Michigan is back on the road refreshed and recharged coming out of the bye week. The Wolverines will be facing an amped-up Illinois program celebrating 100 years of its stadium, specifically against the Wolverines.
Below, the M&BR staff predict Saturday's game against the Illini.
Josh Henschke
You can make the case that every game moving forward is a must-win for Michigan but this game is absolutely a must-win for a lot of reasons. You're coming out of the bye week refreshed and presumably healthy and you said you addressed a lot of the issues plaguing the team through the first six games of the season. I do expect to see a much better-looking product this week. Jack Tuttle should bring some level of balance to the offense now that he's had a full week of practice as the starter. The Wolverines defense should do enough to make it close but victorious.
Michigan 27, Illinois 24
Dennis Fithian
Looking for low turnovers on offense and a decent passing game from 'Uncle' Jack Tuttle. Sure a strong four quarters from the defense would be great but at this point it's more realistic to hope for some big plays and maybe a turnover or two. Dominic Zvada was a star in the first half and he will be the hero in Champaign.
Michigan 30, Illinois 27
Trevor McCue
The bye week came at the perfect time, you just wish there was a win at Washington on the other side of it. Maybe the loss and 4-2 start with give Michigan the spark it needs as it heads to the second half of the season. Whatever playoff hopes the Wolverines hold on to make this game against Illinois a must-win. The Illini are better than expected this season, trips to Champaign are sometimes more difficult than expected, and Bret Bielema has had this game circled. Bielema probably still gets angry thinking about the 2022 game. I think Illinois will be too emotional, and Michigan will find a calm confidence coming off the bye. It probably still won't be pretty but I think Jack Tuttle does enough in his first start, and the Michigan run game carries them home in a low scoring affair.
Michigan 24, Illinois 17
Brock Heilig
Bret Bielema is obsessed with beating Michigan. During his Monday press conference, he recalled his exact record as a head coach against the Wolverines (3-3) and got choked up talking about how much this game means to him. It’s the 100-year anniversary of Red Grange’s six-touchdown, two-interception performance in Illinois’ 39-14 win over Michigan, and to celebrate, the Fighting Illini will be wearing some of the ugliest uniforms ever worn in college football. The Wolverines had two weeks to get things right in the passing game and in the secondary — their two biggest areas of weakness so far this season. However, it would be foolish to think all of Michigan’s problems were magically fixed because it had a week off. Jack Tuttle hasn’t played a full game at quarterback yet, but it’s becoming increasingly apparent that the talent simply isn’t there at quarterback or wide receiver this season. And the secondary isn’t doing the offense any favors by conceding big play after big play. The Fighting Illini are not to be taken lightly. That’s not to say Michigan is overlooking them, but Illinois will get the better of Michigan for the first time since 2009.
Michigan 20, Illinois 28
Seth Berry
Michigan is coming off a loss to Washington, but in between now and then, got a much needed bye week to hopefully start to heal up at some key positions and make some corrections on both sides of the ball. Despite the loss to the Huskies, the Wolverines showed some promise they could be balanced on the offensive side of the ball with Jack Tuttle now at QB. The bye week should have served well for Tuttle to get more reps. Between that and going against an Illinois run defense that has struggled at times this season, the Wolverines are looking at an opportunity to have some success moving the football. Defensively, the secondary needs to figure it out, and things don’t get any easier going against a more than formidable QB in Luke Altmyer. I think UM’s defensive line does enough on that side of the ball and that UM find some offensive consistency and ends up coming away with a much needed one score win on the road.
Michigan 31, Illinois 24
---
Discuss this article with our community on our premium message boards
Not a subscriber to Maize & Blue Review? Sign up today to gain access to all the latest Michigan intel M&BR has to offer
Follow our staff on Twitter: @JoshHenschke, @Berry_Seth14, @TrevorMcCue, @DennisFithian, @BrockHeilig, @JimScarcelli, @Jerry_Diorio
Subscribe to our podcasts: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and Spotify
Check out Maize & Blue Review's video content on YouTube
Follow Maize & Blue Review on social media: Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, and Instagram
