No. 22 Illinois (8-3, 5-3 Big Ten, No. 23 CFP) at Northwestern (4-7, 2-6) at Chicago's Wrigley Field, Saturday, noon EST (Big Ten Network)
BetMGM College Football Odds: Illinois by 7 1/2.
Series record: Illinois leads 57-55-5.
Illinois is in line for its first nine-win season since the 2007 team went 9-4 on the way to the Rose Bowl. The Illini squeezed out a 38-31 victory at Rutgers last week when Luke Altmyer connected with Pat Bryant for a 40-yard touchdown pass with 4 seconds remaining. Northwestern has been outscored a combined 81-13 the past two games. The Wildcats were blown out 50-6 at Michigan last week after getting thumped by No. 2 Ohio State in the first game this season at Wrigley Field.
Bryant vs. Northwestern's secondary. Bryant was Big Ten Co-Offensive Player of the Week after setting a career high with 197 yards on just seven catches. The winning touchdown was his third in the final minute or overtime this season — tops in the nation. It also gave him 2,025 yards in four seasons at Illinois..
Illinois: Altmyer. In his second season since transferring from Mississippi, Altmyer has completed 61% of his passes for 2,373 yards, 20 touchdowns and three interceptions. He is the only quarterback in the nation with 20 or more TDs and three or fewer INTs.
Northwestern: QB Jack Lausch. The redshirt sophomore from Chicago has started the past nine games after Mike Wright struggled through the first two and has more interceptions (six) than touchdowns (five). He got picked off twice against Michigan and was sacked five times while completing 10 of 21 passes for 106 yards.
Northwestern is 0-4 at Wrigley Field since college football returned to “The Friendly Confines” in 2010 after more than a seven-decade absence. The Wildcats have been outscored in those games by a combined 121-55, starting with a 48-27 loss to Illinois in 2010. This will be the Illini's third appearance at the Chicago Cubs' ballpark. Led by Red Grange, the 1923 national champions beat Northwestern 29-0. ... The Illini have four fourth-quarter comeback victories this season — Kansas, at Nebraska, Purdue and at Rutgers. ... Northwestern was held to 10 yards rushing last week, including 33 yards lost on six sacks.
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Illinois wide receiver Pat Bryant (13) scores a 40-yard touchdown after making a catch as teammate Alexander Capka-Jones (15) celebrates in the final seconds of an NCAA college football game against Rutgers, Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024, in Piscataway, N.J. Illinois defeated Rutgers 38-31. (AP Photo/Rich Schultz)
Washington (6-4, 4-4 Big Ten) at No. 1 Oregon (11-0, 8-0, No. 1 CFP) 7:30 p.m. ET Saturday (NBC)
Bet MGM College Football Odds: Oregon by 19 1/2.
Series record: Washington leads 63-48-5.
Oregon, ranked No. 1 in both the AP and CFP rankings, is the nation's lone undefeated team and has already clinched a spot in the Big Ten championship game. The Ducks are 11-0 for just the second time in school history. The game will be the 116th meeting between the two rivals, who both joined the Big Ten this year after leaving the Pac-12. The Huskies have won the last three meetings, including the Pac-12 title game last year, but are looking to play spoiler this time before a bowl game to cap their season.
Washington coach Jedd Fisch has picked a starting quarterback for the game against the Ducks, but he's not announcing who it is. Washington has used both Will Rogers and freshman Demond Williams Jr. situationally throughout the season, but Rogers has been the consistent starter. Whoever starts will face an Oregon defense that is allowing just 15.7 points per game. The Ducks are ranked seventh in total defense, allowing opponents 274.4 yards a game.
Washington: Receiver Denzel Boston has nine touchdown receptions, tied for 11th in the nation and tied for first in the Big 10. Boston's nine regular season TD catches are tied for eighth-most in school history. A sophomore, Boston is averaging 69.5 yards a game.
Oregon: Quarterback Dillon Gabriel has set the all-time career record for total touchdowns with 180. He ranks second for passing touchdowns with 147. He also has 32 career rushing touchdowns and one TD reception. He's thrown for 22 touchdowns and run for six scores this season.
Washington won both meetings against the Ducks last season: The Huskies won in the regular season 36-33 in Seattle, then beat Oregon again 34-31 in the Pac-12 championship game. Washington was undefeated before losing to Michigan for the national championship. ... Huskies running back Jonah Coleman is averaging 91.6 rushing yards per game with nine rushing touchdowns. He ranks 11th nationally with 36 rushing plays of 10 yards or more. ... Oregon coach Dan Lanning would not say whether receiver Tez Johnson, defensive end Jordan Burch and offensive lineman Marcus Harper II would play. All three were nursing injuries. ... With a win Oregon will finish the regular season 12-0 for the second time in school history. The other time was in 2010, when Oregon went to the BCS title game but lost to Auburn.
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Washington quarterback Will Rogers throws against UCLA during the first half of an NCAA college football game Friday, Nov. 15, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
Washington quarterback Demond Williams Jr. (2) runs the ball against UCLA linebacker Oluwafemi Oladejo (2) during the second half of an NCAA college football game Friday, Nov. 15, 2024, in Seattle. Washington won 31-19. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
Washington tight end Decker DeGraaf (86) and quarterback Demond Williams Jr. (2) celebrate DeGraaf's touchdown against UCLA during the second half of an NCAA college football game Friday, Nov. 15, 2024, in Seattle. Washington won 31-19. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
