Minnesota

Minnesota vs. Illinois prediction: Odds, expert picks, QB matchup, how to watch, betting trends, and stats

Published

1 year ago

October 28, 2024

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.

Please bet responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline at 1-800-522-4700.

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)

Source link

Minnesota

Federal agents raid 2 Twin Cities stores in SNAP fraud probe

Published

7 hours ago

April 17, 2026

Press Room

Federal agents raid 2 Twin Cities stores in SNAP fraud probe

Federal agents say they executed criminal search warrants at two Twin Cities stores on Thursday as part of an investigation into $2.1 million of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program fraud.

Eighteen other stores were part of the investigation and are suspected of violating the SNAP program; they were issued administrative charging letters, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The probe — called “Operation Cold SNAP” — started in February. The USDA says that as part of the schemes, retailers would exchange taxpayer-funded SNAP benefits for cash or other items.

“They bring the card into the store and instead of buying an eligible food item, which is what SNAP is for, they exchange the benefits of that card for cash, for money. And then the retailer will take that money on the card, spend it,” USDA Inspector General John Walk said.

In the past, the USDA has said the cardholder usually winds up with less cash than the card is worth, benefitting the business.

Walk says fraudulent SNAP retailers steal from victims, including children that rely on the funds.

“If the responsible adult, whether it be parent or guardian are trafficking the funds, it’s actually that child that’s going to suffer from it, because the food benefits will never reach that child,” Walk said.

Data from the federal government shows about $1.2 billion in SNAP benefits were trafficked between 2015 and 2017 — about 1.5% of the total cost of the program, which is around $100 billion. However, Walk said on Thursday that reports show improper payments could be as high as 10%.

The USDA did not share what the cash is being used for in these cases, but said in past investigations, people have trafficked benefits for cash, guns and drugs.

In:

Source link

Minnesota

Storylines | What Portland’s Win Over LAFC Means for Minnesota | Minnesota United FC

Published

19 hours ago

April 16, 2026

Press Room

Storylines | What Portland’s Win Over LAFC Means for Minnesota | Minnesota United FC

When it comes to finding a storyline to pick up on in Portland, there’s no two ways about it. Matchday 7 in the City of Roses saw the Timbers become the first team all season to score on LAFC. Nobody really expected the first team to breach LAFC’s impenetrable defense to be a floundering Timbers side sitting below the play-in line, but that 2-1 scoreline doesn’t lie. Or does it?

Setting the Scene

First, some context. If you haven’t been religiously following the whole of the Western Conference for some bizarre reason, you might not know that after winning their first match of the season against the Columbus Crew (who have six points in seven games), Portland didn’t win another game until last weekend.

Meanwhile, LAFC have started the 2026 season on an absolute tear. The attacking unit of Denis Bouanga and Son Heung-Min, with some David Martínez and Nathan Ordaz sprinkled in, is an absolute beast, and the squad boasts a goal differential of +13. Their season-starting shutout streak of 572 minutes broke the league record.

How it Happened

So how did the underdogs break LAFC’s streak? No matter how you slice it, it’s a very impressive result, but when you look at the lineup, a lot of things start to explain themselves. With the Black and Gold prioritizing Leg 2 of their Concacaf Champions Cup quarter-final against Cruz Azul, Head Coach Marc Dos Santos opted to rotate almost the entire team to give the starters a well-deserved rest. Bouanga and defender Nkosi Tafari were the only men on the XI to carry over from the squad’s midweek fixture, a 3-0 home win against Cruz Azul in Leg 1.

Squad rotation had backup keeper Thomas Hasal starting out in net, and he was replaced by Cabral Carter on a concussion substitution before any of the scoring took place. Now, something to note here is that even though starting keeper Hugo Lloris has the most clean sheets in the league, he’s not even in the top 10 for saves. LAFC’s usual back line is so good that those shots don’t typically get all the way to the Frenchman. With only one of those defensive staples starting on Saturday, it’s not a huge surprise that the net was breached a couple of times.

This was a case of intense squad rotation, and the visitors suffered for it.

A Turning Tide for the Timbers

Don’t worry, any rogue Timbers fans who have found their way to our glorious website — I’m not done yet. A win is a win, and it’s not as if Portland didn’t do any heavy lifting of their own. They needed these three points, and if they continue to convert like they did over the weekend, this might mark a bit of a tipping point that stems the tide on what has otherwise been a lackluster start to the season.

Phil Neville has rolled out a 4-3-3 every single match this season, and though the starting XI hasn’t been identical game-to-game, the consistency of the roles and a handful of heavy hitters isn’t something to be brushed under the rug. Kristoffer Velde has been the star of the season, leading the charge with three goals. He’s the only Timber to have logged more than one, but having eight other goal-scorers on the roster points to a healthy amount of range. Kevin Kelsey has been a consistent impact sub and secured the game-winner against LAFC. Finn Surman is a back line regular who’s logged 30 clearances in seven games.

Portland is 11th in the West right now, with seven points in as many matches. Regardless of the result this weekend, they won’t be able to climb above the playoff line, but it could happen over the next few weeks if they’re consistent. It’s early enough in the season that the table is still very much in flux. If one loss knocked LAFC from the top like that, anything could happen.

While I have my doubts as to whether this Timbers squad could have beaten a full-strength LAFC prioritizing their regular-season play, there’s still plenty to be admired on their recent performance. Portland will be bringing a lot of momentum into this match, and Minnesota is going to need to be ready to lock down a motivated attack and exploit any hole they can find in the back. It’s always an exciting match when the Timbers come to town, and this one won’t be any exception.

Source link

Minnesota

Woman found dead in Mississippi River in southeastern Minnesota, sheriff’s office says

Published

1 day ago

April 16, 2026

Press Room

Woman found dead in Mississippi River in southeastern Minnesota, sheriff’s office says

A woman was found dead at a complex on the Mississippi River in Winona County, Minnesota, on Wednesday morning.

Officials in Trempealeau County, Wisconsin, called Winona County Dispatch around 7:45 about a report of a body, later identified as the woman, in the water at U.S. Lock and Dam 6, according to the Winona County Sheriff’s Office. Deputies responded after learning the location of the woman was within Winona County.

“Due to the difficult location, Winona firefighters rappelled down the dam and were able to safely secure the body,” the sheriff’s office said.

The woman has been taken to the Southern Minnesota Regional Medical Examiner’s Office in Rochester, Minnesota, for an autopsy, according to officials. Her identification will be released at a later time.

In:

Source link