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.
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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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The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency has issued another air quality alert on Saturday. The alert is in effect through Monday and is expected to impact the eastern and central parts of the state.
The MPCA says that heavy smoke from wildfires in the northeast will persist through Sunday morning. Winds are expected to help improve the air quality starting Sunday afternoon in the northeast.
That smoke is expected to travel to the southern and central parts of the state by Sunday morning and is expected to persist in the area through Monday.
According to the MPCA, the air quality index will reach red, which is unhealthy for everyone. The MPCA encourages people to limit their time outdoors.
The Minnesota Yacht Club Festival is expected to bring thousands upon thousands each day to Harriet Island in St. Paul between Friday and Sunday.
“Dude, I’m excited for The Black Keys,” said Justice Czarnik of St. Paul while waiting in line to get inside.
Anticipation built on the Mississippi River before the gates opened.
“We do probably about double what we typically do on an average weekend this weekend, so it keeps us busy,” said Miranda Budach, the manager of City House, a restaurant across the river from the tunes.
“One of the stages faces directly at us so you can hear it really well,” said Budach.
The festival results in the restaurant being filled with reservations for Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
“Even leading up to the festival, we’ve had people coming over that are setting up, saying, ‘We’re from Oklahoma or Texas and scoping out the area,’” Budach added.
All for names like The Black Keys, The Lumineers, The Strokes, Matchbox Twenty, Mt. Joy and a few artists from nearby.
“Yam House!” said Patti Ekman of Rochester.
Police in St. Paul say the festival is bringing nearly 35,000 to 36,000 folks into the city each day this weekend and they recognize it’s hot out. They’re asking people to be careful.
“We’ve actually equipped the ground with two empty seat-cooling buses, misting cooling fans, more tenting, several hydration stations and more,” said St. Paul Police Department Senior Commander Jesse Mollner.
“You just fill up your water bottle, a little fan on your neck and today’s going to be a great day,” said Czarnik.
The hustle and bustle also gives some the excuse to get away.
“I appreciate it brings a lot of music fans to the island, but it’s a good time to also take a trip away from it because we’re so close to it,” said Paul Thomas of St. Paul.
“Stay cool, drink lots of water,” said Budach. “It’s gonna be hot.”
Metro Transit has multiple bus and light rail routes ready to serve the festival.
Minnesota
Wildfire smoke from Canada and Minnesota pushes further into US, engulfing DC in eerie haze
NEW YORK (AP) — Millions of people in the Great Lakes, Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states muddled through another day of unhealthy air from uncontrolled wildfires on Friday, as smoke enveloped the nation’s capital in a gloomy, eerie haze.
Air quality warnings were expected to remain in effect through Saturday across a wide swath of the U.S., but there’s potential for temporary relief with rains and storms forecast over a chunk of the affected region over the weekend.
The smoky conditions won’t be gone anytime soon, though, as fires burn unchecked across a remote region of Canada, cautioned Bob Oravec, a lead forecaster at the National Weather Service based in Maryland. Wildfires in a wilderness area in Minnesota are also contributing to the smoke.
“The source of the smoke is going to continue on for certainly a week, probably,” he said. “So in some form, there’s going to be smoke that gets transported from the fires downstream, and it’s just going to depend upon which way the wind’s blowing as to where the smoke is going to affect the most.”
On Friday, communities in Minnesota, Michigan and Illinois closest to the Canadian border and the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in Minnesota again registered some of the worst air quality in the world, according to IQAir, an air quality monitoring website.
Not far behind them was Washington, D.C., where the thick smoke created eerie scenes. The Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial and other national landmarks could be seen enveloped in a thick, orange-hued haze in the morning.
“Wow that Canadian smoke haze is no joke,” Stewart Verdery, a former assistant secretary at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, wrote on X as he shared a panorama of D.C. at sunrise. “Almost nothing visible – no sun, no monuments, no Reagan Airport.”
Air in and around Washington was expected to go from bad to worse as the day progressed, reaching “very unhealthy” and potentially “hazardous” levels on the air quality index, regional officials said.
People, particularly those with heart or lung disease, older adults and children, were urged to limit or avoid going outside as much as possible until air quality improved.
There was also concern in the New York City area about how the foul air might impact the World Cup final match between soccer powerhouses Spain and Argentina at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on Sunday.
Oravec said winds will continue pushing the wildfire smoke east in the U.S., though conditions should be better on game day Sunday than on Saturday.
Just a day earlier, a thick haze tinged with orange and yellow darkened skies across several states and partly obscured Manhattan’s skyline.
Officials from New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and other Northeast states distributed free K95 face masks, canceled outdoor programming and opened libraries and other public buildings as cooling centers where people could get a respite from the sooty air.
As Friday progressed, air quality measures improved from “unhealthy” to “moderate” in some places in and around New York City.
A strong sun broke through a thin veil of smoke, and large chunks of clear blue sky were visible across much of the region by Friday afternoon.
Saturday brings a high chance of thunderstorms across much of the Northeast and mid-Atlantic, which will help dampen the bad air.
How long the reprieve lasts depends on what happens hundreds of miles north, as some 100 wildfires burn without end in sight, largely in the Ontario area in Canada. In the U.S., officials have closed the Boundary Waters while battling multiple fires.
Long-term exposure to smoky conditions can complicate existing health problems and lead to chronic and deadly issues, including respiratory illness, cardiovascular and neurological diseases and premature death.
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