Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it.

For the No. 24 Michigan Wolverines (4-2), they’ll be hoping there were lessons learned from their nail-biter 2022 matchup against currently No. 22-ranked Illinois (5-1).

It was a chilly day at Michigan Stadium on November 19, 2022 — the temperature was just 25 degrees with a real feel of just nine with 15 mph winds swirling. It was a brutal day to watch football at The Big House, let alone play in the game.

It was a game where Michigan running back Blake Corum injured his knee, requiring surgery that took him out of the Big Ten Championship and College Football Playoff.

The Illinois defense flew to the football all game long and made an abundance of hard hits. It was the definition of a smashmouth Big Ten Football game.

Michigan trailed 17-10 heading into the fourth quarter, but Michigan’s defense held Illinois scoreless in the final frame and the offense did just enough to turn a loss into a win. Jake Moody made three field goals in the fourth quarter, including one with just nine seconds left to put Michigan up 19-17.

Moody’s game-winning kick wouldn’t have been possible if it wasn’t for Isaiah Gash hauling in a clutch catch on 4th & 3 earlier in the drive. Illinois head coach Bret Bielema went on to criticize the officiating after the game saying he was “extremely pissed off” and “very angry” about everything that he perceived went against Illinois.

The win put Michigan at 11-0 on the season heading into a road matchup against Ohio State, a game they won 45-23 to finish the regular season undefeated.

On Monday, Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore reflected on the matchup. Moore was Michigan’s offensive coordinator at the time.

“It was a physical battle. It was physical at the line scrimmage. It was physical in the air. I remember it was super windy. We couldn’t throw one direction, so you can only run one direction because the wind was all over the place. It went down to the wire and I thought our kids fought to the end — offensively, defensively, special teams, Jake Moody hitting the kick to win it. It was a tough battle, and we know it’s going to be a tough battle down there. It’s a physical team that Coach Bielema does a great job coaching his program from his days at Wisconsin to now. So, we’re just ready for the challenge.”

Moore noted that it’s a different Michigan team and a different Illinois team. However, Moore anticipates Illinois to play with the same style as 2022.

“Coach Bielema does an outstanding job building the program, physicality, toughness, detail in what they do offensively,” Moore said.

Moore went on to call the Illinois defense “tough.”

“Physical defense,” Moore said. “You’ve got to be ready for that challenge.”

Part of the challenge will be starting out faster than they did in 2022 when they scored just seven points in the first half. Illinois will want to turn this into a bare-knuckle brawl once again. While Michigan has a lot of new faces on its roster than they did in 2022, they still have plenty of key pieces who were around for that game including Donovan Edwards, Kalel Mullings, Makari Paige, Will Johnson, Colston Loveland, and Kenneth Grant. These Michigan leaders, along with Sherrone Moore, are fully aware of what Illinois is capable of if they put together a cohesive game plan. It may be 2024, but the 2022 game still means something and has set the template for what we should expect to see on Saturday in Champaign, Illinois.

Big Ten football returns this weekend as No. 24 Michigan hits the road against No. 22 Illinois in college football’s Week 8 action on Saturday. Let’s check in with some of the early predictions for the game from the nation’s oddsmakers.

Michigan is coming off its first loss in Big Ten play against Washington two weeks ago and still lacks a credible vertical threat, ranking 131st out of 134 FBS teams in passing production, and as a result is 102nd nationally in scoring offense with 23.5 points per game.

Illinois won its two Big Ten games by a combined 8 points with a 21-7 decision at Penn State the school’s only loss heading into this first of two matchups against ranked conference opponents.

What do the wiseguys think of this weekend’s Big Ten matchup?

Let’s look at how the oddsmakers are predicting the Michigan vs. Illinois game this weekend.

The books call the road team the early favorite here, but by the slimmest of margins.

Michigan is a 1 point favorite against Illinois, according to the lines at FanDuel Sportsbook.

FanDuel lists the total at 43.5 points for the game.

And it set the moneyline odds for Michigan at -120 and for Illinois at Even to win outright.

