Nick Saban, Pat McAfee Among Those Predicting Illinois vs. Kansas Outcome

Anthony Pasciolla | Sep 7, 2024

Aug 29, 2024; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini quarterback Luke Altmyer (9) hands the ball to teammate Illinois Fighting Illini running back Aidan Laughery (21) during the second half at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images / Ron Johnson-Imagn Images

The Illinois Fighting Illini are looking to walk away with a major victory on Saturday, facing off against the Kansas Jayhawks.

Here's the predictions made by the ESPN College Gameday crew:

Desmond Howard: "I got Kansas. Jalon Daniels is back, he's healthy. I think that Kansas is going to win a close game hard-fought low-scoring ball game."

Nick Saban: "I think Kansas will win this one. I know Illinois is in kind of a tough place trying to rebuild, but they lost some significant players, especially on defense."

Pat McAfee: "I think a lot of our graphics will look very similar. We're setting ourselves up to get absolutely roasted, but I am rolling with Kansas."

Michael Phelps: "I'm going to follow the trend. This is getting out of control. Look, Illinois, we know is a Big 10 team, but Kansas all day."

Lee Corso: "Kansas wins, but they don't cover. They don't cover."

Kirk Herbstreit: "This was ugly last year. Kansas blew Illinois out. They were embarrassed. This is a chance to avenge it. Luke Altmyer, I think, will outperform Jalon Daniels. Illinois sold out Memorial Stadium, upset Kansas."

Kickoff for the Illini vs. Jayhawks is 7:00 PM EST.

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Anthony Pasciolla works as a contributing writer to Illinois Fighting Illini On SI. He can be reached at ampasciolla@gmail.com or follow him on X @AnthonyPasci.

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