Illinois at Baylor

The Fighting Illini won their games early to get here. That is a good thing as a 1-3 finish to their season left them at the cutoff point for a Bowl bid and they come into this one at 6-6. While most think a 6-6 team doesn't deserve a Bowl bid, these teams have other things to say about it. They have performed admirably, especially as an underdog where they are 50-35 ATS in Bowls as a dog. A 6-6 team always has motivation, because a win means a winning season and a loss a losing season, so they always have fight in them. When they face a team that isn't also in the game with six wins they are 41-26 ATS as a dog. If they also lost their last game, that number moves up to 22-10 ATS. Baylor had a disappointing end to a good season that saw them drop their last three to finish 7-5. Teams that won seven games are in “nowheresville,” as they have secured a winning season, and then often do poorly. They are 49-68 ATS as a Bowl favorite. Illinois has bounced back to go 5-0 ATS after a loss in their last five and after a double-digit home loss, the Bears have gone a dismal 7-19 ATS in their next game. This one belongs to Illinois.