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The Illinois Fighting Illini are 1-6 against the Wisconsin Badgers since October of 2015, but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Saturday. Illinois and Wisconsin will face off in a Big Ten battle at noon ET at Camp Randall Stadium. The Fighting Illini will be strutting in after a win while the Badgers will be stumbling in from a defeat.
Illinois got themselves on the board against the Chattanooga Mocs last Thursday, but Chattanooga never followed suit. Illinois blew past the Mocs 31 to nothing. The team accrued 24 points in the first half and coasted on those for the victory. Illinois QB Tommy DeVito was slinging it as he passed for three TDs and 329 yards on 31 attempts. That was the first 300+ yard effort for DeVito this season.
Meanwhile, the night started off rough for the Badgers last week, and it ended that way, too. Things couldn't have gone much worse for them as they lost 52-21 to the Ohio State Buckeyes. Wisconsin was in a tough position by the half, with the score already sitting at 31-7. The losing side was boosted by RB Braelon Allen, who rushed for one TD and 165 yards on 23 carries. That touchdown -- a 75-yard rush in the fourth quarter -- was one of the highlights of the game.
The Fighting Illini are expected to lose this next one by 7. If their 3-0 record against the spread is anything to go by, the prospects look good for bets placed on them.
Illinois is now 3-1 while Wisconsin sits at 2-2. Two defensive stats to keep in the back of your head while watching: Illinois enters the matchup having picked the ball off six times, good for 10th in the nation. But Wisconsin is even better: they enter the contest having picked the ball off eight times, good for fourth in the nation. We'll see if that edge gives Wisconsin a route to victory.
