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Illinois Fighting Illini vs Oregon Ducks: A Big Ten Conference matchup

The Oregon Ducks are hosting the Illinois Fighting Illini at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, OR on Saturday.

Illinois faces a real challenge

The Illinois Fighting Illini are ranked 20th in the nation and are currently fourth in the Big Ten with a 6-1 record, including 3-1 in conference play. The Fighting Illini have won the last two games and are coming off a 21-7 win over Michigan. Junior quarterback Luke Altmyer is having a solid season with 1,506 total yards, 15 TDs, and only one interception with a 72.6 QB rating. Illinois is 26th in the league, allowing 18.1 points per game, and is ranked 62nd, scoring 29.6.

Can the Ducks stay undefeated?

The Oregon Ducks are ranked number 1 in the nation with a perfect 7-0 record, including 4-0 in conference play. They are coming off a 35-0 win against Purdue on the road in their first road shutout in over 30 years. Senior Dillon Gabriel has 2,080 total yards, 15 TDs, and is ranked eighth in the nation with an 84.4 QB rating. The Ducks are on top of the league with 76.4% completion and 23rd with 458.6 yards per game.

Betting Trends

The Ducks are 8-0 SU in their last 8 games overall, 12-0 SU in their last 12 home games, and 5-0 SU in their last 5 games against teams from the Big Ten Conference. They are 7-2-1 ATS in their last 10 games in October and 2-4 ATS in their last 6 games as favorites. Oregon has played over the total point line in 12 of their last 15 games in Week 9 and 4 of their last 6 games played on Saturday while they have stayed under in 7 of their last 10 games overall. The Fighting Illini are 6-1 SU in their last 7 games overall, 7-2 SU in their last 9 games played in October, and 4-1 SU in their last 5 games played on Saturday. They are 5-1-1 ATS in their last 7 games overall and 5-0 ATS in their last 5 games on the road. Illinois has played under the total point line in 5 of their last 7 games overall and 10 of their last 12 games played in Week 9 while they have gone over in 6 of their last 9 games against conference rivals.

Prediction and Conclusion

This is the Oregon Ducks’ first season in the Big Ten Conference and will host the Illinois Fighting Illini for the first time since 1995. What is more important, the Ducks have an impressive start going into Week 9 undefeated. Last week, they did not allow any points to the Boilermakers, and they did an even better job with a one-point win against Ohio State the week before. On the other hand, the Fighting Illini, for the first time since 2009, will play against the number 1 ranked team in the nation. They proved their character many times this season, winning two of their games in overtime, and will definitely not lack a motive in this one. Oregon is a 22.5-point favorite going into this game, which is simply too much. Illinois has a very solid team led by Luke Altmyer, who will keep his team close, so we go with Illinois to cover the spread in this one.