Michigan: -1 (-115)
Illinois: +1 (-105)

Over 43.5 points: -110
Under 43.5 points: -110

Michigan is 1-5 against the spread (16.7%) so far this season overall …

Illinois is 4-1-1 (80%) ATS in 2024 …

The total has gone over in 4 of Michigan’s last 5 games …

Illinois is 5-0 against the spread in its last 5 games as the underdog …

Michigan is 2-6 against the spread in its last 8 games against Illinois …

Illinois is 1-9-1 against the spread in its last 11 games on a Saturday at home …

The total went over in 10 of Michigan’s 12 games against a Big Ten opponent …

The total went under in 4 of Illinois’ last 6 games …

Michigan’s three quarterbacks have thrown for a combined 690 yards and averaged 5.2 yards per pass with 6 touchdowns and 8 interceptions this season.

Kalel Mullings leads the Wolverines’ rushing attack, which, in essence, is the team’s offense right now, posting 589 yards on the ground with a 6.5 ypc average and 6 of Michigan’s 9 rushing touchdowns.

Donovan Edwards scored the team’s other 3 rushing touchdowns and has 353 yards on the season off 73 carries for a 4.8 yard per run average.

Tight end Colston Loveland is Michigan’s principal receiving threat, catching 29 passes for 261 yards and has 2 of the team’s 6 touchdown catches. 

Illinois is 87th in FBS in rushing production, averaging 139.5 yards per game, and is 58th nationally in passing output with 243 yards in the air.

Luke Altmyer is a 68 percent passer with 14 touchdowns and 1 interceptions, but he’s been sacked 19 times, ranking 122nd nationally in that category, and 6th worst among Power Four teams.

Pat Bryant is Altmyer’s main target, catching 27 passes for 452 yards and 7 of the team’s 14 receiving touchdowns.

Tight end Tanner Arkin is the only other receiver with more than 1 touchdown (2), and Zakhari Franklin is the Illini’s second-most productive pass catcher with 346 yards and a score.

A slight majority of bettors expect Illinois to come out ahead in this Big Ten clash.

56 percent of bets predict the Illini will defeat Michigan in an upset.

The other 44 percent of wagers expect Michigan will cover the 1 point spread as the favorite.

The game’s implied score suggests a very close victory for the Wolverines.

When taking the point spread and total into consideration, it’s implied that Michigan will defeat Illinois by a projected score of 22 to 21.

Our early pick: Illinois +1 … While the Wolverines have the capacity to slow the Illini ground game and make that offense one-dimensional, Luke Altmyer should have an edge going against a Michigan secondary that has not played up to expectations this season.

When: Sat., Oct. 19
Time: 3:30 p.m. ET | 2:30 p.m. CT
TV: CBS network

–

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, please call 1-800-GAMBLER.

–

More college football from SI: Top 25 Rankings | Schedule | Teams

Follow College Football HQ: Bookmark | Rankings | Picks

On the first play after the two-minute warning in Sunday night’s game at Met Life Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, seemingly all the Cincinnati Bengals needed was a first down against the New York Giants’ defense to end the game.

On second-and-3, with Cincinnati clinging to a 10-7 lead, Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow handed the ball off to running back Chase Brown, who gave his team what it needed – and then some.

Brown, who played for Illinois from 2019-22 and who is now in his second season with the Bengals, snatched the ball from Burrow’s hands, patiently waited on a lead block from tight end Drew Sample, then made a subtle cut and tore through the middle and past the Giants’ secondary untouched – all the way through the goal line.

The 30-yard burst extended the Bengals lead to 10, iced the game and kept the dim playoff hopes of the 2-4 Bengals alive. 

Brown finished with 10 carries for 53 yards and the score. After once again outplaying Zack Moss (6 carries for 13 yards), who entered this season as Cincy’s lead back, Brown should get his chance to take on a heavier load.

That should be no problem for Brown, who was an All-American workhorse runner for the Illini before being drafted in the fifth round last year by Cincinnati. His average yards per carry in 2024 (5.5) ranks among the league’s top 10 marks, and Week 7 should be as good as any to solidify his standing in the Bengals’ backfield with a matchup against the spiraling Cleveland Browns.