The Minnesota Golden Gophers will travel to Champaign this weekend to face No. 24 Illinois Fighting Illini in a Week 10 Big Ten Conference matchup on Saturday, Nov. 2, at noon E.T.
After an abysmal 2-3 start, Minnesota (5-3, 3-2 Big Ten) has rallied back with three wins on the trot. Last weekend, the Gophers topped the Maryland Terrapins in a dominant 48-23 victory.
Illinois (6-2, 3-2 Big Ten) is coming off a 9-38 blowout loss at the hands of the Oregon Ducks last Sunday. With three Top 25 wins on the season, the Illini will look to continue their strong play with a win on Saturday to keep their playoff hopes alive.
Here are our predictions for this Week 10 matchup and some betting tips for the game.
Minnesota vs. Illinois: Prediction
With sportsbooks seemingly favoring recent success over a Week 9 slip-up, Minnesota enters this weekend as a 3-point favorite over the No. 24 team in the country. Unlike the sportsbooks, we will consider Illinois' success throughout the season and give the Illini a win in our prediction.
While Illinois' loss to Oregon was nothing short of embarrassing, the Illini beat the top three Top 25 teams, including Michigan who defeated Minnesota in Week 5.
Minnesota vs. Illinois: Betting Tips
Tip 1: Illinois Fighting Illinis +3 (-115)
Tip 2: Illinois Total Points Over 20.5 (-125)
Tip 3: Darius Taylor Anytime Touchdown (-160)
Minnesota vs. Illinois: Head-to-Head
Minnesota will face Illinois for the 77th time in the rivalry's history. The Gophers lead the series with 40 wins. Illinois has won 33 matchups against Minnesota, including last year's 27-26 nailbiting victory over the Gophers.
The Illini have won the last three matchups between the two schools, with Minnesota's last win coming during the 2020 season. The Gophers topped Illinois 41-14 in Champaign. Despite Illinois' recent success, the previous ten head-to-head games of the series have been split evenly with each team winning five games.
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