Minnesota
Minnesota vs. Illinois prediction: Odds, expert picks, QB matchup, how to watch, betting trends, and stats
The #24 Illinois Fighting Illini host the red-hot Minnesota Golden Gophers in a Saturday afternoon kick-off between two storied Big Ten teams.
Illinois was handed its second loss (6-2) of the season last week, 38-9 to Oregon. That loss came almost a month after the Illini lost at Penn State, 21-7. The Illini have four winnable games remaining, but losing to two of the top three teams in the Big Ten on the road won’t help the selection committee when the College Football Playoff is announced.
Minnesota is 5-3 and winners of three straight games and five of the past seven. Minnesota handled Maryland at home (48-23) after beating UCLA (21-17) and USC (24-17). The Golden Gophers are only playing their third road game of the season. Minnesota is 1-1 with a four-point win at UCLA (21-17) and a three-point loss at Michigan (27-24). Three of Minnesota’s final four games come on the road.
NBC Sports has all the latest info and analysis you need, including how to tune in for kickoff, odds from BetMGM, player news and updates, and of course our predictions and best bets for the game from our staff of experts.
Listen to the B1G Talk podcast with Todd Blackledge and Noah Eagle for the most compelling storylines across all of college football, with the biggest teams on the rise and the latest rankings!
Game Details and How to watch Minnesota @ Illinois
- Date: Saturday, November 2, 2024
- Time: 12:00 PM EST
- Site: University of Illinois Memorial Stadium
- City: Champagne, Illinois
- TV/Streaming: FOX
Want to check out the other games on the College Football schedule this week? We’ve got you covered right here on NBC Sports with all the matchup, venue, game-time and TV/streaming info so you won’t miss any of the action!
Game odds for Minnesota @ Illinois
The latest odds as of Monday afternoon:
o Moneyline: Minnesota -125, Illinois +105
o Spread: Minnesota -2.5 (-105)
o Total: 45.5 points
*odds courtesy of BetMGM
The spread opened at Illinois -2.5 and a total of 45.5, but only the total remains available. Sharps quickly hit Minnesota and turned the Golden Gophers from +2.5 to -2.5, passing through some key numbers. Minnesota has covered four straight games and won three of those, while Illinois is coming off a non-cover and loss as a road underdog at Oregon.
NBC Sports Bet Best Bet
Vaughn Dalzell (@VmoneySports) has the following best bets for Saturday’s matchup between Minnesota and Illinois:
“While Minnesota has been on fire lately covering four-straight games (winning three) and going 4-0 on the ML and ATS as a favorite this season, I was still surprised to see them as a small road favorite.
Illinois is 4-1 ATS as an underdog this season, so both teams have thrived in these roles. However, just because Illinois lost to Penn State and Oregon, the season isn’t over and I don’t think this team quits.
The Fighting Illini could win out the remaining four games to reach 10-2 and have an outside chance at the College Football Playoff. This week and next are the final home games for Illinois, so give me the Illini both weeks, starting with +2.5 and the ML (+105) against Minnesota – a team they have beat three straight meetings.”
BetMGM College Football Insights: Heisman Trophy
Line movement (open, current)
- Dillon Gabriel +800, +240
- Travis Hunter +3500, +250
- Cam Ward +20000, +300
- Ashton Jeanty +5000, +450
Highest Ticket%
- Travis Hunter 16.8%
- Nico Iamaleava 8.8%
- Cam Ward 8.5%
Highest Handle%
- Travis Hunter 31.1%
- Ashton Jeanty 11.4%
- Cam Ward 9.0%
Biggest Liability
- Travis Hunter
- Ashton Jeanty
- Nico Iamaleava
College Football talk is taking over Bet the Edge every Thursday throughout the season. Bet the EDGE is your source for all things sports betting. Get all of Vaughn Dalzell, Eric Froton, and Brad Thomas’ insights Thursdays at 6AM ET right here or wherever you get your favorite podcasts.
Quarterback matchup for Minnesota @ Illinois
- Minnesota: Max Brosmer has recorded a 12-4 touchdown-to-interception ratio this season, along with 1,776 passing yards as quite a surprise for Minnesota. The senior QB has completed a career-high 69.5% completion percentage. Brosmer completed over 62% of his passes in the last two seasons with New Hampshire in addition to a combined 6,613 passing yards.
- Illinois: Luke Altmeyer has 15 touchdowns to three interceptions, but tossed two of those picks last week at Oregon. Altmeyer has back-to-back games of under 200 passing yards, but his 1,667 passing yards on the season almost total his 1,883 passing yards with Illinois last season.
Golden Gophers @ Fighting Illini player news & recent stats
- Minnesota is 40-33-1 all-time versus Illinois with a 16-20-1 road record.
- Illinois has won three straight meetings versus Minnesota.
