Big Ten Picks: Washington Huskies Face Illinois for Pivotal Conference Home Game

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The Washington Huskies will face No. 23 Illinois at Husky Stadium on Saturday. Credit: Scott Eklund/Red Box Pictures/Washington Athletics [/caption]

This may not have seemed like a Game of the Year candidate for the Washington Huskies when the 2025 schedule was released, but Saturday’s matchup with Illinois at Husky Stadium could prove to be a turning point for both programs.

The Huskies and the Illini head into the fifth Big Ten games of their seasons, trying to stay relevant in the conference and nationally. Both are 5-2 overall and 2-2 in the conference. Each team got smacked twice by the Big Ten’s best earlier this season and have beaten up on some weaker opponents. A win on Saturday, and everything remains possible, though perhaps only remotely. A loss, and suddenly one team will be staring up from the bottom third of the league standings.

“We know we have a great challenge in front of us, and our players are super excited about the opportunity,” Washington coach Jedd Fisch said.

Washington is likely to be favored in its next four games before hosting Oregon in the regular season finale on Nov. 29. If the Huskies do what Vegas expects and win each one, the game against the Ducks would be massive — potentially a play-in for the College Football Playoff.

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. First, UW must get past Illinois, a team some expected to contend for the CFP entering the season. Any thought of that went to the back burner — of a stove in a different county — when the Illini were dismantled, 62-10, at Indiana, which is currently ranked second in the AP Poll. Ohio State outclassed both Washington and Indiana by 18 points in their home stadiums. Neither appears to be a threat to make a playoff run, though 9-10 victories this season is within reach.

Washington should be able to mostly lock down Illinois’ outside receiving threats with 6-4 cornerbacks Tacario Davis and Ephesian Prysock. UW’s nickelbacks, Leroy Bryant and/or Rahshawn Clark, will be tested by 5-11 senior receiver Hank Beatty, who is 12th in FBS with 617 yards on 39 receptions. Senior quarterback Luke Altmyer (1,821 yards, 13 touchdowns, one interception) is eighth in FBS with a 173.4 passer rating.

“He’s a very good passing quarterback and has a great ability to really run the team,” Fisch said. “So we’ve had to really work very hard, mixing coverages, mixing looks, making things more challenging to be able to prepare for an elite quarterback — one of the best quarterbacks in the Big Ten.”

The Huskies’ defensive front must avoid being overwhelmed by an experienced Illinois offensive line. Washington defensive coordinator Ryan Walters hinted that some more blitzes and pressures could be coming in the near future. Is this the week?

Demond Williams Jr. resurgence

Washington’s sophomore quarterback went from having perhaps his best performance two weeks ago against Rutgers to arguably his worst at Michigan. Williams threw two interceptions in his first 263 college passing attempts before delivering two picks in four passes against the Wolverines. He finished with three interceptions in the game, and a potential pick-6 was dropped by Michigan early in the game.

Fisch and Williams believe that will quickly fade into the rearview mirror.

“It was definitely different,” Williams said, “Obviously, you know, I’ve never had a game like that, and being able to just watch it back and just reflect and be able to build off of it was super important.”

Offensive line updates

Washington hopes to see the return of senior left tackle Carver Willis and left guard John Mills on Saturday. Backup tackle Maximus McCree was injured at Michigan, meaning offensive line coach Michael Switzer will have to choose between third-string tackle Soane Faasolo or perhaps shifting some linemen around if Willis is unable to play Saturday for the third straight week. Fisch said Thursday that both Willis and Mills will be game-time decisions, but were “trending very well” toward playing against Illinois.

Dire Tight End Situation

The Huskies entered the season thin at tight end, relying on sixth-year senior Quentin Moore, sophomore Decker DeGraaf and Kade Eldridge, a sophomore transfer from USC. Moore, who was transported off the Michigan Stadium field on a stabilizing board, is doing well but will not play this week. Eldridge was lost for the season during the Michigan game. That leaves DeGraaf and true freshmen Austin Simmons and Baron Naone. Moore, the superior blocker, will be missed.

Will Jacob Manu play?

The senior linebacker, who wishes to redshirt this season, can only play in one more regular-season game and retain eligibility for the 2026 season. The NCAA announced this week that it will not consider a change that would allow five full seasons of eligibility in five years. Instead, it will stick with the antiquated rule that allows players to participate in up to four games during one season and retain the option to play a fifth season.

