The Northwestern Wildcats (6-5) travel to face off against the Illinois Fighting Illini (5-6) on Saturday, November 25th. This game will be played at Memorial Stadium (Champaign, IL) in Champaign and televised on BTN. Northwestern is coming off a win in their previous game, while Illinois is looking to get back on track from a loss to the Iowa. Kickoff is set for 3:30 ET.

Northwestern Wildcats vs Illinois Fighting Illini

The Northwestern Wildcats Are Coming Off A Win

Northwestern most recently played against Purdue and won by a score of 23-15. In the win against Purdue, quarterback Ben Bryant achieved a QB rating of 83.68, completing 13 of 24 passes for 230 yards. Additionally, he contributed one touchdown to the game.

Looking at the point-spread for this game, Northwestern covered as 2.5-point favorites. While on the over/under, the betting line was 47.5 at game time, resulting in a hit for the under.

So far, the Northwestern Wildcats are 6-5, including going 1-3 on the road and 3-2 at home.

Northwestern has gone into two games as the favorite this season and seven games as the underdog. Their ATS record is currently 6-3. Through 11 games, the average over/under line in Northwestern’s games is 42.4 points. Their games have averaged a combined 42.8 points leading to an OU record of 4-5.

The Illinois Fighting Illini Look To Bounce Back From A Loss

Going into the 4th quarter of Illinois’ most recent 15-13 loss against Iowa, the two teams went into the 4th quarter all tied at 10-10. Against Iowa, John Paddock threw for 215 yards against Iowa, but did throw a touchdown pass. Overall his passer rating was 60.15 on a completion percentage of 46.8%.

Looking at how the teams fared against the spread, Illinois was 3 point underdogs. This gave them a straight-up loss but an ATS win. As they combined for 28 points, the under hit in this matchup.

With a 5-6 record, the Illinois Fighting Illini take on Northwestern. Their road record so far is (2-3) and at home (2-3).

So far, Illinois has been favored three times and the underdog in six games. This has led to an ATS record of 3-7 and an average scoring differential of -5.2. Through 11 games, the average over/under line in Illinois’ games is 45.7 points. Their games have averaged a combined 50.8 points leading to an OU record of 4-5-1.

Northwestern Offense Breakdown

Northwestern’s offense has put up an average of 20.7 points per game, placing them 86th in the NCAA rankings. Through the air, they’ve gained 197 passing yards on average, ranking 94th in the nation. On the ground, they’re holding the 114th position in rushing yards, with 381 rushing attempts per game this season.

The team’s leading passer is Ben Bryant, who has tallied 1351 passing yards with a completion percentage of 59.7%. He’s currently averaging 6.4 yards per pass attempt.

Illinois Offense Breakdown

As they prepare to face the Northwestern, the Fighting Illini’s offense is averaging 128.5 rushing yards per game and 3 yards per attempt. Nationally, they are 97th in rushing yards and 45th in passing yards, on an average of 257 yards per matchup. Illinois has averaged 22.8 points per game so far. This figure places them 76th in the nation.

So far this season, Luke Altmyer has thrown for 1888 yards, averaging 10.8 per completion. His completion percentage is 64.8%, and he’s registered 13 touchdowns.

Northwestern Team Defense

Northwestern comes into the game 85th in points allowed, allowing 22.1 points per game. Teams have been gaining 177.9 passing yards on average against them (30th). Against the run, they’re giving up 165.5 yards, placing them 113th in college football.

Illinois Team Defense

Illinois’ defense ranks 116th in points allowed, with 28 points given up per game. Teams have been averaging 227.5 passing yards against them (100th nationally). On the ground, they’ve conceded 152.2 rushing yards, putting them 86th in college football.

Northwestern vs Illinois Trends

• Northwestern is 6-4 in their last ten games road games.
• Illinois is 3-2 Against the spread in their last five games at home.
• Illinois is 2-1 in their last three games as underdogs.
• Looking back on the last five times Northwestern was favored, their ATS record was 2-3.

Northwestern vs Illinois Prediction

Northwestern’s secondary did a good job limiting Iowa’s passing game in their previous game. Despite being 5.5-point underdogs at away, I’m confident in their ability to cover against Illinois.

Illinois games have an average margin of +0.4 vs. their over/under lines this season. With the over/under line at 47.5, our prediction is that this game will go over, concluding with a combined total of 49 points.

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All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!

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* All odds are provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.Action247 does not warrant the accuracy of completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these post.