- Illinois is 5-3 ATS this season, including a 2-2 ATS and 4-0 ML record at home.
- Illinois is 4-1 ATS as an underdog this season and a 3-2 ML record.
- Illinois is 6-2 to the Under this season, while Minnesota is 4-4.
- Minnesota is 6-1-1 ATS this season and has covered four straight games.
- Minnesota is 4-0 ATS and 4-0 on the ML as a favorite this season, including two straight wins and covers the past two weeks.
- Minnesota QB Max Brosmer threw for a season-high 320 passing yards and four touchdowns on 26-of-33 (78.8%) against Maryland.
- Minnesota WR’s Daniel Jackson and Elijah Spencer each scored two touchdowns last week, recording at least 99 yards as well.
- Illinois QB Luke Altmeyer recorded his second game of the year without a touchdown and his second straight below 200 passing yards.
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Follow our experts on socials to keep up with all the latest content from the staff:
- Vaughn Dalzell (@VmoneySports)
- Brad Thomas (@MrBradThomas)
- Drew Dinsick (@whale_capper)
- Jay Croucher (@croucherJD)
- Eric Froton (@CFFroton)
With family by his side, Dennis “Bud” Peterson went to be with the Lord on the morning of June 1, 2026.
He was born at Drake, North Dakota on April 2, 1932 in the home of his parents Nick and Helen Peterson. The family moved to Duluth at the beginning of World War II.
After graduation from Duluth Central High School Bud served in the US Army in Korea during the Korean War, and received an Honorable Discharge with the rank of Sergeant. He used his GI Bill benefits to attend UMD receiving an Associate Degree, and also earned his Commercial Instrument Pilot rating.
Bud was a longtime employee of St. Louis County retiring as Supervisor of Roads and Bridges. In retirement he served as Boiler Engineer and a do it all repairman for Duluth Gospel Tabernacle. He generously devoted his time and talents as a consummate do it yourself repairman to all of his family.
Dennis is preceded in death by his parents, Nick & Helen Peterson; brother, Robert Peterson; sister, June (Don) Kruger; and infant brother and sister, James and Delores Peterson.
He is survived by his sister, Carol (Eli) Miletich; and numerous nieces and nephews all of whom he loved dearly.
At Bud’s request, his family will be holding a private funeral service. Arrangements by Dougherty Funeral Home 218-727-3555.
The Minnesota Department of Human Services is reexamining over 5,000 Medicaid service providers across the state in an effort to combat fraud.
The federal government said it would pull $2 billion in annual Medicaid funding from Minnesota in January if the state didn’t make changes.
The Minnesota Department of Human Services set out to revalidate thousands of providers in programs deemed high risk for fraud by asking providers to submit verification paperwork and making unannounced site visits. The deadline passed on Sunday.
The latest data, published on May 27, shows 1,009 providers approved, 1,151 disenrolled and over 3,000 providers with pending applications.
Paige Berland and Camille Heyman run Minnesota Behavioral Specialists, providing autism care to children through two locations in the metro area. The women say that after submitting their paperwork, they received letters from DHS with determinations for both locations: the Bloomington center was terminated and the Eagan office was approved.
“It doesn’t make sense, everything is the same minus the location,” Berland said. “So why was one approved and one wasn’t approved?”
The termination letter said the Bloomington center was denied because they failed to disclose a managing employee during a site visit. Berland disputes that and said she already submitted an appeal.
“We were told to keep running, keep continuing as we are while we go through this process,” she said. “It just means that we don’t have the money coming in.”
Josh Berg with Accessible Space says they’re also in limbo. Berg said they offer integrated community supports, which means caretakers provide in-unit assistance for people with spinal cord injuries and disabilities.
“Most of the folks that we support are wheelchair-bound,” Berg said. “Helping with meals, helping with medications, helping them just live their lives.”
Berg said that of the seven locations where people are housed, the Department of Human Services terminated five and approved two. He believes the timeline to conduct this revalidation process was too aggressive. He said Accessible Space has also submitted an appeal.
“We’re not able to bill for services, we’re not able to start new services for anybody or change any of the supports that they receive,” he said.
Both Berg and Berland say they agree fraud needs to be dealt with, but they hope Minnesotans who truly need services aren’t left without the services they need.
“Not just the clients rely on services, but the families do too, so we can’t stop services; that’s not an option on our plate,” Berland said. “We want to continue to provide these services; they are medically necessary.”
The Minnesota Department of Human Services said a disenrollment letter could be sent for a few reasons, including failure to submit revalidation application after two notification attempts, failure to provide all requested documents within the required timeframe and failure to meet the criteria required during an on-site visit.
A spokesperson for the Department of Human Services said it’s currently in the process of compiling data from the thousands of applications, but didn’t say when the department would share those final numbers.
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