The Minnesota Golden Gophers will square off against the 24th-ranked Illinois Fighting Irish on Saturday afternoon in a Big Ten – West Conference game. This game will be extremely important as this could be a huge tell on which program has a realistic chance of winning the entire conference.
Last Game Records
These two conference opponents are ready to face off against one another, and both programs have been playing very well to begin the year. Minnesota is currently 4-1 (1-1) this season and is coming off their first loss of the year last game back on October 1 at home against the Purdue Boilermakers by a final score of 20-10.
Illinois has also done well as they possess a 5-1 (2-1) record and are riding a four-game winning streak after defeating the Iowa Hawkeyes at home on October 8 by a final score of 9-6.
Matchup Information
- Date: Saturday, October 15
- Time: 12:00
- Venue: Memorial Stadium (Champaign, IL)
- How to Watch: Big Ten Network
Minnesota vs. Illinois Betting Analysis
The Minnesota vs. Illinois betting analysis should be extremely interesting as this game will be critical in deciding which program has a realistic shot of winning the Big Ten Conference. Both teams play an excellent brand of defense and score the ball extremely well, so it should be an interesting NCAAF matchup.
Minnesota Golden Gophers Content
The Minnesota odds have definitely been in their favor to begin the regular season. Senior quarterback Tanner Morgan has been doing pretty well this season, as he has completed 70.5 percent of his passes for 1,143 yards with seven passing touchdowns and four interceptions. However, this Golden Gophers offense loves to run the football.
They expect senior running back Mohamed Ibrahim to play after missing their last game due to an ankle injury. He has run the ball 89 times so far for 567 yards (6.4 yards per attempt) with eight rushing touchdowns.
Ibrahim has a nose for the end zone, as he has ran for multiple touchdowns in all but one game he has played and at least one touchdown in all four games he has
Illinois Fighting Irish Content
The Illinois football picks have been going your way if you have been betting on them to win games, as they have started off well. Senior quarterback Tommy DeVito (ankle) is questionable for this big game but has been up in the air, according to the beat reporters for the team.
Obviously, losing the starting quarterback would be a huge blow, but they love to run the football, as well as they are averaging 195.5 rushing yards per game thus far. Junior running back Chase Brown has led the way with 151 rushing attempts for 879 yards (5.8 yards per carry) with four rushing touchdowns.
Minnesota Golden Gophers vs. Illinois Fighting Irish Betting Preview
The Minnesota Golden Gophers and the Illinois Fighting Irish opened up as a measly one-point favorite, but with the uncertainty of Tommy DeVito, this number has inflated to Minnesota currently being -6.5 favorites on the road in this game.
These NCAAF teams are both incredibly solid, as both teams are some of the best defensive teams, and this will be an interesting matchup as a whole.
Minnesota Golden Gophers vs. Illinois Fighting Irish Betting Prediction
The Minnesota vs. Illinois betting analysis has shown that this Illinois team has a few flaws, as they are not going to have a great quarterback if Tommy DeVito is unable to be 100 percent against an excellent defensive unit.
The Golden Gophers are allowing 8.8 points per game this season, while the Fighting Irish are giving up eight points per game thus far, so the offense is going to be the difference. Looking at the offenses in the previous four games, Minnesota is averaging 38.8 points, while Illinois is scoring 24.5 points in that same stretch.
Do not be fooled by the ranked vs. unranked status, and go with the Minnesota Golden Gophers to win by more than a touchdown.
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