Week 8 of the college football season has a few ranked matchups that are worth watching this weekend. Among Saturday's notable games, the No. 24 Michigan Wolverines will travel to face the No. 22 Illinois Fighting Illini in a crucial Big Ten contest.

As the Wolverines come out of their bye week, they possess a 4-2 record, with their latest game being a 27-17 defeat to the Washington Huskies. The Fighting Illini improved to 5-1 on the season by narrowly defeating the Purdue Boilermakers, 50-49, in Week 7.

Using the college football odds at FanDuel Sportsbook, let's discuss the best bets for Saturday's Michigan-Illinois clash that will kick off at 3:30 p.m. ET.

All college football odds come from FanDuel Sportsbook and may change after this article is published.

Michigan at Illinois Betting Picks

Illinois Over 20.5 Points (-112)

While the Wolverines still deploy a formidable defense, this isn't the same elite unit that held 12 of their 15 opponents a season ago to 15 or fewer points. At the moment, Michigan is tied for the 55th-fewest points allowed per game (22.3), and they haven't played any top-tier offenses since taking on the top-ranked Texas Longhorns back in Week 2.

Even though the Fighting Illini aren't a high-flying offense, the Wolverines struggle more against the pass than the run, which favors Illinois. Michigan's defense is 31st in defensive passing success rate (36.9%) and 57th in expected points added per pass allowed (-0.03), compared to 3rd in defensive rushing success rate (30.1%) and 36th in expected points added per rush allowed (-0.08).

Meanwhile, the Fighting Illini are producing a modest 31.0 points per game while ranking 33rd in offensive passing success rate (46.3%) and 24th in expected points added per pass (0.22). With Illinois quarterback Luke Altmyer sitting at 31st in QBR (73.2) and 27th in expected points added (31.4) -- and Michigan giving up 24-plus points to 4 of their last 5 opponents -- the Fighting Illini have a decent shot to put up 21-plus points at home on Saturday.

Illinois Moneyline (+152)

To correlate with backing Illinois to score 21-plus points, I will also take them to secure the victory at home against Michigan. The Wolverines have been unable to find much rhythm on offense (largely due to their quarterback situation), leading to them being 131st in expected points added per pass (-0.28), 118th in early-down expected points added per play (-0.11), and 106th in offensive passing success rate (38.5%).

J.J. McCarthy isn't walking through that door for the Wolverines on Saturday, giving the Fighting Illini a chance to hand Michigan their third loss of the campaign.

The lack of offensive firepower from Michigan could lead to shorter fields for Illinois, which should help them score 21-plus points and jump out to a lead.

If this game was taking place in Ann Arbor, the Wolverines would certainly have a better shot of winning in front of their home fans. But that isn't the case ahead of their impending clash against the Fighting Illini.

Entering Saturday's bout, Michigan is 1-5 against the spread (ATS) while they failed to cover in their lone road game of the season in last week's 10-point loss to Washington. Meanwhile, Illinois is 4-2 ATS overall in 2024 and are 2-1-1 ATS when playing at Memorial Stadium.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.