Week 3: Fighting Illini vs Huskies Odds
College football Week 3 betting action sees the Illinois Fighting Illini taking on the Washington Huskies on Saturday, September 13th at Husky Stadium in Seattle. Cappers Picks provides free NCAA football handicapping tips all season long.
In a battle of unbeatens, Illinois comes to the Emerald City looking for the first signature win of the Tim Beckman era while Chris Peterson and the Huskies are looking to keep improving before they get to the Pac-12 gauntlet on their schedule.
College Football Lines
Illinois (2-0, 0-0 Big Ten) @ Washington (2-0, 0-0 Pac-12)
Saturday, September 13th 4:00 PM ET @ Husky Stadium – Seattle
NCAA Football Spread: Washington -13
NCAA Football O/U: 65
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With both offenses looking to find their rhythm, the defenses have had their hands full. Despite each team coming in at 2-0, they were too close for comfort. Illinois and Washington each need a big win and they will both try to capitalize on Saturday.
This one may come down to which defense can make the biggest (or only) stop of the game.
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These two teams squared off last season at Soldier Field, with the Huskies getting a 34-24 victory.
Illinois
Don’t let last week’s score fool you. The Illini’s 42-34 win over Youngstown State was much closer than it would appear. The 520 yard effort for Illinois was not as impressive after seeing they also allowed 400 yards on defense.
Starting quarterback Wes Lunt has been stellar for Illinois. Through the air, he’s completed 59 of 88 passes for 741 yards, 7 touchdowns and an interception. He’s spread the ball well, hitting 9 different receivers this season with 3 or more passes.
Leading the team in receiving is Geronimo Allison, who has 10 receptions for 140 yards on the year. Justin Hardee has 8 receptions for 126 yards and a touchdown while Mike Dudek has 7 receptions for 116 yards and 2 touchdowns.
The ground game has gotten off to a slow start, with featured backs Donovonn Young and Josh Ferguson combining for 138 yards rushing on the year with each scoring a touchdown on the ground.
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The defense was active last week. While the team allowed Western Kentucky’s Leon Allen to run for 118 yards and a touchdown while allowing 297 through the air, they still wound up recovering a fumble for a touchdown as well as returning an interception 77 yards for a touchdown.
Washington
Cyler Miles’ first game as starting quarterback went well despite the team’s horrible defensive showing. Taking over for Jeff Lindquist, Miles went 14 of 24 for 180 yards and a touchdown against FCS in-state opponent Eastern Washington.
While those numbers aren’t gaudy like a typical Pac-12 quarterback’s would be, his ground stats were: 12 rushes, 58 yards, 3 touchdowns.
The speedy Washington backfield has been busy, with Lavon Coleman leading the way. Coleman has 196 yards on 34 carries and a touchdown. Dwayne Washington has 22 carries for 73 yards and 2 touchdowns, while also-linebacker Shaq Thompson has 3 carries for 66 yards and a touchdown.
Leading receiver John Ross has been a dual weapon for the Huskies, coming up clutch when most needed. He has 4 receptions for 150 yards and two touchdowns and 2 carries for 28 yards and a touchdown. Jaydon Mickens has 7 receptions for 69 yards on the ground as well.
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The Husky pass defense struggled mightily last week against Vernon Adams of Eastern Washington, who threw for almost 500 yards and 7 touchdowns. In order to win this, the Husky secondary will need to make a lot more stops and come up with some turnovers.
NCAA football handicapping trends
- Fighting Illini are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games in September
- Fighting Illini are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 non-conference games
- Huskies are 3-7 ATS in their last 10 games overall
- Huskies are 2-5 ATS vs. a team with a winning record
- Huskies are 1-3-1 ATS in their last 5 vs. Big Ten
Week 3 NCAA Football Prediction
While the Huskies obviously have a more talented squad, they have yet to show that the team of young players has fully clicked. The matchups of Illinois Passing Offense vs Husky pass defense and Illinois run defense against the Husky run game are going to be the two stories in this one.
Free NCAA Betting Pick: 4* Play Illinois +13
Final Week 3 Score: Illinois 31 – Washington 35
The Huskies will win this, but not by much.
Check out our Updated College Football Week 3 Odds.
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