Media Prediction Thread: Illinois at Minnesota

BleedGopher

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CFN first out of the gate:

Why Minnesota Will Win
Tanner Morgan.

Jalen Hurts, Joe Burrow, Tua Tagovailoa. They’re all pretty good, and they’re also the only other quarterbacks in college football with a passer efficiency rating above 200.

Unbelievable against Purdue last week, he hit 21-of-22 passes for 396 yards and four touchdowns, averaging a ridiculous 18 yards per throw.

The Illini secondary has been ripped to shreds so far, allowing over ten yards per attempt in every game with six touchdown passes over the last two games. The Minnesota receiving tandem of Rashod Bateman and Tyler Johnson have gone off, and eventually the running game will come around.

There’s way too much talent in the Gopher backfield to not be better. The Gophers are way, way, way overdue for a 200-yard rushing game.

What’s Going To Happen
Illinois might never have the ball.

Minnesota has an interesting mix of big plays from the passing game, while also dominating the time of possession battle. Illinois will bring an interesting fight to a Gopher team that can’t seem to do anything easily.

Minnesota will get to 5-0, but it’s going to take a late rally to get there.

https://collegefootballnews.com/2019/10/illinois-vs-minnesota-fearless-prediction-game-preview

Go Gophers!!
 



thesportsbank:

The Gophers, who got 15 votes in the AP poll this week, are the first Big Ten team to win each of their first four games by a single possession since Amos Alonzo Stagg’s Chicago Maroons in 1915. So there you go, P.J. Fleck in the same category as A.A. Stagg.

The last team from any conference to accomplish that feat was 1985 Penn State. As Fleck prepares to face the flagship school of his home state, it’s worth noting that his name had been tossed around with the Illini job while Bill Cubit and Tim Beckman were in charge and he was still at Western Michigan.

It would have been difficult to imagine Illinois hiring WMU’s coach back-to-back though. While the timing was off for any chance of Fleck coaching the Illini, his Gophers are the classic example of a team where the strongest position group is coincidentally where their coach used to line up in his playing days.

The Gophers’ WRs are fierce and they can burn just about anybody on the slant route. Or they can switch it up with the deceptively named sluggo (slant-and-go). They run routes similar to a post and post-corner and the results speak for themselves.

Morgan completed 21-of-22 passes at Purdue last week and his 95.45 completion percentage is the highest in the history of the Big Ten for anyone who has attempted 13 or more passes in a game.

Morgan also set career highs in completions (21), yards (396) and touchdowns (4) on Saturday.

His 396 yards are tied for the seventh-most in school history and are the most by a Minnesota quarterback since Adam Weber threw for 416 yards in a win against Michigan State in 2009.

However, there is a lot of cause for concern this week on the other side of the ball. Purdue ran it pretty well on Minnesota last week, and the Boilermakers hadn’t previously been able to run it at all on anyone.

Remember, Illinois put up an astronomical 430 rushing yards on Minnesota last year, including 213 yards from Reggie Corbin on just 13 carries. A performance remotely close to that again this year would propel the Illini to the big two touchdown upset.

Prediction: Minnesota Golden Gophers 52, Illinois Fighting Illini 28

https://www.thesportsbank.net/illinois-illini/minnesota-golden-gophers-vs-illinois-fighting-illini-game-preview/
 
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Connelly’s predictor has the gophers winning by 10.
 

Jerry Palm, CBS Sports

Illinois at Minnesota (-14): These teams have a lot in common. Both are likely to score at least 30 points and neither is likely to prevent the other team from doing so as well. Illinois fell just short of upsetting Nebraska two weeks ago at home in a 42-38 loss. The Gophers managed to give up 31 points to Purdue last week, almost all of which came after the loss of Sindelar and Moore. If this game were in Champaign, I'd pick the upset. Pick: Illinois (+14)
 

Jerry Palm, CBS Sports

Illinois at Minnesota (-14): These teams have a lot in common. Both are likely to score at least 30 points and neither is likely to prevent the other team from doing so as well. Illinois fell just short of upsetting Nebraska two weeks ago at home in a 42-38 loss. The Gophers managed to give up 31 points to Purdue last week, almost all of which came after the loss of Sindelar and Moore. If this game were in Champaign, I'd pick the upset. Pick: Illinois (+14)

Palm is a complete tool


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Jerry Palm, CBS Sports

Illinois at Minnesota (-14): These teams have a lot in common. Both are likely to score at least 30 points and neither is likely to prevent the other team from doing so as well. Illinois fell just short of upsetting Nebraska two weeks ago at home in a 42-38 loss. The Gophers managed to give up 31 points to Purdue last week, almost all of which came after the loss of Sindelar and Moore. If this game were in Champaign, I'd pick the upset. Pick: Illinois (+14)

Yes, Palm hasn't shown much love for the Gophers all season. I suspect he is like most of these national pundits; he rarely actually watches much of any team, goes with the stats and numerical rankings, and just follows the conventional narratives. Note that his line is virtually the same as the Las Vegas line.

