After losing its opener to Missouri way back in Week-1, The University of Illinois football team has won four straight games including an upset win over then No.19 ranked Penn State last week. The Fighting Illini, still have not cracked the top-25 in either of the major polls but will have a chance to do just that when the No. 5 Wisconsin Badgers travel to Champaign, Ill., to play Illinois in a major BIG-TEN clash at Noon ET. The game will be televised on ESPN HD.
Oddsmakers at online sports wagering giant Sportsbook.com must be looking for an upset having installed Illinois a slight -2.5 home favorite over the Badgers with a 51.5 point total. The price of a money line wager on Illinois is -130 while Wisconsin is getting +110.
Early betting trends show 80 percent of side bets (ATS) going on the Badgers and 96 percent of gamblers like Wisconsin playing the role of road underdog on the ml (+110). The total is favored to fly OVER the posted 51.5 points.
This week's game vs. Wisconsin features two of the nations best running backs. For Illinois, junior Rashard Mendenhall is averaging 122.4 yards per game, which ranks 11th in the nation and third in the league. He is scoring 10.8 points per game which is ninth nationally and second in the conference. Wisconsin's sophomore back P.J. Hill is putting up 133.4 yards per contest, ranking sixth in the NCAA and second in the Big Ten. Hill is scoring 12 points per game for fourth nationally and first in the conference.
The Badgers extended their win streak to 14 games in a 37-34 victory against Michigan State last time out, but they failed to cover the 7-point spread. The close game put the total OVER the posted 45.5 points.
P.J. Hill ran for 155 yards and two touchdowns for Wisconsin in that win, while Tyler Donovan was 17-for 26 for 247 yards and two touchdowns. Travis Beckham had 10 receptions for 132 yards and one score on the day.
The Fighting Illini scored two touchdowns in the first quarter, and held on to upset the Penn State Nittany Lions 27-20 last time out. The Fighting Illini won the game as a 3-point underdog at home, and the combined 47 points made it OVER the posted total of 45.
Rashard Mendenhall ran for 76 yards off 18 carries with one touchdown in the win. Juice Williams completed 11 passes for 120 yards with one TD.
Online sports wagering leader Bodog (Bodoglife.com) is offering Wisconsin ATS +3.0.
Reno Goldberg is red-hot with his college football picks winning 7 of his last 11 picks over this past week. Goldberg is a two-time winner of the Online Best Handicapper Award.
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