Illinois Fighting Illini (7-3) vs. Rutgers Scarlet Knights (6-4)
November 23, 2024 12:00 pm EDT
The Line: Rutgers Scarlet Knights +1.5 / Illinois Fighting Illini -1.5; Over/Under: +50.5
(Get latest betting odds)
The Illinois Fighting Illini and the Rutgers Scarlet Knights meet Saturday in college football action from SHI Stadium. Here’s a Rutgers vs Illinois prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best Rutgers vs Illinois pick.
Illinois Fighting Illini Betting Preview
Illinois managed to beat Eastern Illinois, Kansas, Central Michigan, and Nebraska in their first quartet this year before a loss to Penn State. The Illini would then take out Purdue and Michigan before consecutive losses to Oregon and Minnesota in the next pair.
On Saturday versus Michigan State, the Illini put up 14 points in the first and fourth quarters during a 38-16 win. Luke Altmyer threw for 231 yards and two TDs. Josh McCray led the rush on nine carries for 61 yards and three scores of his own.
Rutgers Scarlet Knights Betting Preview
Over on the Knights’ side, they beat Howard, Akron, Virginia Tech, and Washington before a loss to Nebraska. The losing skid continued against Wisconsin, UCLA, and USC, but the Scarlet Knights would recover on a win over Minnesota on November 9.
On Saturday versus Maryland, Rutgers took a 21-17 lead into the fourth quarter and eventually won 31-17 after 10 unanswered points. Athan Kaliakmanis threw for 238 yards and two touchdowns. Leading rusher Kyle Monangai carried 25 times for 97 yards and two scores on the ground.
Why the Rutgers Scarlet Knights will win
- The team ranked 24th in the AP Poll has lost each of its last five games.
- The home team has won five of Illinois’ last six games.
- The team ranked 24th in the AP Poll has failed to cover the spread in five of its last six games.
- The home team has covered the spread in three of Illinois’ last four games.
Why the Illinois Fighting Illini will win
- Rutgers has lost 13 of its last 14 home games in November.
- Illinois has won six of its last seven November road games against non-AP-ranked teams.
- Illinois has covered the spread in each of its last 11 road games in November.
- Rutgers has failed to cover the spread in each of its last nine games against AP-ranked teams.
Total Points Facts
- Each of Rutgers’ last eight home games in November has gone OVER the total points line.
- Six of Illinois’ last eight November games against non-AP-ranked teams have gone OVER the total points line.
Rutgers vs Illinois Prediction
I’ll go with Illinois here. You could certainly make a case either way, though. The Illini didn’t have a ton of issues with Michigan State on Saturday but didn’t really break the game open until the fourth quarter. Illinois ended up with 369 yards (231 passing), 18 first downs, and a pretty solid 8-of-15 on third-down tries. Perhaps more importantly, the defense held the Spartans to 2-of-15 on thirds.
As for Rutgers, they managed 370 yards (238 passing) in their win over Maryland but did give up 457 (335 passing) on the other side. The Knights have scored 26 or more points in three of the last four (20 in the other) so we could be in for a fairly high total here. Ultimately I like the Illini to walk away with the road cover/win, though.
