Illinois Fighting Illini vs. Indiana Hoosiers Predictions, Picks, Odds

Daniel Dobish Sports Betting Expert

4 minute read

The Illinois Fighting Illini (1-0) and Indiana Hoosiers (0-0) square off at Memorial Stadium in Bloomington, Indiana Friday. Kickoff is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. ET, and the game can be viewed on FS1.

Updated on 04/24/2024

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ILLINOIS FIGHTING ILLINI vs. INDIANA HOOSIERS BETTING PREDICTION

The Fighting Illini already has one game under its belt, as Illinois thumped Wyoming 38-6 for the relatively easy win and cover. Total bettors were the only people holding their collective breath in the fourth quarter. A 33-yard scoring scamper by RB Reggie Love III with 6:49 remaining flipped the total to OVER for what could be considered a mild bad beat with number of 42.5.

Illinois was strong with 26 first downs to just 10 for Wyoming, and Bret Bielema's bunch rumbled for 260 yards on the ground, posted 123 return yards while dominating time of possession at 36:36 to 23:24. If there is anything Illinois needs to clean up, it might be penalties, after committing six infractions for 65 yards. The good news is that the Illini had a plus-2 turnover margin.

For Indiana, it is coming off a very disappointing 2-10 season, including a winless conference record, after a promising 2010 season which saw them ranked. IU turns to QB Connor Bazelak to lead the offense, as he transfers in from Missouri. RB Shaun Shivers also comes in from Auburn, so the Hoosiers get a pair of SEC-caliber skill position players to try and help the program rebound.

Score Prediction: Illinois 27, Indiana 24
Best Bet: Illinois +3 (-110)
Best Bet: Over 45.5 (-110)

ILLINOIS FIGHTING ILLINI vs. INDIANA HOOSIERS BETTING ODDS

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ILLINOIS FIGHTING ILLINI vs. INDIANA HOOSIERS BETTING RESOURCES

Date: Friday, Sept. 2, 2022
Matchup: Big Ten
Venue: Memorial Stadium
Location: Bloomington, Indiana
Time-TV: FS1, 8:00 p.m. ET

ILLINOIS FIGHTING ILLINI BETTING ANALYSIS

Illinois has dominated this border series, going 45-24-2 all-time, although the Hoosiers have gotten the best of the Fighting Illini in the previous three meetings. It's odd that these neighbors, separated by just 165 miles, haven't met since Nov. 11, 2017 in Champaign. The last time the Illini invaded Memorial Stadium in Bloomington was Nov. 9, 2013, a 52-35 loss. Illinois last won against Indiana by a 41-20 count in Bloomington on Oct. 8, 2011.

The Illini covered at home last week, cashing in four consecutive games dating back to last season obviously. Illinois has had recent success on the road, too, going 4-0 ATS in the past four trips. In addition, it is 4-1 ATS in the previous five conference tilts.

For totals, the OVER barely cashed last week, but the UNDER is still 8-3 in the past 11 games overall. On the road, the UNDER is 4-1 in the past five, while the UNDER is a healthy 6-2-1 in the past nine games inside the Big Ten Conference for Illinois.

INDIANA HOOSIERS BETTING ANALYSIS

The Hoosiers are a little bit of an unknown quantity, as are most mid- to lower-echelon teams in their respective conferences. That's because there is so much turnover in personnel due to the transfer portal. One school's trash could be another school's treasure, and IU is hoping castoffs Bazelak and Shivers could match that treasure description.

Indiana really had a hard time inside the conference last season, and it failed to cover the final four Big Ten games while going 0-5 ATS in the past five games at home.

For totals, Indiana has hit the OVER in four of the past five games in the month of September. The Hoosiers defense yielded 29 or more points in the final six games of 2021, hitting the OVER in four of those outings. As such, the lean is to the OVER in this opener for IU until the defense proves it can be adequate again.

ILLINOIS FIGHTING ILLINI vs. INDIANA HOOSIERS BETTING TRENDS

• Illinois is 4-0 ATS in the past four games overall.
• Illinois is 4-0 ATS in the past four road games.
• Illinois is 4-1 ATS in the past five Big Ten games.
• Indiana is 0-5 ATS in the past five home games.
• Indiana is 0-4 ATS in the past four Big Ten games.
• UNDER is 4-1 in the past five road games for Illinois.
• UNDER is 6-2-1 in the past nine Big Ten games for Illinois.
• OVER is 4-1 in the past five September games for Indiana.
• Home team is 5-2 ATS in the past seven meetings.

Daniel Dobish

Dan is a handicapper and sports betting expert for VegasInsider with years of experience writing for a number of top publications in the industry. More from Daniel Dobish