Northwestern vs Illinois 11/26/22 College Football Picks, Predictions, Odds

The Illinois Fighting Illini and the Northwestern Wildcats meet Saturday in college football action from Ryan Field. Illinois is coming off a game versus Michigan. In that one the Illini lost by two points in a tough outcome. As for Northwestern, they played Purdue over the weekend. The Wildcats went on to fall by eight points. Check back all season long for free college football picks at Sports Chat Place.

Illinois won seven of their first eight games this year, beating Wyoming, Virginia, Chattanooga, Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota and Nebraska. The Illini lost their next two games however, falling to Michigan State and Purdue. 

In the Michigan game, Illinois had a 17-10 lead going into the fourth quarter. After three Michigan field goals (and some questionable calls), the Illini had a 19-17 loss. QB Tommy Devito had 178 yards, and Chase Brown added 140 yards and two scores.  

Over on the Northwestern side, they beat Nebraska in their opener. After that came a rough losing streak versus Duke, Southern Illinois, Miami-OH, Penn State, Wisconsin, Maryland, Iowa, Ohio State and Minnesota. 

Matched up against Purdue back on Saturday, Northwestern took a 14-3 deficit into the final quarter. The Wildcats couldn’t make the comeback in a 17-9 loss. QB Cole Freeman put up 78 yards and a pick, while Evan Hull rushed 22 times for 105 yards and a TD. 

The Illini are 7-1 ATS in the last eight road games and 6-2 ATS in their last eight in November. Illinois is 10-4 ATS in their last 14 overall. 

Meanwhile, Northwestern is 4-1 ATS versus a team with a winning record and 1-4 ATS in their last five at home. The Wildcats are 0-7 ATS in their last seven after an ATS win. 

PICK: I’m going to stay with Illinois. The Illini took a rough loss in Michigan over the weekend in a game that easily could have gone in their favor. Illinois managed 326 total yards, 20 first downs and zero turnovers. Illinois is going to have to rebound quickly to get ready for this one. 

As for Northwestern, they had a pretty flat game against Purdue with 240 yards (162 rushing), 14 first downs and three turnovers. I don’t think the Wildcats will hang around for long against an angry Illinois team. 

Andrew Follow on X November 20, 2022