Wisconsin vs Illinois Predictions Against the Spread

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Memorial Stadium

Memorial Stadium is the venue where Matt Robinson and the Illinois Fighting Illini will take on the Wisconsin Badgers on Saturday. Wisconsin opens this contest as 29-point favorites. The Badgers are 5-1-0 ATS and 2-4-0 when betting on the total. The Fighting Illini are 3-3-0 when wagering on the over/under and 3-3-0 against the spread.

In their last game, the Wisconsin Badgers faced the Michigan State Spartans and ended up getting the victory by a score of 38-0. Taking the lead at quarterback for the Badgers was Jack Coan who went 18/21 with 180 yards through the air and completed 1 TD. He finished the game without throwing an interception. Jonathan Taylor led the team in rushing for that contest. He tore off a long run of 13 yards and he notched 2 touchdowns for the game. He rushed for 80 yards via 26 carries which meant he averaged 3.1 yards per run. Jake Ferguson led the team in receiving yardage with a tally of 62 yards on 4 receptions. He earned an average of 15.5 yards per catch for that contest. The Badgers ran the ball 45 times and totaled 223 yards which had them averaging 5.0 yards per carry. In the game, the Badgers totaled 22 1st downs and they had 1 penalty for 10 yards telling us that they had a strong outing in terms of discipline. In the game, they ran 66 plays which added up to 403 yards. When discussing the defense, Wisconsin allowed 12 catches on 30 throws for a total of 119 yards, and a completion percentage of 40.0%. On the ground, the Badgers allowed 30 yards on 21 attempts which gave them an average of 1.4 yards per attempt allowed. For the game, they conceded a total of 149 yards and earned 2 turnovers.

The Badgers come into this matchup with a record of 6-0 for this season. For total yards, they rank 4th in the Big Ten Conference and 40th in college football with 2,688 yards. They are one of the most potent offenses in the country averaging 42.5 points per contest, ranking them 8th in college football. As a unit, they are averaging 249.3 rushing yards per contest which is 2nd in the conference. The Badgers have one of the best defenses in Division 1, allowing 4.8 points per game putting them 1st in the conference. When it comes to passing yards, the Badgers have allowed 1,192 yards. Teams are completing 43.9% of the passes they throw against them and averaging 4.1 yards per try. In discussing rushing yards, Wisconsin is giving up 47.5 yards per contest which has them at 1st in the conference and 1st in D-1. They are allowing teams to run for an average of 1.9 yards per carry putting them 2nd in the conference and 2nd in college football overall. In total, they have conceded 285 yards rushing through 6 contests.

Related: Gambling 101 Series on How Odds are Calculated - Watch Tony George Explain

In their last game, the Illinois Fighting Illini went up against the Michigan Wolverines and lost 42-25. Leading the way at QB for the Fighting Illini was Matt Robinson who went 16/25 with 192 yards through the air and added 1 touchdown. He finished this contest without throwing a pick. Dre Brown paced the team in rushing for that game. He had a long run of 15 yards and he tallied 1 TD for the game. He rushed for 39 yards via 8 carries which gave him an average of 4.9 yards per carry. Josh Imatorbhebhe was the receiving yardage leader with a total of 102 yards on 5 catches. He averaged 20.4 yards per reception for that game. The Fighting Illini ended up rushing 43 times and generated 64 yards earning them an average of 1.5 yards per rush. Overall, they ran 72 plays which added up to 256 yards. For the contest, the Fighting Illini had a total of 17 1st downs and they had 10 penalties for 95 yards telling us that this team had an undisciplined week of practice. When discussing the defense, Illinois gave up 11 catches on 22 throws totaling 194 yards, and a completion percentage of 50.0%. On the day, they conceded a total of 489 yards and earned 2 takeaways. Against the run, the Fighting Illini gave up 295 yards on 48 attempts which means they had an average of 6.1 yards per attempt allowed.

Related: Get college football picks & tips on all of today's games

The Fighting Illini come into this matchup with a record of 2-4. Illinois is having a year to forget in the ground game by averaging 147.2 yards on the ground per contest, putting them 86th in Division 1. As a team, they have compiled a total of 883 yards rushing through 6 games, so they are going to want to make some changes to the ground game if they want to make teams respect them. The Fighting Illini average 338 yards per game overall putting them 112th in D-1 and 12th in the conference. The Fighting Illini are giving up 30.7 points per game ranking them 13th in the Big Ten Conference and 96th in D-1. Their pass defense is one of the mediocre groups in the country. They are conceding 232.5 passing yards per contest. For passing yards allowed per game, the Fighting Illini currently sit at 11th in the conference. In terms of points allowed, they have given up 184 total points. When it comes to yards on the ground, they are conceding 204.7 yards per contest ranking them 108th in the nation and 13th in the Big Ten Conference. This year, they have allowed a total of 1,228 yards rushing and 10.2 rushing touchdowns.

Who will win tonight's Badgers/Fighting Illini college football game against the spread?

Tony's Pick: Take the Fighting Illini +29

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here

Read more articles by Tony Sink