Game Information
Illinois Fighting Illini (6-3) vs Maryland Terrapins (4-5)
Time: 2:30pm CT Saturday
How to watch: FS1
DraftKings Odds
Spread: Illinois -16.5
Total: 51.5
The Illinois Fighting Illini continue their charge toward a potential 10-win season when they host the Maryland Terrapins on Saturday in Champaign.
The Illini are expected to be favored in each of their final three regular season games before heading to their bowl game - and I expect them to handle their business against the Terps.
Not only are the Illini 6-3 straight up, but they are 6-3 against the spread and have bullied teams when they are expected to win. Illinois is 5-0 ATS as a favorite while covering the spread by an average of 10.5 points in those instances.
I don’t think Maryland is the type of team that is going to hold Illinois down. The Terrapins have dropped five games in a row, including a 35-20 loss at Rutgers last week. Their defense has been getting ripped apart lately by allowing 33.6 points per game during the losing streak.
Maryland’s freshman quarterback Malik Washington is a rushing threat, but he went just 15 of 28 for 98 yards passing in the loss to Rutgers. Illinois should be able to focus on stopping Maryland on the ground without much threat of being hurt in the air.
Plus, the Illini should be able to do whatever they want offensively. Rutgers gashed Maryland for 256 yards rushing last week, so plenty of yards on the ground will be available. And look for Illinois quarterback Luke Altmyer to continue what has been a very good season, as he is averaging over 250 passing yards per game with 19 touchdowns and 4 interceptions on the year.
I still think Illinois is a very good football team. If one of Ohio State or Indiana wasn’t on the schedule, there’s a good chance this team would be sitting at 2 losses and very much alive in the College Football Playoff mix. I expect Illinois to win out in the regular season starting with a cover on Saturday against the Terps.
Lean: Illinois -16.5 at -105 on DraftKings
Eric Sontag hosts Domesticated Gamblers every Wednesday night on the STL Sports Central YouTube channel. Follow him on X @GamblingDads, and click here for his daily picks on all of our St. Louis area sports teams. Get Eric's picks for all sports by following him in the Action Network app with the username "esontag". Disclaimer