Michigan Opens as Four-Touchdown Favorite vs. Illinois

Michigan just had a historic beatdown over Rutgers with a 78-0 win last weekend, and Las Vegas projects that the Wolverines will blow out their next opponent, too.

The Wolverines opened as a 28-point favorite against Illinois when the two clash in Ann Arbor on October 22nd, according to VegasInsider.com. However, that spread already has shifted fast in Michigan’s direction. A few minutes after the line opened, Michigan was a 32.5-point favorite, and, a few minutes after that, the Wolverines were -34.

This is the seventh straight game that Michigan has been a double-digit favorite, and the Wolverines are 5-1 against the spread this season, failing to cover against only Wisconsin. On the other hand, Illinois is 3-3 against the spread this season, but did earn its first win over an FBS team on Saturday with a 24-7 win at Rutgers. At plus-34, this is the largest Illinois has been an underdog since being +36.5 against Ohio State in 2005.

The last time that Michigan and Illinois played, the Wolverines won, 45-0, in 2012.