Yes, our defense certainly wasn't great against Purdue but their offense was better than the credit being given without Sindelar and Moore. Plummer gave them a dual threat and he passed for over 200 yards. The freshman running back was very good. The freshman wide receiver, Bell, was very good and his extra five or six inches on Moore helped against our fairly short DBs.
 


Yes, Palm hasn't shown much love for the Gophers all season. I suspect he is like most of these national pundits; he rarely actually watches much of any team, goes with the stats and numerical rankings, and just follows the conventional narratives. Note that his line is virtually the same as the Las Vegas line.

Yes, our defense certainly wasn't great against Purdue but their offense was better than the credit being given without Sindelar and Moore. Plummer gave them a dual threat and he passed for over 200 yards. The freshman running back was very good. The freshman wide receiver, Bell, was very good and his extra five or six inches on Moore helped against our fairly short DBs.

Don't really follow Palm but is he taking Illinois to win or cover because those are very different things. Given how we have played I can 100% understand picking Illinois to get within 14 points.
 

Palm is a complete tool


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My favorite line was Illinois almost "upset" Nebraska. Can the media please stop acting like a 3-2 Nebraska team is anything better than mediocre.

Don't really follow Palm but is he taking Illinois to win or cover because those are very different things. Given how we have played I can 100% understand picking Illinois to get within 14 points.

Believe so. He is taking the Illini to cover the (+14).
 



Sports Jaw is predicting a Minnesota win, along with covering the spread. 39-20 final score

Cappers Picks is going with a 37-31 victory for Minnesota
The Golden Gophers will still win this game, and it might be by ten points, but the Fighting Illini will still keep it close. I feel very strongly about this pick.

J.P. Scott of Athlon is predicting an Illinois upset (titled outrageous College Football Predictions so take it with a grain of salt)
Illinois has a solid quarterback/running back duo in Brandon Peters and Reggie Corbin that'll give the suspect Gopher defense some problems. Look for the Illini to get their third win of the season, putting them one win away from last season's total.
 


My favorite line was Illinois almost "upset" Nebraska. Can the media please stop acting like a 3-2 Nebraska team is anything better than mediocre.



Believe so. He is taking the Illini to cover the (+14).

Nebraska is mediocre, but I bet if we find a way to lose to them, this board will make the sound like world beaters. "Historical program that started the season ranked, loaded with talent." Kind of like Maryland the last two years.
 

Nebraska is mediocre, but I bet if we find a way to lose to them, this board will make the sound like world beaters. "Historical program that started the season ranked, loaded with talent." Kind of like Maryland the last two years.

Neb was wonky last year and still had talent enough to kick our ass.

It would still be a big win.
 

Don't really follow Palm but is he taking Illinois to win or cover because those are very different things. Given how we have played I can 100% understand picking Illinois to get within 14 points.

Well, sure, given that everyone of our games was one possession, I can see taking IL with the spread.
 


So did Illinois and Maryland. Nebraska was a 4-8 team with no really good wins and a loss to Troy. They beat us, but they were not good.

Nebraska finished the season 4-2 last year with those 2 losses being AT Ohio State by 5 and AT Iowa by a FG. They clearly got some things going after a rough start with a new staff early.
 

The Detroit Free Press is picking Minnesota 31-28
The Golden Gophers are out for revenge after Illinois crushed them, 55-31, last season. But Illinois will be just as motivated to beat Minnesota, knowing meetings with Michigan and Wisconsin loom in the coming weeks. Expect this game to come down to the wire.
 



Athlon Sports now has a full prediction out with a pick for the Gophers, 35-30
In last year's meeting, the Illini ran for 430 yards and five scores as they dominated the Gophers 55-31 at home. This year, though, Minnesota has home-field advantage. Tanner Morgan has developed at the quarterback position and the Illini have given up a total of 49 points and 761 yards in the second halves of their last three games combined. Illinois clearly misses defensive end Bobby Roundtree and what he brought to the table. So unless Illinois can make a few stops on defense, Minnesota will avenge last year's defeat.
 


Fargo Flash said 34-14.

MINNESOTA WINS!!!
 

My favorite line was Illinois almost "upset" Nebraska. Can the media please stop acting like a 3-2 Nebraska team is anything better than mediocre.



Believe so. He is taking the Illini to cover the (+14).

Nebraska was a 13.5 point favorite. So yes...that would qualify as an upset. It was not the media pumping up Nebraska, rather the smart guys in the desert setting the line.
 




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