Illinois at Rutgers

Two struggling teams meet in this matchup, but Illinois does have wins over Kent State and FCS school Western Illinois. Rutgers has lost its last four games while allowing an average of 43.3 points. The Scarlet Knights come off a 24-17 loss to Indiana after being down 24-7 at halftime and they were outyarded 451-291.  The Fighting Illini's defense hasn't been much better, but it has a big edge on offense as the Illini average 244.8 rushing yards and 410.3 total yards of offense. Rutgers averages only 281.2 total yards, including just 151.0 through the air. Illinois looks to avenge a 35-24 loss to Rutgers last year and the Scarlet Knights are just 2-5 ATS their last seven games dating to last season. Rutgers is #126 in the nation out of 130 FBS teams in total yards gained and #120 in passing yards. Illinois followed a close loss to South Florida with a blowout loss at Penn State and the Illini was outscored 35-0 in the fourth quarter. Freshman quarterback M.J. Rivers completed 60.7 percent of his passes for 149 yards with a touchdown and interception. The Illini racked up 245 rushing yards led by Reggie Corbin and Mike Epstein, who combined for 160 yards. Illinois is the road favorite in this game, which is an indication of how bad Rutgers is. Play Illinois.