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Michigan State vs Illinois Point Spread

Written October 8, 2009 by Jordan Haimowitz

Sparty sure made a statement last weekend in their win vs intrastate rivals Michigan. Head coach Mark Dantonio had his bunch ready to play starting with that stout offensive line that helped Michigan State rush for 197 yards. QB Kirk Cousins had a very peculiar game throwing for an efficient 15/21 for 152 yards, however, he threw two interceptions and really did not have a major impact on the game for any consistent time. With that said, they still came away with a huge win and currently sit at 2-3 on the season. Cousins has thrown for 1,002 yards with seven touchdowns and four interceptions. The rushing game has been decent this season, while the total yards per game show 134 on the ground at least half of those come from the QB running for yards that done have a huge impact. Larry Caper and Caulton Ray have combined for 325 yards rushing and 5 TDs from the running back position, not exactly dominating. Speaking of the word dominating, the wide receiver duo of Blair White and BJ Cunningham are just that. White has collected 29 catches for 399 yards and 4 touchdowns as Cunningham has put up 318 yards receiving on 24 catches with three touchdowns himself. The defensive unit for the Spartans is vastly improved allowing only 96 yards on the ground per game and considering they have played teams such as Notre Dame, Wisconsin and Michigan, that sticks out even more. The Spartans face a desperate Illini team today that had its confidence shot weeks ago. The key for the road team today will be the linebackers as a whole. Illinois QB Juice Williams loves to tuck an run, spying the quarterback will be an every play occurrence. Looking at the most recent NCAA football odds for this game Michigan State is favored by 4 points on the road over Illinois. The total for the game sits at 53.5 points.

The Illinois Fighting Illini have had a horrendous first month of the season going 1-3 in their first four games. Now, I do acknowledge that their three losses have come vs. Penn State, Ohio State and Missouri, the problem is not that they lost all three, it is the fact they got outscored 102-26, unacceptable. Quarterback Juice Williams has been miserable. He has thrown for 519 yards in four games with one touchdown to four interceptions and has junior QB Eddie McGee breathing right down his neck. The Illini average a solid 177 yards rushing with a bunch of those coming from QB runs. The big play wide receiver on this team is Arrelious Benn who is projected one of the top WRs headed into next summers NFL draft, but due to the pathetic play from the QB position, his 10 catches for 138 yards and no TDs hurts very much. With the offense performing at such a low level averaging 18 points per game, the defense allowing 30 against does not help thing in any way. The x-factor for the home team today if they plan on winning this game will be the quarterback Juice Williams. He must set the tone early and keep the crowd loud and lively. If they fall behind two scores though this will be a very long afternoon for the Fighting Illini. If you plan to do any football betting this season, you should definitely look into the $500 match bonus at BetUS. There’s simply no better deal around.

Haimo’s Hot Notes:

ILL are 4-12 ATS vs. a team with a losing record.

ILL are 2-6 ATS in their last 8 games in October.

Spartans are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games as a road favorite.

Spartans are 7-2 ATS in their last 9 games as a favorite of 3.5-10.0.

Over is 4-0 in Spartans last 4 road games vs. a team with a losing home record.

Over is 10-1 in Spartans last 11 games as a road favorite.

Spartans are 6-1 ATS in their last 7 meetings.

Favorite is 6-1 ATS in their last 7 meetings.

The Spartans are a very legitimate 2-3 team. They have a good offensive line with an average quarterback that has two game breaking receivers to throw to. The defense is decent as well. The Fighting Illini does have some very talented players that can help you win games. If they can cut down the turnovers they’ll give themselves a chance to win this afternoon. On that note, until that happens I will have no problems laying 4 points of the road with the team who is better in every major category on both ends. Free play below.

Jordan’s Pick: Michigan State -4

$$ON FIRE$$ I have been on the top of the big play capper board now for the last month and have no intentions of faltering. Bookmakers beware, today’s slue of games seems like a clean sweep Saturday. All of my plays are GUARANTEED to hit or Sunday’s all access pass is FREE! Check my main cappers page for all published hot streaks. Let’s go get that money.

Check back often this season for the best college football picks in the business. No other site gives you a better selection of expert football picks each week.

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