Rutgers vs. Illinois, Preview, Odds, Picks and Prediction, Saturday, November 1st, 2025
Use Code WWWC In this Rutgers at Illinois prediction, the Scarlet Knights travel to Champagne to take on the Fighting Illini in a Big Ten matchup. Utah State is 4-3 overall and 2-1 in conference play. New Mexico is also 4-3 overall, but just 1-2 in the conference. The opening kick is scheduled for 3:00 pm EST. Don’t get sacked this football season! Try our College Football Picks!
Rutgers is in a position to earn a bowl berth
The Rutgers Scarlet Knights won for the first time in over a month last Saturday, defeating Purdue 27-24 on the road. The win ended a four-game losing streak and helped the Scarlet Knights pick up their first home win of the season. The game wasn’t decided until a 30-yard field goal from kicker Jai Patel as time expired.
“You lose four games in a row with a bye week in there, that’s hard, that’s a long stretch. Are we perfect? No, but I’m so proud of the way they just kept chopping, and I can’t lie, this might be the hardest I’ve worked in a week of football in my life,” Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano admitted.
Quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis finished the game 19-of-27 for 359 yards. He threw for one score and ran for another in the contest. WR KJ Duff was the prime beneficiary of Kaliakmanis’ big night, setting a Big Ten record with 241 yards receiving on six catches. That included a 72-yard touchdown catch. Running back Antwan Raymond had a solid game as well, with 116 yards rushing and a touchdown, his tenth of the season. Rutgers finished with 543 yards of total offense. They finished 7-of-18 on conversions.
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The Scarlet Knight’s defense helped to set up the winning score. Defensive lineman Farell Gnago forced a fumble with just over a minute left, recovered by defensive back Jett Elad. Defensive back Kaj Sanders led the Knights with 10 tackles. Gnago, along with the forced fumble, recorded a tackle for a loss along with defensive back Kaj Sanders. The Scarlet Knights allowed 345 yards of total offense. The defense held Purdue to just 1-of-9 on third down conversions.
Rutgers arrives in Illinois two games short of bowl eligibility. They come in ranked 65th in the nation in points per game. The Scarlet Knights are just 111th in rushing but are 21st in passing. They are just 106th in red zone offense. The Scarlet Knights have not protected the quarterback well, ranked 129th in sacks allowed this season. On the defensive end, the Scarlet Knights are 11th in scoring defense. They are 136th against the run and 116th against the pass. Rutgers is just 85th in red zone defense and 123rd in sacks per game. They are 10th in penalty yards per game and 72nd in turnover margin.
Key Injuries: WR Vernon Allen, WR Dylan Braithwaite, RB Samuel Brown V, TE Jackson Gister, WR Jourdain Houston, WR Dino Kaliakmanis, WR Dane Pardridge, TE Ben Rothhamer, WR Ian Strong, and WR Michael Thomas III are questionable.
Illinois Just One Win from Bowl Berth
After starting the season at 5-1, the Illinois Fighting Illini have dropped two straight games, including a 42-25 loss at Washington on Saturday. Trailing just 21-17 at the half, the Illini were outscored 21-8 in the second half. They are now just 2-3 in the Big Ten heading into this matchup with Rutgers.
“Well, first give credit to Washington I thought they obviously came in and executed their game plan. Offense, defense, special teams did some good stuff. I'm disappointed for our football team, our fans. We did a lot of preparation during the bye week in this past week, to get to a better result than what we see today. I always go back to before we can expect to win a game, you got to stop from losing it. We did some self inflicted wounds today, offense, defensively, a little bit in a kicking game, that took away from our success and, it's my job as a head coach to get that corrected.” Head coach Bret Bielema said after the game.
Offensively, the Fighting Illini were led by quarterback Luke Altmyer finished 22-of-34 passing for 199 yards and two touchdowns. Altmyer also had 48 yards rushing to lead the team. Wide receiver Hank Beatty led the way with six catches for 73 yards. In all, the Fighting Illini finished with 337 yards of total offense. They were also very efficient, 9-of-12 on third down conversions. Illinois was done in by miscues, with two interceptions from Altmyer and eight penalties for 82 yards.
On the defensive end, the Illini allowed 449 yards of total offense, including nearly 300 yards passing. The defense allowed Washington to throw five touchdown passes in the game. Dylan Rosiek led Illinois with seven tackles in the game. Matthew Bailey and Scott Miles each had six tackles. The team had two tackles for loss in the game but failed to force any turnovers.
The Fighting Illini are now just one win away from clinching bowl eligibility heading into Saturday’s matchup with Rutgers. They are 44th in the country in points per game. The Fighting Illini are 118th in rushing and 33rd in passing. The team is 56th in red zone offense this year, and they are 115th in sacks allowed per game. Defensively, the Fighting Illini are 102nd in points allowed per game. They are 87th against the run and 113th against the pass. The team is 123rd in red zone defense this season. They are 104th in sacks per game and 25th in total penalty yards per game. Illinois is 57th in the country in turnover margin.
Key Injuries: WR Malik Elzy is questionable, and DB Xavier Scott is out.
Rutgers at Illinois Pick
Point Spread pick for Rutgers vs. Illinois
- Rutgers +12.5 (4 units)
The Fighting Illini limp home after a disappointing effort on the road against Washington. The Scarlet Knights come into this game off their first victory in the conference, a big road win over Purdue. Both teams have struggled on the defensive end, ranked in the bottom third in the country in scoring defense. Both teams also rely heavily on the pass, each ranked in the top 35 in passing in the country. Both defenses are below average against the pass. Expect a game that goes back and forth, relying heavily on 3rd down conversions, with neither team able to establish the run. This game will likely come down to the last team with the ball wins. Double-digit points are a huge advantage for the Scarlet Knights in this contest. Take them and cash in!
Take the Scarlet Knights +12.5
Over/Under Pick for Rutgers at Illinois
- Over 62.5 (4 units)
Two teams that struggle to run the ball, rely on the pass, and don’t hurt themselves with penalties should lead to a fast-paced game with plenty of scoring. Both teams are poor in the red zone defensively as well. As noted, the last team with the ball likely wins this one. That means an up-tempo, back-and-forth contest. I’m confidently expecting this one to go over the total.
Take the over.
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