Some believed Western Michigan would be competitive in the MAC this year. But things haven’t gone the Broncos’ way thus far.
WMU is 0-2 at this point in the season. The Broncos first traveled to take on Michigan State and fell 23-6. Then they hosted North Texas. In a close contest that went to overtime, the Broncos ended up losing 33-30.
And this week won’t be much easier.
WMU is back on the road and will compete with Illinois, the No. 9-ranked team in the FBS. Will the Broncos manage to bounce back after a slow start against an opponent of that caliber?
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Western Michigan vs. Illinois Betting Odds
Illinois is a -27.5 college football betting odds favorite against Western Michigan, with the Over/Under being 50.5.
The moneyline for Western Michigan is +2000, while it’s -10000 for Illinois.
Western Michigan vs. Illinois On TV
The matchup between Western Michigan and Illinois will be televised on FS1.
The game will kick off at 7 p.m. ET on Saturday, Sept. 13. The contest is taking place at Memorial Stadium in Champaign, Illinois.
Western Michigan vs. Illinois Prediction
I predict Illinois will win and cover the 27.5-point spread. I also project the game will go Under 50.5 total points.
Illinois entered the 2025 season with some preseason hype, and the Fighting Illini haven’t done much on the field to disappoint their fans so far. They’ve beaten Western Illinois 52-3 and Duke 45-19.
I don’t know if Western Michigan has enough to slow down Illinois’ momentum at this point. The Broncos scored six points on the road at Michigan State to begin the year in a 23-6 loss, and then lost to North Texas 33-30 at home last week.
Now, I do believe in WMU’s defense, which is why I anticipate this will be a low-scoring contest early on. But I think Illinois will pull away in the second half to win in convincing fashion.
