win. Period.
Michigan is usually successful when running back Blake Corum is successful. The junior has 1,349 yards (17 touchdowns) this season, going past 160 yards in three of the last four games.
Quarterback J.J. McCarthy is averaging just 8.2 yards per completion. McCarthy (1,744 yards, 14 touchdowns) had just 129 yards (two touchdowns) through the air against Nebraska in a 34-3 home rout last week.
Michigan surrenders just 11.2 points per game, tops in the country. Also, a stingy 72.7 yards per game by the opposition is the best figure in the nation.
Illinois vs Michigan Game Injuries
Illinois vs Michigan Head-To-Head
The Michigan Wolverines have dominated the all-time rivalry with the Illinois Fighting Illini, 71-23-2. Michigan is on a five-game win streak against Illinois, including a 42-25 victory in 2021.
Illinois’ lost three straight games in the Big House, with the last Illini win at Ann Arbor coming in 2008. The college football lines have the Wolverines as heavy favorites to continue that trend.
Illinois vs Michigan Game Information
- Game: Illinois (7-3, 4-3 Big Ten) vs Michigan (10-0, 7-0 Big Ten)
- Day/Time: Saturday, Nov. 19th, 12:00 p.m. ET
- Location: Michigan Stadium, Ann Arbor, MI
- Illinois vs Michigan Live Stream: ESPN
Illinois vs Michigan Betting Lines
Illinois vs Michigan Picks & Prediction
The Illinois Fighting Illini have had their troubles over the last couple of games, and they could be missing the nation’s leading rusher in this one. That’s trouble against a Michigan Wolverine squad that’s eyeing a potential College Football Playoff berth.
In your college football picks, take Michigan to win (and cover) at home.
The Illinois Fighting Illini are listed at +650 in our Vegas lines. This means that if you wager $100 on the Illinois Fighting Illini, you have a chance to win $650. The Michigan Wolverine are +125, offering a chance to win $10 on a $100 wager.
The implied probability attached to the betting lines gives the Illinois Fighting Illini a 13.33% chance to win, with the Michigan Wolverine at 90.91%.
