Northwestern Wildcats vs Illinois Fighting Illini Prediction, 11/25/2023 College Football Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Northwestern Wildcats vs Illinois Fighting Illini

Date: Saturday, November 25, 2023

Location: Memorial Stadium in Champaign, IL

TV: BTN

Odds/Point Spread: Fighting Illini (-4)

Total/Over-Under: 47

The Illinois Fighting Illini (5-6) host the Northwestern Wildcats (6-5) at Memorial Stadium on Saturday, November 25, 2023. Northwestern opens this contest as 4-point dogs from Vegas oddsmakers. The total is 47.

The Northwestern Wildcats head into this matchup 6-5 this year. In their last game, the Wildcats took the field against the Purdue Boilermakers and notched a win by a score of 23-15. Ben Bryant connected on 13/24 with 230 yds passing and 1 TD. He had a QB rating of 140.1 and walked away from the game with 1 interception. Cam Porter led the offense in rushing for the Wildcats with 17 carries for 95 yds (5.6 yds per attempt). When the final whistle blew, they tallied 59 plays which totaled 329 yds. The Northwestern Wildcats ended up rushing 34 different times and compiled 99 yds, which earned them an average of 2.9 yards per carry. On the ground, the Wildcats conceded 303 yds on 54 attempts, which averages out to 5.6 yards per run allowed. Northwestern conceded 17 pass completions on 23 tries for a total of 140 yards, and a completion rate of 73.9%.

Concerning putting the ball in the endzone, the Northwestern Wildcats have an average of 20.7 PPG. Offensively they maintain an average of 101.4 yards in the run game giving them a rank of 121st in the nation. The Wildcats have earned 3,282 total yards for the season. In terms of getting the ball in the endzone, Northwestern has compiled 17 passing touchdowns and 11 touchdowns on the ground. Northwestern has 182 first downs, and they have been flagged for 61 penalties for 494 yards. They have turned the football over 7 times.

When talking about yards via the pass, the Wildcats have conceded 1,957 yards which ranks them 13th in D-1. They are giving up 177.9 yards per contest through the air and conceding a completion percentage of 64.1%. During the season, they have surrendered 342.2 yards/game which ranks them 39th in the nation. They have relinquished 11 touchdowns through the air as well as 19 touchdowns on the ground. They are giving up an average of 4.3 yards per rushing attempt and 164.3 rushing yards per contest this year. During the season, they have given up 1,807 rushing yards through 11 games. The Wildcats are ranked 45th in D-1 when it comes to their opponents scoring, giving up 22.1 points per game.

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The Fighting Illini head into this matchup 5-6 for this year. For their last game, the Fighting Illini took a loss by a final score of 15-13 when they played the Iowa Hawkeyes. John Paddock ended the game with 215 yds on 22/47 passing while his QB rating was 85.2. He didn't toss any interceptions and his average yards per attempt was 4.6. Reggie Love III carried the rock 18 times for 64 yds, ending the game with 3.6 yds per carry for Illinois. The Fighting Illini finished the game with 280 yds while running 70 plays (4.0 yards per play). Illinois ran for 2.8 yds per carry, finishing with a total of 65 yds on 23 attempts. Illinois relinquished 36 rush attempts for 102 yds (2.8 yards per rush). The Fighting Illini passing defense conceded a completion percentage of 65.5%, surrendering 167 yards on 19 for 29 through the air.

The Illinois Fighting Illini have an average of 385.2 yards/game, which ranks them 64th in D-1. The Illinois offense has 739 yards of penalties on 78 violations, which is good for 19th in college football in terms of hurting your team. They maintain an average of 128.2 run yards per game and have rushed for 1,410 yards for this year. They have thrown 11 interceptions while losing 8 fumbles and they have been able to tally 226 first downs. When it comes to their scoring prowess, the Fighting Illini currently rank 97th in D-1 with an average of 22.8 points per game. For the year so far, the Fighting Illini have compiled 2,827 yards through the air as well as an average of 257.0 passing yards per game, which has them ranked 46th in D-1.

The Fighting Illini are surrendering 28.0 PPG, ranking them 89th in the country. Illinois has allowed a total of 1,645 yards rushing (149.5 yards/game) as well as 17 touchdowns by way of the ground game for the year. In total, they have allowed 308 points in total. They have surrendered 20 touchdowns via the pass as well as 227.5 yards per contest, which puts them in 70th in D-1. The Fighting Illini defense has been on the field for 789 plays, which is 113th in the country. Their defense has totaled 8 fumbles recovered and 6 interceptions so far this year.

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

Tony's Pick: Take the Fighting Illini -4

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