Oregon Ducks vs. Illinois Fighting Illini Prediction: Top-ranked Ducks avoid upset?

The Oregon Ducks host the Illinois Fighting Illini at Autzen Stadium in Eugene on Saturday afternoon. It's a top-20 matchup pitting the No. 1-ranked Ducks against the upstart, No. 20-ranked Fighting Illini.

Oregon is 7-0 this season and 4-0 in the Big Ten. The Ducks are coming off a 35-0 win over Purdue.

Illinois is 6-1 and 3-1 in the Big Ten. The Fighting Illini's only loss was a 21-7 loss at Penn State. In their last game, Illinois defeated Michigan 21-7.

Oregon vs Illinois odds

The Ducks enter Saturday's Top 20 showdown as 21.5-point home favorites against the visiting Illini. The over/under is 54.5 points.

Oregon has been nearly unbeatable at home lately. Under coach Dan Lanning, the Ducks have a 16-1 record at Autzen Stadium since 2022. In their last home game against Ohio State, Oregon was an underdog but beat Ohio State 32-31.

Illinois has been a surprise this season. The Fighting Illini had a win total of 5.5 in the preseason and have already achieved that with 5 games to go. Illinois' biggest win this year was a road win at Nebraska. Illinois was a 7-point underdog in this game. They succeeded when the odds were stacked against them.

Oregon vs. Illinois preview

ESPN's Football Power Index gives the Ducks a 91.4 percent chance of winning against Illinois.

Oregon is the No. 1 team in the country and plays at home, so FPI believes the chance of an upset is slim.

Oregon entered the year as the preseason No. 3 team, but fell behind after two subpar performances early in the season against Idaho and Boise State. The Ducks have gotten better with each game and are now playing as good football as anyone in the country. This reflects their No. 1 ranking. The offensive line, which struggled earlier in the year, cleaned up and protected quarterback Dillon Gabriel, opening up the offense as a whole.

Illinois entered the season with relatively low expectations. Simply producing a bowl game would have been considered a success. Illinois has already achieved this feat and can now aim higher. Quarterback Luke Altmyer has had an impressive performance this season. He plays error-free football and has 15 passing touchdowns with only 1 interception. The biggest key to their success, however, was Illinois' defense.

Oregon vs. Illinois score prediction

Illinois will not be intimidated when there is a hostile atmosphere on the streets. The Illini have already played night games at undefeated Nebraska and Penn State. For Illinois to give the Ducks a real scare, they can't afford to fall behind early. If Illinois' defense can limit the Ducks early, it gives their offense more flexibility. If Oregon can get to a two-possession lead, it will be very difficult for the Illini to get back into the game.

How to beat the Ducks at home? With an extra day of rest, Oregon overtakes Illinois.

Oregon 35, Illinois 13