Rutgers-Illinois picks, predictions: Can Scarlet Knights make it 3 wins in a row?

Rutgers turned its season back around with a pair of wins.
Can the Scarlet Knights make it a program-record-setting streak?
Rutgers (6-4, 3-4) hosts No. 24 Illinois (7-3, 4-3) in Piscataway on Saturday in a game that it could set multiple program marks. The Scarlet Knights have never won three straight Big Ten games, have never won four Big Ten games in a season and have not beaten a ranked team in 15 years, losing their last 40 meetings with teams in the Associated Press Top 25 poll.
Head coach Greg Schiano’s team impressed after the bye week, earning back-to-back wins over Minnesota and Maryland to lock in a second consecutive bowl bid. Rutgers is playing for seeding now, and defeating the Illini would go a long way in improving their postseason résumé.
Will the Scarlet Knights continue their late-season turnaround with a win over the Illini?
The cast of the Rutgers Rant is back to give its best guess.
Here’s the leaderboard through 10 games (mobile users, click here to see the graphic):
Here’s what the NJ Advance Media crew thinks about this Saturday’s matchup (pick-em):
Steve Politi, columnist
Illinois might be ranked but the Illini are very beatable. They are, statistically speaking, quite mediocre in nearly everything — total offense (96th), total defense (63rd) and scoring offense (78th with 27.1 points a game). The key will be forcing quarterback Luke Altmeyer into making mistakes, which he hasn’t done much this season with 18 touchdown passes and just three interceptions, and containing a running game that has moved the chains even against the likes of Oregon and Michigan. The latter concerns me too much to roll with the Scarlet Knights.
Prediction: Illinois 27, Rutgers 21.
Pat Lanni, beat reporter
It’s not ridiculous to think this game will be won by the better quarterback. While Luke Altmeyer has been consistent, accurate and generally a revelation for Illinois, the same can be said about Athan Kaliakmanis and his Rutgers resurgence. Kaliakmanis has been more than a game-manager, he’s been excellent in the second half of the season — even carrying Rutgers while its defense slumped. After putting together a complete game last week, Rutgers parlays the success to a third straight win.
Prediction: Rutgers 31, Illinois 28
Brian Fonseca, beat reporter
Over the past two weeks, Rutgers has looked like the team we thought it could be in the preseason: a solid defense, an improved offense and strong coaching from two qualified (and highly-compensated) coordinators. After barreling through a better Minnesota team and a solid Maryland team, the Scarlet Knights will have plenty of momentum and a lot of emotion behind them against a good-not-great Illinois team. Illinois native Athan Kaliakmanis continues his strong play against his in-state school and the defense continues to play at a high level as the Scarlet Knights set a new Big Ten standard and keep the good times going.
Prediction: Rutgers 27, Illinois 21.
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Brian Fonseca may be reached at [email protected].
Patrick Lanni may be reached at [email protected].
Steve Politi may be reached at [email protected].