(Photo: Clutchpoints)
Campus Clash
(20) Illinois Fighting Illini at (1) Oregon Ducks
Illinois: I’ve truly enjoyed watching them this year and I don’t think anyone expected them to be as competitive as they have even in 2024. With the Penn State Nittany Lions playing as well as they have, the Ohio State Buckeyes are still relevant. Of course, in the conference with the defending champion Michigan Wolverines, they have shined and done it their own way. They just handed a struggling Michigan team their third loss on the season. Many teams in the nation have flash meaning they’re exciting to watch and they are that team that can run and gun it up and down the field. That isn’t this group necessarily in Champaign, Illinois. I respect that they don’t jump out of their box because if they did, they’d get destroyed. While many football teams today prefer to speed the game up, they like to slow the game down and make it ugly. That is Fighting Illini football in a nutshell. They may not have many names you may know from a national standpoint, but this roster has been getting the job done and under Head Coach Bret Bielema, they are fundamentally sound and there is a reason why they are 6-1 and a top 20 ranked team in the country. Look at how they beat up on the defending champs the other day. They were active defensively and forced some turnovers while the offense handled the rest. Plus, Michigan doesn’t Again, this is a good football team with a high ceiling. On Saturday afternoon, they will travel west to Eugene.
Oregon: With the Texas Longhorns going down, I knew they’d move up in the polls and here we are now. They are the number-one ranked team in the country as we speak. I’ve watched many of their games over the years and they are such a completely different team than what we saw a decade ago. Under Chip Kelly, they were a group that ran the no-huddle offense to perfection and sped games up with balance. Now, the offense isn’t are quick as it was then, but they are so efficient when it comes to picking their spots. In my eyes, Dan Lanning has become a top-five coach in the country since taking this job in Eugene. His teams play hard and leave it all out on the field for him which is a sign they want to play for him. I heard chatter and read things about Coach not being able to win “big games”. Every college coach deals with that and until they do, that label will remain with them. What impresses me about this Oregon team is their fight and resiliency. Look at that game a few weeks ago against the Ohio State Buckeyes in their backyard. Even when the Buckeyes scored and moved the ball down the field on them, the Ducks found a way to throw a punch back and keep themselves in the game. There have been times when it hasn’t been pretty, but they’ve won and are one of ten remaining unbeaten teams in the FBS. Also, Dan has won that big game now. This Saturday, they return home to face an up-and-coming Fighting Illini team.
Illinois X-Factor: Pat Bryant– He is one of their best perimeter threats in the passing game. Pat is a 6’3 receiver with the ability to go up and get the football. Pat just doesn’t work the outside, he goes over the middle and makes the tough catches in traffic. Pat is a physical receiver who can give secondaries all the trouble in the world with his quickness and strength. He is Luke Altmeyer’s go-to guy for a reason and he will be needed often for this game on Saturday.
Oregon X-Factor: Terrance Ferguson– This is a veteran on this Ducks offense. What a weapon he is. Terrance is a Tight End who’s used very much like a Wide Receiver as they give him the ball on screen passes, line him up wide on the perimeter, and do any way they can to get the ball to a key playmaker. Terrance moves similarly to Travis Kelce meaning he knows how to get himself open and uses himself as a decoy, then he’s open. With the ball in his hands, he’s a tough guy to bring down.
Final Thoughts: Saturday will mark Illinois’ first game on the West Coast since 2014 when they played the Washington Huskies. This will also be Oregon’s first game since taking over the top spot in the AP polls. Oregon has such a strong home-field advantage and I expect that crowd to be in this game from the start until the end. Can Illinois strike first? That’s the key ingredient and Oregon can sometimes struggle to stop the run. An early drive ending in a touchdown will give the Illini some confidence. One key matchup I’ll be paying attention to is the Illinois Offensive Line against this Oregon pass rush. Both have been elite this year. Oregon can get home consistently and Illinois doesn’t allow many sacks. This will be a must-see battle in my eyes. The Ducks can’t take this team lightly at all. One thing Oregon has working for them is their offensive firepower and that’s a key advantage in this game. Illinois can’t get thrown into a shootout because it won’t end well for them. I like Oregon at home to keep rolling.
Prediction: Oregon 27, Illinois 13
