Illinois vs Northwestern – Fighting Illini On Bowl Hunt Against Wildcats
Before College Football Gambling fans turn their attention to other sports betting events this week, we have a Saturday NCAA game of the day pick for you. It’s time for our weekly Football picks for online ncaa football betting action.
Team records:
Illinois: 5-5 SU, 6-3 ATS
Northwestern: 7-3 SU, 2-7 ATS
College Football Betting – Illini vs Wildcats
Venue: Wrigley Field
GO INSIDE THIS MATCHUP WITH OUR CFB ATS STATS —>
College football betting players know how important it is for teams to reach a bowl, as it adds to their exposure, as well as their bank accounts. Illinois is in that position as they’re just one win away from becoming bowl eligible as they head to Northwestern, who is coming off a big upset win.
Illinois Northwestern Betting – Saturday, November 20th, 3:30 PM ET
The Fighting Illini (5-5, 3-4) gave up two late scores in a 38-34 loss at home to Minnesota, wasting an excellent performance from their offense. Nathan Scheelhaase was 10-of-21 for 172 yards and a pair of touchdowns, while Mikel Leshoure ran for 141 yards and a pair of scores for the Fighting Illini, who had 201 rushing yards in total. But they also allowed Minnesota to score twice in the last 7:55, and that is something you can’t afford to do when you’re looking to reach the bowls, which is something Illinois has done just twice since the turn of the century.
The Wildcats (7-3, 3-3) had their own late rally, scoring twice in the last 6:21 of a 21-17 upset of Iowa. Dan Persa was kept in check on the ground, running for just 50 yards and a score, but he was also 32-of-43 for 318 yards with two touchdowns to go with a pick. The difference in this game came on third down, where Northwestern was 9-of-16 while stopping Iowa on 12 of their 14 third-down attempts. Some players may not even think of this as an upset as the Wildcats have now beaten the Hawkeyes in five of their last six meetings, but Iowa is probably now out of the Big Ten race thanks to the Northwestern, who have been one of the surprises of the season.
Betting services will likely have the Wildcats favored at home, where they are 5-2 SU and ATS in their last seven meetings with the Fighting Illini. Watch the spread very closely, though, because the Wildcats are only 2-7 ATS this year, while Illinois is 6-3 ATS and they’re 4-1 as an ATS underdog. If you’re looking to pick this game straight up, Northwestern is the way to go because the Illinois defense has been brutal in recent weeks. They showed in their 67-65 triple-overtime loss to Michigan that they have problems with dual-threat quarterbacks, and Persa may be the most underrated quarterback in the nation. If Illinois could attack Northwestern’s 100th-ranked pass defense, they could pull off the upset, but does anyone trust Scheelhaase to have two decent games in a row? If he could have one right now, the Fighting Illini really need it.
Online sports betting pick: Northwestern
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Poolside Rants hails from beautiful Bozeman Montana by way of Toronto, Canada. (Blame his wife for the move). He’s a Dallas Cowboys football honk. But please….don’t hold that against him. The man knows his sports and has uncanny knowledge when it comes to picking games.
