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ESPN’s FPI predicts the winner of heavyweight battle between Illinois and Michigan
By Ethan Stone
Published:
Michigan is set to play its 2nd toughest game of the season this Saturday, hosting the tumbling Illinois Fighting Illini.
Illinois climbed as high as No. 17 in the polls, but has since lost 2 straight and fumbled prime position for a trip to Indianapolis and a B1G West title. The Illini fell to Michigan State before allowing Purdue to come back and upset them last Saturday.
Michigan is in the race for the B1G East against Ohio State, but can’t afford to overlook the Fighting Illini. The Wolverines have just 1 good win on their CFP resume at the moment, a 41-17 drubbing of Penn State a few weeks ago. Though it’s a small, there is an outside chance a close loss to Ohio State on Nov. 26 could be enough to allow them into a Playoff spot.
So winning and wining big is definitely on the minds of Jim Harbaugh’s crew. ESPN’s FPI predicted the B1G cross-divisional battle ahead of Saturday, giving the Wolverines a 90.7% chance of remaining undefeated heading into the final week of the season.
That’s admittedly, a pretty surprising number. Michigan should be heavy favorites, but 90% seems a touch extreme for a strong Illini defense and capable weapons such as Brian Hightower and or course Chase Brown.
We’ll have to see come Saturday. The game is set for Noon in Ann Arbor on ABC.
Ethan Stone was an editor for his student newspaper at the University of Tennessee and is now a News Manager for Saturday Tradition.