Minnesota at Illinois

This is the third road game in five weeks for Minnesota. The Gophers have been shaky, scoring 7 points against Iowa three games ago, and last week they won 34-32 over Rutgers as 18-point chalk. QBs Mitch Leidner and Conor Rhoda have combined for 6 TDs and 5 picks on an offense ranked #83 in the country in yards and #108 in passing. The Golden Gophers are 1-7-1 ATS following a straight up win and face an Illinois team that is playing hard for first-year coach Lovie Smith. Illinois comes home after a tough four-game stretch (3-1 ATS), including three Big 10 road games, a 24-7 win at Rutgers and covers at Michigan and Nebraska. Their three QBs have combined for 8 TDs and 3 picks, led by senior Wes Hunt (6 TDs and 1 pick). Kendrick Foster (429 yards, 6.1 yards per catch) has been the starting running back the last two games and has run well. He eclipsed the 100-yard mark in the Rutgers start and averaged 5.6 yards per carry against Michigan. Illinois beat Minnesota on this field as a dog two years ago, 28-24, and had great balance in last year's meeting with 279 yards passing and 154 rushing. All of which makes this a great matchup for the home dog. Play Illinois.