Western Michigan vs. Illinois Gambling Preview + Predictions
Ron Zook and the Illinois Fighting Illini are off to a nice start to the 2011 season, but they can’t afford a letdown this week. Western Michigan is not an ordinary MAC team, and they are certainly capable of beating Illinois.
The last time these two teams met was 2008, and Western Michigan won 23-17 in that meeting. Who will come out on top in this one?
Memorial Stadium
Saturday September 24, 3:30 PM EST
NCAA Football Odds from BetOnline
Moneyline: Illinois (-450) Western Michigan (+375)
College Football Spread: Illinois -12.5 (-110) Western Michigan +12.5 (-110)
Over/Under: 53
Alex Carder is a great leader at the quarterback position for Western Michigan. Carder is one of the best dual-threat quarterbacks in the nation. He has already thrown for 681 yards this year. The most impressive statistic is the fact that he is completing 72.4% of his passes. Carder doesn’t run too often, but he does use his mobility to keep a lot of plays alive. It doesn’t hurt that Carder has one of the best receivers in the country on the outside. Jordan White set a school record with 1,278 receiving yards last year. He already has 363 yards and two touchdowns catches this year. The Broncos running game was horrible this year, and while it is better this year, it still must improve.
Western Michigan may have the best defense in the MAC. The Broncos are allowing just 124 yards through the air each game, which is seventh best in the nation. The team’s defensive front is great at getting after the quarterback, and the secondary is very good. I expect this defense to make life difficult on Illinois this weekend.
Nathan Scheelhaase left last week’s win over Arizona State for a while, but he did come back in and finish the game. He is listed as probable for this game. Scheelhaase is a just a sophomore, but he has done a great job learning this offense. He completed only 59% of his passes last year, but he is completing 72% of his passes so far this season. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
A.J. Jenkins is his favorite target on the outside, but Illinois needs to find some secondary targets. Jason Ford and Scheelhaase give the team two solid runners in the backfield at all times. Illinois is averaging 35.3 points per game so far this season.
The Fighting Illini defense lost a lot of talent from last year, but they have still been very impressive in 2011. The strength of this unit has been the defensive line. This line is full of big bodies that push the offensive front backwards. Illinois is allowing only 64 rushing yards per game, which is seventh in the nation. Overall, Illinois is giving up only 10.7 points per game this year.
Western Michigan is a dangerous team. Illinois should be highly motivated here, but I still think the Broncos cover the spread. I expect this one to be close all the way to the end.
Free College Football Pick: Western Michigan +12.5
Score Prediction: Illinois 27 Western Michigan 20
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