#23 Illinois vs. Washington Picks and Predictions: Will Illini Respond After a Bye?

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Bret Bielema and Illinois are coming off a loss and a bye against Washington - Illinois Washington Picks

Bret Bielema needs to have his team ready to go to end the season. They’ve had a rough go in recent weeks, but they are still ranked and want to end the year strong. The No. 23 Illinois Fighting Illini head way out west to take on the Washington Huskies as the two teams bring in identical records. Both are 5-2 overall and 2-2 in the Big Ten, and both suffered a home loss to Ohio State. However the Illini are coming off a bye week, which I think takes the travel aspect out of the equation.

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#23 Illinois Fighting Illini vs. Washington Huskies NCAA Football Insights

The Huskies started off the season with three straight wins before losing to Ohio State at home. However they bounced back and beat Maryland on the road in comeback fashion, and handled business against Rutgers. But last week against Michigan, the offense couldn’t do anything. They were held to just 249 total yards and had three turnovers in their 24-7 loss. Can they quickly get ready to host another ranked opponent?

I was very high on this Illinois team, and so far they’ve lived up to my expectations (kind of). Losses to the current No. 1 and No. 2 teams in the country aren’t anything to be ashamed of, and they’ve had convincing wins in 4/5 of their other games. Sure, this is their first time traveling way west, but they’ve been to Duke, Indiana, and Purdue this year, coming off the bye during an afternoon matchup shouldn’t be a problem.

Matchup Information – Illinois vs. Washington – October 25

  • Venue & Location: Husky Stadium (Seattle, WA)
  • Date: Saturday, October 25, 2025
  • Kick Off: 3:30 p.m. Eastern
  • Broadcast: Big Ten Network

Illinois vs. Washington Betting Odds

Odds are courtesy of BetOnline, one of our favorite online sportsbooks, as of October 23, 2025 at 5:33 p.m. eastern. Sign up today with Promo Code BNBOL55 for a 55% deposit bonus. BetOnline offers a wide variety of unique markets across nearly every sport imaginable.

Spread

  • Illinois +4 (-110)
  • Washington -4 (-110)

Moneyline

  • Illinois +161
  • Washington -185

Total

  • Over 54.5 (-110)
  • Under 54.5 (-110)

The Huskies have been doing some traveling this month. They started out October going all the way to Maryland, then back home the next week to host Rutgers on Friday night. After that, they went all the way to Ann Arbor to get beat by the Wolverines, and now are back home hosting a well rested Illinois team coming off a loss.

Sounds like a recipe for disaster if you ask me. They’ve traveled across three time zones twice already, and turning around to get ready for this game may be too much to handle.

#23 Illinois vs. Washington NCAA Football Picks and Predictions

Back the Illini to cover (or win) on the road this Saturday - Illinois Washington Picks

Back the Illini to cover (or win) on the road this Saturday

Illinois vs. Washington Prediction: Illinois Wins Outright, Over 54.5

Best Bet: Illinois +4 (-110) BetOnline

Plus I think the wrong team is favored. Washington has traveled nearly 10,000 miles this month, putting up over 22 hours of flight time in the air. Back and forth and back and forth, that’s all they’ve done during October. This is only their second ranked matchup of the year, although the Wolverines are now ranked after giving them a thumping last weekend.

Illinois is coming off a bye and a loss, and they even out gained Ohio State in their defeat, but turned the ball over three times which is very out of character. The Illini put up 500 yards of offense against USC and at Purdue, with just two turnovers total in those matchups. The Huskies rank No. 66 in takeaways per game this year, which they’ll need to improve upon in this matchup.

Luke Altmyer has just one interception on the year with 192 passing attempts. Joe Fagnano of UConn is the only QB in the nation with zero picks and over 200 passing attempts with Evan Simon of Temple also having zero interceptions with 174 attempts. Only three other quarterbacks have more passing attempts and just one pick (Ty Simpson, Gunner Stockton, and Jackson Arnold) putting Altmyer in elite company.

I see him taking care of the football and leading a very focused Illini team into Seattle to pull off this upset.

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