Oregon and Illinois will face off in a Big Ten football showdown on Saturday at Autzen Stadium.
As always, it’s time to make some picks.
Coming off a dominant win over Purdue, the No. 1 Ducks remain unbeaten at 7-0 as the No. 20 Illini come to town. Despite facing a ranked opponent, Oregon is listed as a heavy, 22.5-point favorite on Saturday.
That said, here’s a look at our best bets for Saturday’s Big Ten battle:
Total UNDER 54.5
While Saturday will feature a matchup between two prolific offenses, we expect the game to take the form of a more traditional Big Ten game on Saturday.
In Illinois’ only loss so far this season, the Illini bottled up a dangerous Penn State offense, holding the Nittany Lions to 21 points while managing just seven points themselves.
This week, Illinois slides into a similar spot, on the road against a top-ten team. The Illini ran for just 34 yards against Penn State while quarterback Luke Altmeyer was sacked a whopping seven times.
So far this season, Oregon’s defensive line has looked dominant. As a result, we expect Illinois to struggle up front offensively while its defense keeps Oregon uncomfortable for at least a half.