Top 5 matchups for Week 9 of the 2024 college football season
3. No. 20 Illinois at No. 1 Oregon – Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET, CBS
Illinois and Oregon will likely begin playing more frequently as Big Ten opponents but Saturday’s matchup will only be the fourth between the two programs and the first since 1995. Oregon won the 1995 matchup in Eugene and also defeated the Illini in Champaign in 1993, while Illinois defended home field in the teams’ first-ever matchup in 1970.
The three previous contests between these two programs were each decided by six points or less, but oddsmakers have the Ducks around three-touchdown favorites for Saturday’s game. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see the No. 1 team in the country roll, but Illinois deserves some respect at 6-1. The Illini’s only loss came at Penn State and they have beaten three ranked opponents: Kansas, Nebraska and Michigan. Illinois’ offense led by quarterback Luke Altmyer will need to step up to pull off an upset, but the biggest key for the Illini will be Bret Bielema’s defense which has played well outside of allowing 49 points to Purdue a couple of weeks ago.
The Ducks come into this matchup with the 21st-ranked offense in the country, scoring 30 points or more in each of their last six games. Oregon is led by quarterback Dillon Gabriel but has playmakers across the offense, including running back Jordan James and wideout Tez Johnson. While the offense garners plenty of headlines, Dan Lanning’s defense has also been terrific, ranking 15th in the country after shutting out Purdue this past weekend. This contest could be lower scoring than expected and while Illinois could hang around, the Ducks may ultimately have too much firepower.
