Minnesota (5-3, 3-2 Huge 10) at No. 24 Illinois (6-2, 3-2), Saturday, twelve noon ET (FS1)
BetMGM College Football Chances: Minnesota by 3.
Series record: Minnesota leads 40-33-2.
WHAT’S AT STAKE?
After losing 38-9 recently to No. 1 Oregon, the Illini danger leaving of the AP Top 25 with a home loss to Minnesota. The Gophers had a best October, beating then-No. 11 Southern California, UCLA and Maryland, and will end up being bowl eligible with a win over Illinois. Minnesota hasn’t beaten 2 Leading 25 groups throughout the routine season because 2000.
SECRET MATCH
Illinois QB Luke Altmyer vs. the Minnesota secondary. Altmyer is seventh in the Big 10 in passing yardage (1,667), seventh in passing effectiveness (143.9 ), 4th in TD passes (15) and connected for very first for least interceptions (3 ). He’ll be checked by the Gophers, who have actually enabled simply 5 passing TDs this season. CBs Justin Walley and Ethan Robinson closed down Maryland’s hazardous passing attack recently.
GAMERS TO VIEW
Illinois: DB Xavier Scott. Called today among 15 semifinalists for the Jim Thorpe Award that honors the country’s finest defensive back, Scott is connected for 3rd in the Big 10 with 3 interceptions and has 29 deals with, 2 deals with for losses, a sack, 2 pass breaks up and a forced fumble.
Minnesota: WR Elijah Spencer. In his 2nd season with the Gophers after moving from Charlotte, Spencer lastly had a breakout video game versus Maryland recently with 6 catches for 99 lawns and 2 goals. He offers the Gophers another downfield risk in addition to Daniel Jackson, who had 9 catches for 117 lawns and TDs vs. Maryland after a career-high 10 captures 2 weeks previously versus UCLA.
INFORMATION & & FIGURES
Illinois has actually been ranked for 7 successive weeks, the most because the 2001 Big 10 champion group was ranked for 10 straight weeks … The Illini are the only Big 10 group with 3 wins over ranked groups this season. Their only losses are to No. 1 Oregon and No. 3 Penn State. … The Gophers beat Maryland 48-23 recently. It was the most points they ‘d scored in a conference video game because 2019, when they beat Maryland 52-10. The 25-point margin of triumph was their biggest in a Huge 10 video game because a 31-3 win over Northwestern in 2022. … Minnesota security Koi Perich leads the Huge 10 and is No. 2 in the country with 5 interceptions. The freshman likewise leads the conference with approximately 14.2 lawns per punt return. … The Gophers last had a four-game Huge 10 winning streak in 2021– a streak ended by the Illini with a 14-6 win at Minnesota.
Source: NewsDay.