Illinois vs. No. 3 Michigan picks and best bets for Week 12 Big Ten matchup

The Illinois Fighting Illini travel to face the No. 3 Michigan Wolverines on Saturday, Nov. 19 at the Big House in Ann Arbor with kickoff scheduled for noon ET. There’s a lot at stake for both teams. Michigan risks being caught looking ahead to Ohio State the next weekend as they hope to remain undefeated, while Illinois is still in contention in a tight Big Ten West race.

The Wolverines (10-0) have outscored their last three opponents 115-27. They have a Heisman Trophy contender in running back Blake Corum. Illinois (7-3_ started the season strong but dropped their last two against Purdue and Michigan State.

Here’s all the data you’ll want, and a pick for the game!

SP+ Rankings

Illinois: No. 26 overall, No. 97 offense, No. 4 defense
Michigan: No. 3 overall, No. 20 offense, No. 3 defense

Injury update

Illinois

RB Chase Brown - Questionable (lower body)
RB Josh McCray - Questionable (foot)
WR Pat Bryant - Questionable (concussion protocol)

Michigan

TE Luke Schoonmaker - Questionable (undisclosed)

ATS/Total

Against The Spread

Illinois: 6-4 ATS
Michigan: 6-3-1 ATS

Total

Illinois: Over 3-6-1
Michigan: Over Y3-7

Overall Talent from 247Sports

Illinois: No. 64 overall, No. 67 offense, No. 56 defense
Michigan: No. 15 overall, No. 15 offense, No. 15 defense

Current lines at DraftKings Sportsbook

Spread: Michigan -18
Total: 42
Moneyline: Michigan -XXX, Illinois +YYY

Opening line: Michigan -17
Opening total: 44

Weather

30 degrees, cloudy, 17 MPH winds SW with 28 MPH wind gusts

The Pick

Illinois +18

This Illinois team is certainly nothing to brush over, even if their last two games ended poorly. They’ll come into this looking to prove themselves, and I think it’s a real concern that the Wolverines might get caught looking ahead to The Game. Michigan pulls it off, but Illinois’ top-ranked defense should be able to make this a cover.