Northwestern at Illinois Analysis, Odds, Spread, Date & Start Time for College Football Week 13 Game
Date: Saturday, Nov. 27, 2021
Time: 2:30 p.m. CT
Location: University of Illinois Memorial Stadium; Champaign, Ill.
It is officially the last week of the regular season for Northwestern and once again they enter their matchup as underdogs. Not that it is uncalled for as it has been a season to forget for the Wildcats, who enter their game against Illinois with a 3-8 record.
Covering the spread has been a difficult task to do for Northwestern this season as they are also 3-8 against the spread, struggling to beat the good teams on their schedule. Look no further than here for all the analysis you need on your betting options for the game against Illinois.
Betting Overview:
Spread:
To summarize the spread, it is how much the favorite is favored to win by. If a spread is -5, if the favored team wins by five or more they cover the spread. However if they win by four or less, or lose, the underdog covers the spread. As they say, good teams win but great teams cover.
Over/under:
The over/under, or as it is sometimes referred to as the total, is most often a bet regarding the total number of points. So if the over/under is 50 points, if the two teams combine for 51 points the over hit but if they combine for 49 the under hit. On the occasion the total is an exact 50, this is what is referred to as a push.
Moneyline:
The moneyline requires you to simply pick a winner straight up. If the moneyline is +155, a bet of $100 on that team would get you your $100 back and see you win $155 as well. For odds of -155, you would have to bet $155 just to win $100.
Northwestern at Illinois Analysis:
Odds courtesy of SI Sportsbook.
Spread: Northwestern +6.5
The biggest test for Northwestern in this one will once again fall on the shoulders of the defense. Illinois features one of the best running backs in the Big Ten in Chase Brown, and if the Northwestern defense can't manage to slow him down then it will be a long day for the Wildcats. Offensively, if Northwestern were to get things going, this would be the game to do so ranks in the bottom half defensively in the BIg Ten against both the pass and the run.
Moneyline: Northwestern +188/Illinois -250
I normally do not recommend putting money on the Northwestern moneyline but I think this may be an exception. I think defensively Northwestern can contain the Illinois offense enough to pull out a slim victory. Also, as cliche as it is, in a rivalry game you throw out the records because there truly is no telling what could happen. Northwestern has won six straight against the Illini and I would not be that surprised to see them make it seven on Saturday.
Over/under: 44.5
I recommended hammering the under last week against Purdue and while I was right in the under hitting, I was a bit nervous at the end that it would go over. Ultimately though the two teams combined for 46 points, a mere two points away from going over. This week I would hammer the under again as while Purdue is capable of lighting up the scoreboard, I do not see either team doing that in this one in what should be a low-scoring game.
Last Week's Picks:
Well, it is safe to say I was just a bit off in my prediction for Northwestern's game last Saturday against Purdue. I thought the Northwestern defense would slow down the Purdue offense enough to keep it within 11 but they ultimately couldn't get the job done, losing 32-14. In this one, I'm going to go ahead and take Northwestern plus the points. It should be a low-scoring game and in rivalry games anything can happen.
Season to date: 4-7
This week's pick: Northwestern wins and covers the spread.
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Game Day Hub: Game Preview, Odds, How to Watch + More for Northwestern at Illinois
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Connor Zimmerlee is a writer and reporter for Wildcats Daily. Zimmerlee received his Bachelor's of Journalism from the University of Texas at Austin as part of the class of 2021 and now attends the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern.