Does any one know anything about Western Mich?..im just curious cus i see that they are only getting a td from illinois....I see that wmich is 7-1... but i also see that the best competition they have played so far is Central Mich...if they couldnt handle Lefevour how will they handl Juice...and sub-par big ten defense... i think i might have to go with the Illini here.. unless some one can sway me out of playin the game at all...
I was just looking at this game.
W Mich QB has thrown for almost 3000 yards. They like to throw the ball. They can score but I just don't know how it will translate vs a Big 10 school. Illinois gave up yards by the bunch vs decent offenses like Missouri and Penn St. The questions remains, is W Mich offense better than the mid tier Big 10 schools. I would say the over is the best bet with the game indoors on W Mich home turf.
Just don't know why the total was hit down a few points.
W Mich QB has thrown for almost 3000 yards. They like to throw the ball. They can score but I just don't know how it will translate vs a Big 10 school. Illinois gave up yards by the bunch vs decent offenses like Missouri and Penn St. The questions remains, is W Mich offense better than the mid tier Big 10 schools. I would say the over is the best bet with the game indoors on W Mich home turf.
Just don't know why the total was hit down a few points.
They got spanked by Georgia too. WM can and will score on Illinois. Illinois really needs this game for bowl eligibility. Illinois lack of defense and a sandwich game for them (off Iowa, Ohio St, NW next), makes me love the over. Game is at Ford Field so there are no weather issues.
The over looks good but the only thing that scares me is Illinois has been horrible this year in their early games. When I say that I mean their offense has not played up to their potential and they seem to make a lot of mistakes. Maybe that doesn't mean much but it has been a trend.
On the other side, I still think this could be a shoot out game. Illinois should be able to run and set up big pass plays for their receivers that will be unlike anything WMU has defended YTD. When WMU has the ball on offense they will have the middle of the field open all day for easy 1st downs.
If the Illini can't get pressure on the QB they more than likely won't win by more than a TD so I don't think the line has much value at all.
On the other side, I still think this could be a shoot out game. Illinois should be able to run and set up big pass plays for their receivers that will be unlike anything WMU has defended YTD. When WMU has the ball on offense they will have the middle of the field open all day for easy 1st downs.
If the Illini can't get pressure on the QB they more than likely won't win by more than a TD so I don't think the line has much value at all.
I watched Western Michigan play Nebraska live and was semi-impressed? They have a decent defense against the run (not so much against the pass) have a ton of experience on offense and they seem to play up/down to their opposition.
Not my prediction below but I would agree and take Illinois or no one.
Illinois (5-4) vs. Western Michigan (7-2) in Detroit, 12 EST
Why to watch: Last year, Iowa was 6-5 and on a nice three-game winning streak on its way to an almost certain bowl game. Western Michigan came into Iowa City and rolled to a 28-19 win, and a 6-6 Iowa stayed home for the bowl season. This year, Illinois is 5-4 after a desperately needed 27-24 win over Iowa, and it needs to win two of its final three games to be assured of a bowl bid. Next week’s game is against Ohio State, and the regular-season finale is at Northwestern, so a win in Detroit, a neutral site game, might be a must. For Western Michigan, beating Illinois would assure a bowl bid, but the big game is in a few weeks against Ball State. Despite losing to Central Michigan a few weeks ago, the Broncos are still in the hunt for the MAC title.
Why Illinois might win: Illinois is known for being a running team because of its spread attack, but it’s actually more of a passing team averaging a Big Ten leading 272 yards per game. Western Michigan got ripped up by Central Michigan’s Brian Brunner and has allowed 200 yards or more in three of the last four games. The Bronco secondary is full of experience, but it’s not coming up with much in the way of production. QB Juice Williams is too hot and the Illini has too many receiving weapons to be held in check.
Why Western Michigan might win: Tim Hiller. There isn’t a hotter quarterback in the country at the moment than the Western Michigan junior. He has thrown for 333 yards or more in five of the last six games and has thrown for 28 touchdowns and just five interceptions on the year. The Illinois secondary hasn’t played up to its talent level, and while it hasn’t been awful, it hasn’t faced anyone outside of Missouri with a special passing attack.
