Oregon vs. Illinois Prediction, Odds and Key Players to Watch for College Football Week 8

The Illinois Fighting Illini return to action with a Big Ten battle against the Oregon Ducks on Saturday afternoon.

The Illini got a road overtime win over Michigan State two weeks ago before being idle last week. They had lost their previous two contests, including a 24-17 defeat as -9.5 favorites against Purdue.

Oregon also got upset two games ago, falling 17-15 as -10.5 favorites at home to UCLA. The Ducks got back in the win column last week, although they couldn’t cover -6.5 in a 17-14 win against Nebraska.

The Ducks blew out Illinois 38-9 two years ago in the inaugural matchup between these schools.

Let’s take a look at the odds, players to watch and my prediction for this Week 8 matchup.

Oregon vs. Illinois Odds, Spread and Total

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook

Spread

Oregon -9.5 (-108)
Illinois +9.5 (-112)

Moneyline

Oregon: -360
Illinois: +285

Total

50.5 (Over -112/Under -108)

Oregon vs. Illinois How to Watch

Date: Saturday, Oct. 24
Time: 3:00 p.m. ET
Venue: Gies Memorial Stadium
How to Watch (TV): BTN
Oregon record: 4-2
Illinois record: 3-3

Oregon vs. Illinois Key Players to Watch

Katin Houser, Quarterback, Illinois Fighting Illini

If the Illini want to have a fighting chance against Oregon, Katin Houser is going to have to be on his game.

The senior quarterback has thrown for 1,440 yards with 12 touchdowns and four interceptions through six games this season. He had arguably his worst performance of the season at Michigan State, throwing for just 194 yards and a touchdown with one interception, although he did run for his second score of the year as well.

Illinois was still able to get the win at Michigan State with that performance. If Houser can step it up after a week off, perhaps the Illini can pull off the upset.

Oregon vs. Illinois Prediction and Pick

Oregon has slowed things down in recent weeks. After going OVER the total in each of its first four games, there has been a total of 63 points in Oregon’s last two contests. That’s even with the totals being set at 57.5 and 50.5.

The total is once again in the 50s this week, and I’m going with the UNDER.

Illinois was held to 17 points by Purdue and 19 by Ohio State prior to its high-scoring win at Michigan State. I see things reverting back to that in a low-scoring Big Ten battle this week.

Pick: UNDER 50.5 (-108)

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