Central Michigan at Illinois: Free College Football Pick & Predictions

Central Michigan Chippewas (1-1 SU, 1-1 ATS) at Illinois Fighting Illini (2-0, 2-0), 9/14/24
When: noon ET Saturday, Sept. 14
Where: Memorial Stadium
TV: Peacock

Betting Odds

Point Spread: CMU +20/Ill -20 (Be smart! Learn about reduced juice!)
Money Line: C Mich +800/Ill +1300
Over/Under: 51

The Mid-American Conference gets a shot at the Big 10 when Central Michigan challenges Illinois on Saturday afternoon in Champaign.
The MAC usually serves as non-conference fodder for its Midwestern big brothers, but it’s held its own over recent seasons when it comes to covering spreads. And that’s what is really important, right?

The Line

The Week 3 NCAAF betting market opened Illinois at -18.5 over Central Michigan, with an O/U of right around 53. Early betting action bumped the Illini to -20 and dipped that total to 51.

Central Michigan Betting Preview

The Chippewas are 1-1 on this young season after falling badly at Florida International last Saturday 52-16. Central Michigan, favored by 3.5 points, fell down 28-0 in the second quarter and never came close to recovering.

The stat sheet says the Chips out-gained the Panthers 369-309 but none of it mattered, playing in catch-up mode nearly all day. Also, Central Michigan QB Joey Labas, making his third career start, threw five interceptions.

CMU opened this season two weeks ago with a 66-10 walk in the park over FCS Central Connecticut State.

Central Michigan returned 13 starters this season, seven on offense and six on defense, from a team that played 5-7 last season. The Chips are expected to finish somewhere in the middle of the 12-team MAC this year.

llinois Betting Preview

Meanwhile, the Illini are 2-0 on the season after beating a ranked Kansas team last Saturday 23-17. Illinois led the Jayhawks 13-10 at the half, trailed 17-13 through three quarters, but scored the last 10 points of the game to win outright as a five-point dog.

The Illini got out-gained by Kansas 327-271 and out-rushed 186-79 but won the turnover battle 4-1, which made all the difference.

Illinois opened its season two weeks ago with a 45-0 victory over FCS Eastern Illinois, covering rather easily at -28.

The Illini also returned 13 starters this season, six on offense and seven on defense, from a team that finished 5-7 last year. Illinois is expected to finish somewhere in the middle of the 18-team Big Ten this season, but a return to a bowl game is a good possibility.

This is the first-ever meeting between these two programs.

College Football Betting Trends

Illinois is 5-1 SU but only 2-4 ATS vs. non-Power four opponents under Coach Bielema.

Central Michigan is 1-8 SU but 6-3 ATS vs. Power 4 opponents under Coach McElwain.

The Big 10 is 15-0 SU but only 7-8 ATS vs. the MAC over the last two seasons.

Totals Report

The Over is 2-0 in Chippewas games this season, averaging 72 total points.

The Under is 2-0 in Illini games, averaging 43 points.

Free College Football Pick

Illinois is just the better team in this matchup and should win this game outright. However, the Illini actually got outplayed by Kansas last week and, if not for a pick-6, might well have lost that game. Meanwhile, Central Michigan laid an egg last week, but it’s better than that; we expect a better performance this week. If the Chips can just keep from throwing five interceptions, they’ll have a good chance to keep this one within the spread. We’re taking the points with Central Michigan for Saturday.

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