Illinois vs. Michigan leads college football Week 8 predictions

History will hang thickly in the air Saturday as Illinois takes on Michigan in Champaign. The Illini will wear 1920s-style uniforms as the school commemorates the 100th anniversary of the formal dedication of Memorial Stadium, which took place Oct. 18, 1924, also with the Wolverines in town.

What did the Illini’s Red Grange, not yet a nationally known figure, do that day? Not much, really, aside from returning the opening kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown and following that with scoring runs of 67, 56 and 45 yards in the first half, then running and throwing for two more touchdowns in the second half and — we mustn’t forget — intercepting two Michigan passes.

The greatest game ever played by anyone? Maybe so. The Illini won 39-14.

One hundred years and a day later, No. 24 Michigan (-3½) at No. 22 Illinois (2:30 p.m., CBS 2, 890-AM) will be remarkable for an entirely different reason. It will be the first home game for the Illini (5-1, 2-1 Big Ten) as a ranked team facing a ranked opponent since they lost to Michigan 35-31 in 2000.

In case some perspective on how long ago that was helps, Illinois’ 46-year-old athletic director, Josh Whitman, was a senior tight end on that 2000 team. He caught a touchdown pass on his way to a brief career in the NFL and has lived more years since that game than he did before it.

If anyone is wondering, the last time the Illini won a ranked-vs.-ranked game at home was against Ohio State in 1991. One might say they’re overdue.

None of that old stuff has been on coach Bret Bielema’s mind the many times this season he has reminded his players to “remember the past and prepare for the future.” That motto is all about games like the last one against the Wolverines, in 2022 in Ann Arbor, when the Illini had a 17-10 lead in the fourth quarter but lost 19-17 on a field goal with 9 seconds left.

“We didn’t get to rematch those guys last year,” Bielema said, “so we get the chance to rematch them this year. Those things mean a lot.”

It’s hard to imagine any team will be more motivated in Week 8 than the Wolverines (4-2, 2-1 Big Ten), who come off a bye week into a College Football Playoff elimination game. If Sherrone Moore is any good at this head-coaching business, the defending national champs will be locked in and laser focused.

Meanwhile, nothing should concern Illini fans more than the 12 sacks taken by quarterback Luke Altmyer in the last two games, against Penn State (seven) and Purdue (five). Altmyer has played extremely well — he has 14 touchdown passes and only one interception — but the Wolverines’ defensive front, led by Josaiah Stewart, Mason Graham and TJ Guy, is going to be on him like stink on a polecat if he doesn’t grip it and rip it.

And the Illini defense got run on — hard — by both Penn State and Purdue, a dangerous trend with Michigan backs Kalel Mullings and Donovan Edwards about to come one-two punching.

Look, it’s Michigan — maybe not the mightiest version of itself but still plenty formidable.

“We’re ready for the challenge,” Moore said.

Wolverines, 31-20.

OTHER WEEK 8 PICKS

All games are Saturday.

Nebraska (+6½) at No. 16 Indiana (11 a.m., FOX 32): Young Huskers QB Dylan Raiola is a superstar in the making. Old Hoosiers QB Kurtis Rourke has played beautifully despite being under the radar. Up front, though, is where this will be decided — these teams are 1 (Huskers) and 2 (Hoosiers) in the Big Ten in sacks. Hoosiers, 24-20.

No. 7 Alabama (-3) at No. 11 Tennessee (2:30 p.m., ABC 7): Alabama wasn’t supposed to lose to Vanderbilt. Tennessee wasn’t supposed to lose to Arkansas. Neither one-loss team looks like a potential national champion. But Tide QB Jalen Milroe has Heisman Trophy vibes when he’s on, while the Volunteers’ defense has been consistently lights-out — and which strength wins out will tell the tale. Vols pull it out.

No. 5 Georgia (+4½) at No. 1 Texas (6:30 p.m., ABC 7): Georgia has been the gold standard the last few years, but this Longhorns team has undeniably been better — by the numbers and to the eyeballs — on both sides of the ball. Are the Bulldogs, who seem to struggle to get up for games, going to wake up? Horns Up by a touchdown.

My favorite favorite: No. 12 Notre Dame (-9½) at Georgia Tech (2:30 p.m., ESPN, 780-AM): The Yellow Jackets have a funky history of covering spreads as underdogs against ranked opponents, something to beware of if you scare easily. Playing this game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, home of the NFL Falcons, instead of on campus at Bobby Dodd Stadium might not help them, though, as thousands of Irish fans are making the trip. A bigger deal: The Jackets likely are without dangerous dual-threat quarterback Haynes King, which would throw a backup to wolves on the visiting defense. Irish eat, 31-13.

My favorite underdog: Northwestern (+8) vs. Wisconsin (11 a.m., BTN, 720-AM): Are the Badgers — who annihilated Purdue and Rutgers by a combined score of 94-13 their last two times out — back to being their best selves? Yes or no, there must be something about Evanston that brings out the worst in Badger football. Even iconic coach Barry Alvarez had a 3-5 record in Evanston. More recently, Wisconsin is in a 2-6 stretch on the Wildcats’ home turf (which happens to be on a soccer field these days). Was it the stadium? The color purple? The siren song of Mustard’s Last Stand? Don’t look past the ’Cats, who are coming off a 37-10 win at Maryland that was seriously impressive. I’m picking an upset.

Last week: 5-1 straight-up, 4-2 against the spread. 

Season: 31-14, 23-21-1.