Is tomorrow the day Manu burns his last game? Conventional thought is that game No. 4 would be Illinois or Oregon, rather than Wisconsin, Purdue or UCLA. Manu, who missed five games last year and the first three of the 2025 season while recovering from ACL surgery, also has a lawsuit pending against the NCAA to allow him to play a full season. Fisch said the timeline for a resolution was not known.

Fisch initially said on Thursday that the team would decide Manu’s status for the Illinois game on Saturday, before later acknowledging that the decisions are made earlier but not released outside the team. With a lack of big playmakers in the front seven, it may be wise for UW to play Manu against Illinois and then see what happens down the road.

Big Ten Standings

We’re starting to see some separation in the standings now that teams have played four conference games, though the strength of some schedules has been greater than others. Here’s how it looks:

4-0: Ohio State, Indiana

Sure looks like those are the best two Big Ten teams this year.

3-1: Oregon, Northwestern, USC, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, UCLA

Yeah, that’s right. UCLA and Northwestern are currently tied with Oregon and four others for third place in the standings. A lot is likely to change over the next five games, but it’s packed in the middle. I would expect Oregon to separate itself from this group over the next few weeks.

2-2: Illinois, Nebraska, Washington.

These three teams each need a win this week to stay relevant in the conference, and as you probably know all too well, two of them play each other.

1-3: Maryland

The Terrapins have lost three straight by four or fewer points.

0-4: Michigan State, Penn State, Rutgers, Purdue, Wisconsin

Many — myself included — expected Penn State to be 4-0 in the conference at this point. There might be a couple of coaches in this group who join James Franklin in the best unemployment line in the world: Bought-out FBS coaches. It’s what all kids should aspire to become.

Big Ten Picks

UCLA (3-4 overall, 3-1 Big Ten) at No. 2 Indiana (7-0, 4-0) -25.5
9 a.m. PT, FOX

It’s been fun, Bruins, but all parties must come to an end. The Hoosiers’ bender continues. Indiana 45, UCLA 17

Northwestern (5-2, 3-1) at Nebraska (5-2, 2-2) -8.5
9 a.m., FS1

Nice season for the Wildcats, who upset downtrodden Penn State last week. The Cornhuskers further muddy the Big Ten waters with a home win this week. Nebraska 28-21.

Rutgers (3-4, 0-4) -1.5 at Purdue (2-5, 0-4)
9 a.m., BTN

Rutgers is not a bad team despite going winless in the conference so far. Purdue, on the other hand, is. Rutgers 28-18

Minnesota (5-2, 3-1) at Iowa (5-2, 3-1) -8.5
12:30 p.m., CBS

The Golden Gophers have been hard to predict this season. Lost to Cal, beat Rutgers, got destroyed by Ohio State, slipped past Purdue and then decisively beat Nebraska last week. That should open the Hawkeyes’ eyes. Iowa 24-10

Wisconsin (2-5, 0-4) at No. 6 Oregon (6-1, 3-1) -31.5
4 p.m., FS1

Badgers AD Chris McIntosh, a former first-round pick of the Seattle Seahawks, came out in support of Wisconsin coach Luke Fickell earlier this week. We’ll see if either one of them remains employed by season’s end. Oregon 56-10

No. 25 Michigan (5-2, 3-1) -14.5 at Michigan State (3-4, 0-4)
4:30 p.m. NBC

This feels like a place where the Spartans should fight for their season, but I don’t think they have it in them. Michigan 38-20

The Pick

No. 23 Illinois (5-2, 2-2) at Washington (5-2, 2-2) -3.5
12:30 p.m., BTN

This point spread dropped from 4.5 to 3.5 over the last couple of days, and that seems about right. It feels like a game that Washington wins at Husky Stadium and Illinois would win if the game were at Gies Memorial Stadium this year. Weather could be a factor. That’s perhaps not a huge advantage for the Huskies, who typically practice inside if there’s any threat of rain.

This could be a day to get senior running back Jonah Coleman going again if Willis and Mills return to hold down the left side of the offensive line. I picked UW to win 26-21 in my preseason picks, and I’ll amend that only slightly.

Washington 26, Illinois 20

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Records

Last week: 7-2 straight up, 4-5 against the spread
Season: 75-13, 52-46 ATS
Huskies picks (weekly): 5-2, 4-3 ATS
Huskies picks (from preseason): 6-1, 4-3 ATS