Illinois Fighting Illini vs Northwestern Wildcats Matchup

Check out our free Illinois Fighting Illini vs Northwestern Wildcats pick and preview for this CFB week 14 game in Chicago. See who we like to win and cover the spread in this week 14 CFB matchup.

Illinois is favored at -7.5 as they head into this week 14 matchup against Northwestern at 12:00 ET on Saturday, November 30th. The game is being played at Wrigley Field in Chicago, with the over/under line set at 44 points. The Illini are 8-3 on the season, while Northwestern comes in with a 4-7 record. The game is being broadcast on BTN.

Fighting Illini vs. Wildcats Matchup At A Glance

Sport: CFB
Teams: Illinois Fighting Illini at Northwestern Wildcats
Where: Chicago at Wrigley Field
Date: Saturday, November 30th
Betting Odds ILL -7.5, ILL -286 | NW +234 O/U 44

Fighting Illini Preview:

Illinois enters Week 14 with an 8-3 record and a 100% chance of bowl eligibility. They’ve gone 4-1 at home and 1-2 on the road this season. Despite being favored in just two games, the Fighting Illini are ranked 47th in our power rankings.

Illinois has a +6.5 average scoring margin and a 5-3 record against the spread. They’ve gone 4-2 ATS as underdogs and 2-1 on the road. This season, they’ve been favored in only two games.

The over/under line for this week is 44 points. Illinois games have averaged 49.6 points, with an average over/under line of 48.8 points. Their over/under record stands at 2-6 this season.

Fighting Illini Offense Breakdown

Illinois’ offense ranks 53rd in points per game, scoring 28.1, and they are 40th in our offensive power rankings heading into week 14. Luke Altmyer has thrown for 2,373 yards, completing 61% of his passes, and has 20 touchdowns with just three interceptions. His passer rating is 102, and Illinois ranks 26th nationally in passer rating. They also convert 44.1% of their third downs, ranking 32nd.

On the ground, Illinois averages 146.1 rushing yards per game. Josh McCray leads the team with 449 yards and eight touchdowns, averaging 4 yards per carry. Pat Bryant is the leading receiver with 908 yards and nine touchdowns on 49 catches.

Fighting Illini Team Defense

Illinois' defense has given up an average of 21.5 points per game this season, ranking 31st nationally. In their recent game against Rutgers, they allowed 31 points and 387 total yards, including 213 rushing yards and 174 passing yards.

Opponents are averaging 154.7 rushing yards per game against Illinois, while quarterbacks have posted a 60.7% completion rate and a passer rating of 85.6, averaging 212.1 passing yards per game.

Wildcats Preview:

Illinois has a +6.5 average scoring margin and a 5-3 record against the spread. They’ve gone 4-2 ATS as underdogs and 2-1 on the road. This season, they’ve been favored in only two games.

The over/under line for this week is 44 points. Illinois games have averaged 49.6 points, with an average over/under line of 48.8 points. Their over/under record stands at 2-6 this season.

Wildcats Offense Breakdown

Northwestern’s offense has struggled this season, averaging just 16.9 points per game, which ranks 100th in the nation. They are 113th in our offensive power rankings heading into week 14. Their third-down conversion rate is only 31.1%, and they are 123rd in rushing, with 98.7 yards per game.

Quarterback Jack Lausch has thrown for 1,427 yards, with five touchdowns and six interceptions. He has a passer rating of 67. Cam Porter leads the rushing attack with 448 yards and six touchdowns, averaging 3 yards per carry. Bryce Kirtz is the top receiver with 573 yards on 37 catches.

Wildcats Team Defense

Northwestern's defense has allowed an average of 25.3 points per game this season, including 50 points in their recent loss to Michigan. In that game, they gave up 396 total yards, with 201 rushing yards and five rushing touchdowns, while allowing 195 passing yards but also securing an interception.

Opponents have averaged 237.4 passing yards per game against Northwestern, completing 63.3% of their passes. The Wildcats rank 44th nationally in rushing defense, giving up 123.6 yards per game on 31.7 attempts per contest, which is the 30th fewest rushing attempts faced in the country.

Fighting Illini vs Wildcats Betting Odds, Trends & Analysis

Illinois has a 1-2 record in their last three road games. In this stretch, they averaged 18 points per game while allowing 30. The team also performed well vs the spread at 2-1.
Across their five previous home games, Northwestern has an ATS mark of 2-3. Their straight up record in these matchups was 2-3 while averaging 17 points per game.
In their last three games as the betting underdog, the Northwestern Wildcats have a straight up record of 1-2 and an ATS mark of 2-1.
Looking back on the team's last ten games as the favorite, the Illinois Fighting Illini have a straight up record of 8-2. Their record vs the spread in these games was 3-7.