Who to watch: Illinois has become too reliant on the passing game and has gotten away from what made the team a success last season. There’s no Rashard Mendenhall, and Williams isn’t running as much as usual, so the ground game has belonged to junior Daniel Dufrene, who has been fine, but has seen his workload decrease in a big way over the last month. He missed last week’s game against Iowa due to personal reasons, and he’s expected to be back this week. He needs to get established early on, and he should be fresh after only carrying the ball 13 times since October 11<SUP>th</SUP>.
What will happen: Shootout. It should be a very entertaining back-and-fourth game with plenty of passing yards and several big plays. Illinois will come up with a few more stops, and a few more sacks, than WMU will.
CFN Prediction: Illinois 41 … Western Michigan 23 ... Line: Illinois -7.5
Must See Rating: (5 The Non-Stop Election Coverage– 1 The Non-Stop Election <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com
fficeffice" /><o
></o>
Not my prediction below but I would agree and take Illinois or no one.
Illinois (5-4) vs. Western Michigan (7-2) in Detroit, 12 EST
Why to watch: Last year, Iowa was 6-5 and on a nice three-game winning streak on its way to an almost certain bowl game. Western Michigan came into Iowa City and rolled to a 28-19 win, and a 6-6 Iowa stayed home for the bowl season. This year, Illinois is 5-4 after a desperately needed 27-24 win over Iowa, and it needs to win two of its final three games to be assured of a bowl bid. Next week’s game is against Ohio State, and the regular-season finale is at Northwestern, so a win in Detroit, a neutral site game, might be a must. For Western Michigan, beating Illinois would assure a bowl bid, but the big game is in a few weeks against Ball State. Despite losing to Central Michigan a few weeks ago, the Broncos are still in the hunt for the MAC title.
Why Illinois might win: Illinois is known for being a running team because of its spread attack, but it’s actually more of a passing team averaging a Big Ten leading 272 yards per game. Western Michigan got ripped up by Central Michigan’s Brian Brunner and has allowed 200 yards or more in three of the last four games. The Bronco secondary is full of experience, but it’s not coming up with much in the way of production. QB Juice Williams is too hot and the Illini has too many receiving weapons to be held in check.
Why Western Michigan might win: Tim Hiller. There isn’t a hotter quarterback in the country at the moment than the Western Michigan junior. He has thrown for 333 yards or more in five of the last six games and has thrown for 28 touchdowns and just five interceptions on the year. The Illinois secondary hasn’t played up to its talent level, and while it hasn’t been awful, it hasn’t faced anyone outside of Missouri with a special passing attack.
Who to watch: Illinois has become too reliant on the passing game and has gotten away from what made the team a success last season. There’s no Rashard Mendenhall, and Williams isn’t running as much as usual, so the ground game has belonged to junior Daniel Dufrene, who has been fine, but has seen his workload decrease in a big way over the last month. He missed last week’s game against Iowa due to personal reasons, and he’s expected to be back this week. He needs to get established early on, and he should be fresh after only carrying the ball 13 times since October 11<SUP>th</SUP>.
What will happen: Shootout. It should be a very entertaining back-and-fourth game with plenty of passing yards and several big plays. Illinois will come up with a few more stops, and a few more sacks, than WMU will.
CFN Prediction: Illinois 41 … Western Michigan 23 ... Line: Illinois -7.5
Must See Rating: (5 The Non-Stop Election Coverage– 1 The Non-Stop Election <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com
fficeffice" /><o></o>...and LeFevour didn't play in the Central/Western matchup, the back up that doesn't run just throws a ton played.
Not to mention Western/Central is a rivalry game so I wouldn't use that as my main basis of capping this team.
Definitely no home field advantage as Ford Field will be at least half empty most likely. Kalamazoo is 2+ hrs away from Detroit
Not to mention Western/Central is a rivalry game so I wouldn't use that as my main basis of capping this team.
Definitely no home field advantage as Ford Field will be at least half empty most likely. Kalamazoo is 2+ hrs away from Detroit
