Northwestern Wildcats vs Illinois Fighting Illini Gambling Preview + Predictions
Wrigley Field was the site of last year’s matchup between these two teams, but they’ll be back in Champaign for this week’s contest. Dan Persa has missed the last three games for Northwestern, but he is listed as probable for this one.
Ron Zook’s team is off to a nice 4-0 start, and they’ll look to continue that success when Big Ten action starts this weekend.
**BETONLINE – THE BEST SPORTSBOOK FOR NCAA FOOTBALL BETTING! – CLICK HERE NOW + BET TODAY!**
Northwestern vs. Illinois
Memorial Stadium
Saturday October 1, 12:00 PM EST
NCAA Football Odds from 5Dimes
Moneyline: Illinois (-310) Northwestern (+255)
College Football Spread: Illinois -8 (-110) Northwestern +8 (-110)
Over/Under: 50
Persa is expected to play some in this one, and that should help the Wildcats a lot. Those who don’t follow the Big Ten closely probably don’t realize how big of a difference he makes for this team. Expect Kain Colter to get some playing time under center in this one as well, especially when Northwestern looks to run the football. The Wildcats enter this contest at 3-1, but they lost a tough one 21-14 at Army in their last game. Jeremy Ebert is a very talented running back who can put up some big numbers, but he badly needs a healthy Dan Persa. The weakness of this offense continues to be the fact that they don’t have a go to guy at the tailback spot.
Northwestern’s defense really held them back at the end of last year, and they have been a bit of a problem spot so far this season. The Wildcats defense is giving up 402 yards per game so far this season. Pat Fitzgerald’s defense is short-handed right now, but they always play hard. Can Northwestern stop the run better than they did last season against Illinois?
Ron Zook seems to always be on the hot seat, and before this year his name was mentioned as a coach that needed a good season once again. The Fighting Illini are definitely off to a great start. Can they keep it going when they head into conference play?
Nathan Scheelhaase is only a sophomore, but he has really progressed quite a bit as a quarterback. He is a dual-threat signal caller who almost always ran first last season, but he seems to be gaining confidence in the passing game. A.J. Jenkins is a legitimate superstar for the Fighting Illini. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
Jenkins has already racked up 28 catches in the team’s first four games. The issue for Illinois is finding a second receiver that can help keep the defense honest. Illinois certainly misses Mikel LeShoure in the running game, but Jason Ford is a solid runner. Illinois lost its best two defensive players in Martez Wilson and Cory Liuget, but the defense has been playing pretty well this year. They are currently in the top half of the Big Ten in total defense, but that will be tested by a talented Northwestern offense this week.
With Persa coming back into the lineup, I expect Northwestern’s offense to get a big boost this week. Look for this one to be close to the end.
Free College Football Pick: Northwestern +8
Score Prediction: Illinois 27 Northwestern 24
CHECK OUT OUR College football betting forums today! Join us today and make College football picks against the spread for all Division 1 NCAA Football matchups!
