Michigan Wolverines vs Illinois Fighting Illini Prediction, Picks and Game Preview - 10/19/2024

Game Time: 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, October 19, 2024

Venue:  University of Illinois Memorial Stadium, Champaign, IL

Where to Watch:  CBS

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  Michigan -3, Illinois +3; Over/Under:  43.5 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  Michigan -3, Illinois +3; Over/Under:  43.5 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Michigan -3, Illinois +3; Over/Under:  43.5 points

Michigan Wolverines:  4-2 (2-1) (9th place, Big Ten)

Illinois Fighting Illini:  5-1 (2-1) (5th place, Big Ten)

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Michigan Wolverines:  lost their last game on the road against the Washington Huskies 27-17.

Illinois Fighting Illini:  won their last game at home against the Purdue Boilermakers 50-49 in overtime.

Michigan is entering this game with a 4-2 record overall and they have a 2-1 record in their conference games too. They are 4-1 in their home games, 0-1 in their road games, and they are also 0-0 in their neutral site games this season, but they will be on the road for this game. They lost their last game against Washington 27-17. Alex Orji was the starting QB and he completed 3/7 passes for 15 passing yards before getting replaced by Jack Tuttle who completed 10/18 passes for 98 yards, 1 touchdown, and 1 interception. Donovan Edwards led the team in rushing yards with 95 and 1 TD. Colston Loveland led the receivers with 33 receiving yards on 6 receptions and 1 TD. Ernest Hausmann led the defense in that game with 8 solo tackles and 4 assisted tackles while TJ Guy led the defense in sacks with 1.5. Ernest Hausmann came away with the only interception for them in that one.

 

 

 

Illinois is entering this game with a 5-1 record overall and they have a 2-1 record in their conference games too. They are 4-0 in their home games, 1-1 in their road games, and they are also 0-0 in their neutral site games this season, but they will be at home for this game. They won their last game against Purdue 50-49 in OT. Luke Altmyer was the starting QB and he completed 20/34 passes for 379 passing yards, 3 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions. Josh McCray led the team in rushing yards with 78 and 2 TDs. Pat Bryant led the receivers with 104 receiving yards on 4 receptions and 1 TD. Dylan Rosiek led the defense in that game with 5 solo tackles and 2 assisted tackles while Dylan Rosiek and Te-Rah Edwards each led the defense in sacks with 0.5. No one on the defense came away with an interception for them in that one.

The current betting odds have Illinois listed as a 3 point underdog in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. Illinois has looked good in their games this season with their 5-1 record overall and their 2-1 conference record. Their only conference loss was against Penn State who is ranked as one of the best teams in the nation. They have pulled off some upset wins this season already and they have looked great in their home games with their 4-0 home record. Meanwhile, Michigan has looked good in their games this season with their 4-2 record overall and their 2-1 conference record. They are coming out of their bye week and have had extra time to prepare for this game, but they are also coming off their first conference loss of the season which was also in their first road game of the year. They really struggled on offense in that game and once again had to make a QB change to try and salvage the game. Illinois has a really good defense that will keep them in this game and they will be looking to bounce back with a better performance since they gave up 49 points to Purdue in their last one, but that hasn't been the case for most of the season. Their offense has also been more consistent this season so they will be able to put up points at home, especially since this Michigan defense isn't as good as it has been in previous years. Illinois has the potential to pull off another upset win at home, and Michigan isn't the kind of team this year to blow them out even if they win. The best way to place a bet here is on Illinois to cover the spread in this game. 

Michigan Illinois Prediction:  Our NCAAF Pick for Saturday, October 19, 2024 (3:30 pm ET start time) is Illinois 27 Michigan 23.

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Michigan Wolverines: 9-1 ATS when the total is between 42.5 and 49. 8-2 ATS when playing against a top-level team (Win Pct. > 75%). 6-3 ATS after playing their last game on the road. 7-3 OVER in road lined games. 8-4 OVER when the total is between 42.5 and 49. 6-2 OVER versus good offensive teams - averaging 5.9 yards/play or more.

Illinois Fighting Illini: 2-7 ATS in a home game where the total is between 42.5 and 49. 1-3 ATS when playing against a good team (Win Pct. 60% to 75%). 3-6 1H ATS in a home game where the total is between 42.5 and 49. 6-3 OVER in a home game where the total is between 42.5 and 49. 6-0 1H OVER when the line is +3 to -3. 12-3 1H OVER after playing a game at home.

Michigan Wolverines:  C. Loveland (TE) Questionable - Undisclosed. M. Pollard (LB) Questionable - Undisclosed. J. Marshall (RB) Questionable - Undisclosed. J. Mangham (DB) Questionable - Undisclosed. T. Morris (WR) Questionable - Undisclosed. J. Tuttle (QB) Questionable - Elbow. R. Moore (DB) Out - Knee.

Illinois Fighting Illini:  C. Goda (TE) Questionable - Undisclosed. D. Brown (OLB) Questionable - Undisclosed. A. Laughery (RB) Questionable - Undisclosed. M. Muragin (OLB) Out - Undisclosed. C. Rusk (TE) Out - Knee.

“I thought he came out and gave us a spark early. Obviously, three straight drives we had a touchdown, field goal, touchdown. I think the players fed off that. He practiced well all week and got back healthy, which was great for us. We’ll see.” - Sherrone Moore on Jack Tuttle after his team’s loss against Washington in their last game. 

“We did enough bad things to give them the game. If you let a team stick around like that, that’s what happens. I still think we’re a good team knocking on the door of doing something cool.” - Bret Bielema after his team’s win against Purdue in their last game. 

WR Bell, Kendrick

WR Morris, Tyler 

WR Morgan, Semaj 

TE Loveland, Colston 

QB Warren, Davis 

RB Edwards, Donovan

WR Franklin, Zakhari

WR Bryant, Pat 

WR Dixon, Collin 

TE Arkin, Tanner

QB Altmyer, Luke

RB Laughery, Aidan 

Passing: D. Warren (444)

Rushing: K. Mullings (589)

Receiving: C. Loveland (261)

Touchdowns: K. Mullings (6)

Passing: L. Altmyer (1426)

Rushing: K. Feagin (306)

Receiving: P. Bryant (452)

Touchdowns: P. Bryant (7)

Coaches:

Michigan Wolverines: Sherrone Moore (1st season)

Illinois Fighting Illini: Bret Bielema (4th season)