Illinois leading scorer Terrence Shannon Jr. will return from a concussion but this still feels way too high of a number. Northwestern continues to get no respect despite sitting second in the Big Ten and on a five-game winning streak. The Illini lost by 13 in Evanston earlier this year. I expect a win this time, but I'll take the TD and the hook -- which may matter via the SL Model as it has Illinois winning by seven.

Is Northwestern ready to compete at Illinois? Why not, the Wildcats have been dicing up the Big Ten with stellar play and controlling the slow tempo. Illinois has lost three of its last five, with each defeat coming on the road, while Northwestern has won and covered eight of its past 10 - including the last five. The team is for real and proved it by beating Purdue, Indiana and Iowa in its last three. Northwestern is 7-4 straight up and 8-2 against the spread on the road. Take the Wildcats and the points.