Big 10 football on Saturday and we will see the Northwestern Wildcats travel to Champaign, Illinois to take on the Illinois Fighting Illini. The game has a start time of 3:30 pm (Eastern) and be will televised on the Big 10 Network. Current odds have Northwestern listed as 3.5 point favorites, while the total sits at 60.
Analysis: Northwestern came into the year with high hopes after last years 10 win season, but it hasn't panned out as they have gone just 4-7 on the year and are in the basement of the Legends Division of the Big 10. Northwestern's offense has struggled all year long, as it ranks 11th in the conference in scoring only 25.2 ppg, and it reached new lows in the loss to MSU by amassing just six points and 319 yards. Trevor Siemian has had an unproductive season under center, completing fewer than 58 percent of his passes for 1,735 yards with 7 Tds and 9 INTs. QB Kain Colter is questionable for his final college game after leaving the Michigan State game following a helmet-to-helmet hit. At receiver, Tony Jones (50 receptions, 586 yards, four TDs) is Siemian's favorite target, while Christian Jones (41 receptions, 486 yards, two TDs) has also been stellar. The Wildcats' have played well on defense, as they have picked off a league- high 18 passes, while allowing a respectable 26.5 ppg.
The Fighting Illini snapped a 20-game losing streak in Big Ten games with a 20-16 victory over Purdue last week. Overall the Illini are 4-7 , while also having a 1-6 mark in the Big 10. Despite the poor record, this is an offense that has averaged 420.7 ypg and 29.3 ppg. Nathan Scheelhaase has had a strong senior season, completing 66.5% of his passes for a Big Ten- leading 2,965 yards with 23 touchdowns (four rushing), but he also leads the league in INTs with 12. Josh Ferguson is a solid multi-purpose back as he has rushed for 669 yards and five scores, while also grabbing 47 receptions for 509 yards and four more scores. The offense has been good this year, but a big reason for the losing record is a defense that has allowed the third-most points in the conference (35.3 ppg). The Fighting Illini lead the series 54-47-5, but the Wildcats have won seven of the last 10 meetings.
Pick: Going with the Wildcats here. Last week the Illini got their first Big 10 win in 21 games and they will probably have a bit of a letdown in this one. On the other side of the field we have a Northwestern team that will be fighting very hard to avoid an 0-8 Big 10 season this year. I look for the cats to win this one by about a TD.
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