Minnesota Golden Gophers vs Illinois Fighting Illini Betting Pick & Prediction 11/2/24
Memorial Stadium in Champaign, IL, will be the site for this week 10 matchup between the Minnesota Golden Gophers and Illinois Fighting Illini. Kick-off is set for 12:00 ET, and FS1 will be handling the television broadcast. The Gophers are favored by -3 points on the road, with the over/under line currently at 45.5 points. Minnesota comes in with a 5-3 record, while Illinois is 6-2 on the season.
MINNESOTA GOLDEN GOPHERS VS ILLINOIS FIGHTING ILLINI BETTING PICK
The Pick: Minnesota Golden Gophers -3
This game will be played at Memorial Stadium (Champaign, IL) at 12:00 ET on Saturday, November 2nd.
WHY BET THE MINNESOTA GOLDEN GOPHERS:
- We have the Minnesota Golden Gophers winning this one by a score of 23 to 16
- Not only do we have the Minnesota Golden Gophers winning straight-up, we have them covering the spread at -3
- We see this game finishing below the line of 45.5 points
Will The Minnesota Golden Gophers Pick Up A Win On The Road?
At 5-3, Minnesota is gearing up for their Week 10 clash with Illinois. They rank 35th in our CFB power rankings and have a 90.4% chance of becoming bowl-eligible. So far, the Golden Gophers are 3-2 on the road and 1-1 at home this season.
Minnesota has gone 5-1-1 against the spread, with an average scoring margin of +11.1 points per game. They are 3-0 ATS as favorites and have covered the spread in both road games (2-0).
Their over/under record stands at 3-4, with an average line of 42.3 points. This week’s line is set at 45.5 points, and their games have averaged 44.6 points per contest.
Heading into week 10, Minnesota’s offense ranks 50th in points per game, scoring 27.9, and they are 60th in our offensive power rankings. Their passing game is their strength, ranking 22nd in completions and averaging 30.9 attempts per game. They are 63rd in passing yards, with 226.4 per game, but rank 9th in completion percentage, converting 69.6% of their passes. They also rank 17th in third-down conversions, with a 47% success rate.
Max Brosmer leads the passing attack with 1,776 yards and a passer rating of 100. He has thrown 12 touchdowns and 4 interceptions, completing 69.5% of his passes. Darius Taylor is the leading rusher with 513 yards and 7 touchdowns, averaging 4 yards per carry. Daniel Jackson leads the receivers with 568 yards on 51 catches and has scored three touchdowns.
Heading into this week’s matchup, Minnesota’s defense ranks 15th nationally, allowing just 16.8 points per game. They also rank 12th in the country in passing yards allowed, giving up only 162.5 yards per game, with a passer rating of 55.8, the fifth-lowest in the nation. Opposing quarterbacks have completed 59.5% of their passes against Minnesota.
In their recent game against Maryland, Minnesota’s defense allowed 23 points but also forced two interceptions. They gave up 428 total yards, including 323 passing yards, while holding Maryland to 105 rushing yards on 25 attempts.
Will The Illinois Fighting Illini Win At Home Over The Minnesota Golden Gophers?
Illinois enters Week 10 with a 6-2 record, but they have a 0.0% chance of winning the Big Ten. However, they are a lock for bowl eligibility, according to projections. At home, the Fighting Illini are 3-0, while they are 0-2 on the road this season.
Against the spread, Illinois is 3-2, with a +6.4 average scoring margin. They’ve been favored in just one game this season and are 0-1 ATS as the favorite, but they’ve gone 3-1 ATS as the underdog.
The over/under line for this week is 45.5 points. Illinois games have averaged 47.6 points, and their over/under record is 0-5. Their average line has been 49.4 points, with an average margin of -1.4 points.
Heading into week 10, Illinois is averaging 27 points per game, placing them 57th in the nation. They are ranked 50th in our offensive power rankings. Quarterback Luke Altmyer has thrown for 1,667 yards, completing 63.1% of his passes, with 15 touchdowns and three interceptions. His passer rating is 103, and Illinois ranks 28th nationally in passer rating.
Illinois is 46th in passing completions, averaging 17.4 per game, and they convert 41.8% of their third downs. They are 73rd in rushing, with 145 yards per game. Kaden Feagin leads the team with 306 rushing yards. Pat Bryant has 504 receiving yards and seven touchdowns on 33 catches.
Illinois’ defense is ranked 34th nationally, allowing 20.6 points per game. In their recent game against Oregon, they gave up 38 points, including 527 total yards—229 rushing and 298 passing yards.
Opponents have averaged 156.2 rushing yards per game against Illinois, while quarterbacks have posted a 62.6% completion rate and a passer rating of 85.2, averaging 211.2 passing yards per game.