Michigan vs. Illinois prediction: Week 8 CFB odds, picks, best bets
Michigan’s national title defense has been underwhelming this year and its 4-2 record is misleading.The No.
24 Wolverines narrowly escaped against USC and Minnesota before losing to Washington.Coming off a bye week, can coach Sheronne Moore right the ship with a road test against No.
22 Illinois?We’ve seen a steady stream of Michigan money all week, moving this line from an opener of -1.5 for the Wolverines to the current -4.5.Let’s dive in and see if there’s any value left in Saturday’s Big Ten matchup.Moore won’t admit it publicly, but I fully believe he intended to name Jack Tuttle his starting quarterback this season.An offseason elbow injury, however, threw a wrench into those plans, and we didn’t see Tuttle until the second quarter against Washington. Tuttle had an interception and a fumble in the game but it was his first live reps in nearly a year, and he’s a better downfield passer than Alex Orji or Davis Warren.
With the benefit of a bye week to get up to speed in the offense, I expect Tuttle to play a much cleaner game this week.Tight end Colston Loveland’s return to full health after missing the USC game will also be pivotal.However, I don’t expect Tuttle to need to do a ton in this game.
The Wolverines will bully an Illini run defense that ranks 105th in defensive line yards.Expect Kalel Mullings and Donovan Edwards to churn out chunk yardage, keeping Tuttle out of obvious passing situations on third-and-long.Luke Altmyer has had a strong season under center for the Illini, averaging 8.6 yards per attempt and passing for 14 touchdowns to one interception.
However, according to Pro Football Focus, the former Ole Miss transfer is due for some negative regression with nine big-time throws to nine turnover-worthy plays.Altmyer has especially struggled under pressure, with an 8.4% turnover-worthy play rate.According to PFF, Michigan has the best pass rush unit in the country and Illinois ranks just 93rd in pass-blocking.
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