The Michigan State Spartans (4-5) face off against the Illinois Fighting Illini (6-3) on Saturday, November 16th. This game will be played at Memorial Stadium (Champaign, IL) in Champaign and televised on FS1. Both Michigan State and Illinois will be looking to bounce back from losses in their previous games. Kickoff is scheduled for 2:30 ET.

Michigan State Spartans vs Illinois Fighting Illini

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Michigan State Offense Breakdown

Heading into week 12, Michigan State’s offense is averaging just 19.8 points per game, placing them 87th in the nation. They are ranked 76th in our offensive power rankings. Their rushing attack has struggled, averaging 120.2 yards per game, and their leading rusher, Kay’ron Lynch-Adams, has 469 yards and two touchdowns.

Quarterback Aidan Chiles has thrown for 1,850 yards, but he has 12 interceptions compared to eight touchdowns, resulting in a passer rating of 76. As a team, Michigan State ranks 112th in passer rating. Nick Marsh leads the receivers with 553 yards and three touchdowns.

Illinois Offense Breakdown

Illinois’ offense ranks 59th in points per game, averaging 25.9, and they are 52nd in our offensive power rankings heading into week 12. Quarterback Luke Altmyer has thrown for 1,893 yards, completing 62.8% of his passes, with 16 touchdowns and three interceptions, giving him a passer rating of 102. Illinois is 30th in passer rating nationally and 39th in completion percentage at 62.4%.

They are 80th in passing yards per game, averaging 213.6, and 68th in passing attempts. On third downs, they convert 43.2% of the time, ranking 43rd. Leading receiver Pat Bryant has 576 yards and seven touchdowns. On the ground, Illinois averages 142.9 rushing yards per game. Josh McCray leads the team with 330 rushing yards and four touchdowns.

Michigan State Team Defense

Despite allowing 47 points in their recent game against Indiana, Michigan State’s defense gave up just 250 total yards, including 44 rushing yards on 26 attempts. Indiana managed 206 passing yards and two touchdowns, while Michigan State’s defense also recorded an interception.

On the season, Michigan State ranks 46th nationally, allowing 24.1 points per game. Opponents are averaging 131.4 rushing yards per game and 194.8 passing yards. Quarterbacks have completed 61.3% of their passes with a passer rating of 90.9 against Michigan State’s defense.

Michigan State Team Defense

Illinois’ defense is ranked 28th nationally, allowing 21.1 points per game. In their recent game against Minnesota, they gave up 25 points, allowing 18 first downs but holding the Gophers to just 35 rushing yards on 19 attempts. Minnesota threw the ball 45 times, completing 27 passes for 262 yards.

Opponents have averaged 211.4 passing yards per game against Illinois, completing 62.3% of their throws. On the ground, Illinois has faced 33.7 rushing attempts per game, allowing an average of 155.6 rushing yards.

Michigan State vs Illinois Trends

• In their last ten games away from home, the Michigan State Spartans have a straight up record of 2-8 while going 5-3-2 vs. the spread. The team averaged 16 points per game in this stretch.
• When looking at their past three home matchups, Illinois has an ATS record of 2-1 while averaging 15 per game. The team went 1-2 overall in these games.
• Looking back on the team’s last five games as the underdog, the Michigan State Spartans have a straight up record of 1-4. Their record vs the spread in these games was 2-3.
• Against the spread, the Illinois Fighting Illini have put together of 1-4 in their last five games as the betting favorite. In these same games, they went 4-1 straight up.

Spartans vs Fighting Illini Prediction

Michigan State is the road underdog in this matchup vs. Illinois, with the Illini being -2.5 point favorites. We have the Spartans winning straight-up with a final score of 26-21, making them a strong bet to cover the spread.

For the over/under, with the line sitting at 47.5 points, our projection of 47 points suggests that taking the under is the best play.

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All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!

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* All odds are provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.Action247 does not warrant the accuracy of completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these post.