SOURCE: www.herald-review.com

(Champaign, Illinois) — We in the media have a bad habit of asking college football players what they think of the latest betting line.

It happened Monday, when a well-intentioned scribe asked Illini middle linebacker J Leman what he thought about Illinois having been established as a three-point favorite for Saturday's game against Wisconsin, the nation's fifth-ranked team and owners of America's longest winning streak - 14 games.

Before I tell you what Leman said, let me tell you what he didn't say.

Thankfully, he didn't say he follows the betting line closely, that he's "loading up" because Illinois will blister the Badgers by a lot more than three lousy points and, by the way, would I like the number of his bookie?

No, Leman has far too much on his mind to be bothered by what the bettors think. And, the NCAA will be pleased to know he's listened to warnings about steering clear of anything to do with gambling.

That said, graduate student J Leman is still a curious and interested human being, so when told Illinois is favored by three on Saturday, he did have a reaction.

A strong reaction.

"I don't see why that would be," Leman said, somewhat incredulously.

"Wisconsin has a winning streak, is No. 5 in the nation, and until they lose, I don't think they should be picked to lose in any game."

Politically speaking, Leman couldn't have hit the ball any closer to the middle of the fairway.

I could understand why Illinois was about a three-point favorite last week against Penn State. The Nittany Lions' offense had just been exposed in a 14-9 loss to Michigan, and no matter who won, it figured to be a tight game. Illinois' 27-20 victory was not far from projections.

But this week, the favorite role is a bit of a head-scratcher. Wisconsin would seem to earn more respect than being three-point underdogs.

True, the Badgers have not exactly been blowing away the competition.

After beating Washington State 42-21, Wisconsin trailed into the fourth quarter before getting past UNLV, 20-13. It needed a big second half to turn back The Citadel, 45-31.

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