Oregon Ducks Betting Odds: 21-Point Favorites Over No. 20 Illinois

The No. 1 Oregon Ducks open up as three touchdown favorites over the No. 20 Illinois Fighting Illini as they look to defend their No. 1 ranking for the first time of the season on Saturday.

Oct 18, 2024; West Lafayette, Indiana, USA; Oregon Ducks wide receiver Justius Lowe (14) is tackled by Purdue Boilermakers linebacker Yanni Karlaftis (14) during the second half at Ross-Ade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images / Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images

The No. 1 Oregon Ducks took care of business in their 35-0 shutout win over Purdue on a Friday night. The Ducks will head into their Saturday afternoon game as big favorites and as the new No. 1 team in the country. Despite having a ranked opponent travel to Autzen Stadium, the Ducks open up as -21.5 favorites against the No. 20 Illinois Fighting Illini according to FanDuel.

They got rewarded the following day when then-No. 1 Texas lost to Georgia on Saturday night in surprising fashion. That loss catapulted the Ducks to the top spot in the polls.

Analytics also favors the Ducks as ESPN's Football Power Index gives Oregon a 91.5 percent chance to win the game.

Oct 18, 2024; West Lafayette, Indiana, USA; Oregon Ducks wide receiver Tez Johnson (15) runs the ball past Purdue Boilermakers defensive back Botros Alisandro (19) during the first quarter at Ross-Ade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images / Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images

Why Ducks are heavily favored

Oregon and Illinois shared a recent common opponent in Purdue. The Illini played the Boilermakers the week before the Ducks did. Purdue nearly came close to pulling off the upset against Illinois, but the Boilermakers came up short in overtime, falling 50-49.

The Ducks played Purdue the following week and picked up their first road shutout win since 1992. Oregon's defense has been playing phenomenal since the Boise State game, where the Ducks relied on a game-winning field goal to overcome the Broncos 37-34.

Ducks' quarterback Dillon Gabriel was great in the win over Purdue. He threw for 290 yards and two touchdowns as he orchestrated the Oregon offense all game long. If he continues to play at a high level and keep the Ducks rolling, there's a good chance that Oregon could cover the spread.

Oct 19, 2024; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini quarterback Luke Altmyer (9) celebrates after scoring a touchdown against the Michigan Wolverines during the second half at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images / Ron Johnson-Imagn Images

Illinois' quarterback Luke Altmyer has been surgical for the Illini through seven games. He's thrown for 1,506 yards and 15 touchdowns with only one interception. He's led Illinois to a 6-1 record, with their lone loss coming to Penn State.

Illinois is not a stranger to pulling off upsets in big games. They are coming off a ranked win over No. 24 Michigan where the Illini upset the 5.5-point favorite Wolverines in Champaign. Earlier in the season, the Illini upset Nebraska when the Cornhuskers were 9.5-point favorites. The Illini would win the game 31-24.

It's a big week for Oregon coach Dan Lanning. The Ducks are ranked No. 1 for the first time in over a decade. Oregon has been favored in every game this season except for the historic matchup vs. Ohio State on Oct. 12. The Buckeyes were 3-point favorites on the road at Autzen, and the Ducks managed to pull off the upset as the home underdog.

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