Kickoff: Saturday, 4:00 p.m. ET
Line: Washington -13, Total: 65

Washington looks to improve to 3-0 under new coach Chris Petersen when it hosts Illinois on Saturday afternoon.

Washington leads the all-time series between the teams, 6-4, with the Huskies defeating the Illini 34-24 last season at Soldier Field. In that game, Washington outgained Illinois 615 to 327, including 342 passing yards. The road has been very unfriendly to Illinois in recent years, as the team has lost 11 consecutive non-home games dating back to an Oct. 8, 2011 victory at Indiana. The Fighting Illini have had to struggle to get victories in the first two games this season, especially last week against Western Kentucky. In that game, they scored 28 points in the final quarter to get the 42-34 victory. Like Illinois, it has not been easy for Washington this year. The Huskies have two victories this season, winning by only eight combined points in the two games. In the season opener in Hawaii, they won a 17-16 defensive struggle despite being favored by 17.5 points. Last week, it was a completely different type of game as the Huskies defeated Eastern Washington, 59-52, but failed to cover the 17-point spread. Washington has won its past eight home games against non-conference foes, with the last loss coming to Nebraska in the 2010 season. The Illini are 6-4 ATS in non-conference games in the past three years, but the Huskies benefit from the trend that favorites of 10.5 to 21 points with an excellent offense (450+ total YPG) are 52-23 ATS (69%) over the past 10 seasons.

Will Washington be able to cover the moderate spread against an undefeated Illinois squad? For the answer, connect to College Football Best Bets for all the StatFox Experts picks throughout the 2014 regular season and bowl season. During the 2013 season, StatFox Dave led the experts with a 55% ATS mark (38-31-2), while Gary and Brian both finished with another winning season (51% ATS). StatFox Scott saved his best for last with a 5-2 ATS mark (71%) in college football bowl Best Bets.

The Illinois offense has been terrific this season, ranking eighth in the country in passing (370.5 YPG) and 45th in scoring (35.0 PPG). The biggest reason for the offensive explosion is Oklahoma State transfer QB Wes Lunt, who has 741 passing yards, seven touchdowns and one interception. While he is only two games into his Illini career, Lunt has shown a great rapport with the Illinois receivers, as nine receivers have at least three catches this season. The top target is Geronimo Allison (10 catches and 140 yards). At 6-foot-3, 185 pounds, he can outmuscle opposing DBs and has shown the ability to make the tough catches. As for the top playmaker, that guy is Justin Hardee (eight catches, 126 yards, 1 TD). He is the guy that the team looks for the game-changing play, and will need to have a huge showing on Saturday. The Fighting Illini have struggled running the ball, carrying it 57 times this year for only 142 yards (2.5 YPC). The defense has not been good for Illinois, as the unit allowed 400 yards against Western Kentucky. However, the team has done a great job on third down, allowing teams to convert only 34 percent of their third-down attempts. That will play a huge role against a Washington team that is coming off a game in which it put up 59 points. Taylor Barton is tied for the team lead with 21 tackles, but made his biggest play last week as he took back a 77-yard interception for a touchdown that helped clinch the game. The defense has been challenged a lot early in the year, and this will be another difficult test.Cyler Miles (180 passing yards, 56 rushing yards, 3 rushing TD) was suspended for the opener, but came back last week and gave the Huskies a playmaker at the quarterback position that they didn’t have in Week 1. It played a huge role, as the Huskies saw their offense, which scored only 17 points in the opener, respond with a 59-point performance. Lavon Coleman (17 carries, 118 yards, 1 TD) is a guy that can take a short gain and turn it into a long touchdown at any given moment. The Huskies have been terrific rushing the ball, ranking 19th in the nation with 265 rushing yards, and Coleman is a big reason why. The Huskies have really struggled passing the ball this year (171 YPG, 107th in FBS), completing only 48 percent of their passes. However, they do have a playmaker at the wide receiver position in John Ross (4 catches, 150 yards, 2 TD). One of those scores was a long one, as he went 91 yards for the touchdown. The offense got a much-needed boost last week with Miles returning to the team, but the defense will have to improve if it is going to stop the Illini passing game. Last week, the Huskies were actually outgained by Eastern Washington, 573 to 536. LB Shaq Thompson (14 tackles, 66 rushing yards, 1 TD last week) is a star for the Huskies, making plays on both sides of the ball. He also recorded a sack in the game. With the Huskies offense starting to click on all cylinders, look for Thompson to play more defense in this game. DE Danny Shelton is leading the nation in tackles for loss (7.5 TFL) and sacks (six). Washington has been very opportunistic on defense, as the team has already scored 28 points off turnovers this season.