The Illinois Fighting Illini (2-1) host the Chattanooga Mocs (3-0) in a Thursday night showdown. Kickoff is set at 8:30 p.m. ET from Memorial Stadium. The Illini are 19.5-point favorites in the latest Chattanooga vs. Illinois odds from Caesars Sportsbook, while the over/under for total points scored is 44.5. 

Before you make any Chattanooga vs. Illinois picks or predictions on Thursday, you NEED to see which side SportsLine CFB expert Micah Roberts is on. 

Roberts has worked in the Las Vegas sportsbook industry for 20-plus years, including a 13-year run as Station Casinos' book director. Armed with an elaborate network of sources, Roberts has unmatched info in multiple sports. Over the past four college football picks, Roberts is 3-1, returning almost $200 during that span. He's also on a 4-0-1 roll on his last five picks involving the Fighting Illini!

Roberts knows Illinois is a run-first offense. This unit loves to ground and pound its way throughout the game. Illinois is ranked fourth in the conference in rushing yards per game (224). The run game is led by junior running back Chase Brown, who logged 75 carries for 496 yards and two touchdowns thus far. He's rushed for 140-plus yards in all three games in 2022. 

He is also aware Chattanooga has a dominant ground attack. The Mocs are averaging 185 rushing yards per game along with 36.6 points per game. Junior running back Ailym Ford is having a good start to his 2022 campaign. Ford is leading the team with 59 carries for 325 yards and four touchdowns. He's tough to bring down, scoring 2 touchdowns in each of the first two matchups. 

Now, Roberts has set his sights on Chattanooga vs. Illinois. We can tell you he is leaning Over the total, and he also has found a critical x-factor that's made him lock in a STRONG play on the side! You ABSOLUTELY need to see what he has to say before locking in any college football picks.

So who wins Illinois vs. Chattanooga? And what critical x-factor makes one side of the spread hit hard? Join SportsLine now to find out, all from the expert who has crushed his picks involving the Illini!