Iowa Hawkeyes vs Illinois Fighting Illini Prediction, Picks and Game Preview - 10/08/2022

Game Time: 7:30 pm ET, Saturday, October 8, 2022

Venue:  University of Illinois Memorial Stadium, Champaign, IL 

Where to Watch:  Big Ten Network

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  Iowa +3.5, Illinois -3.5; Over/Under:  36.5 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  Iowa +3.5, Illinois -3.5; Over/Under:  36.5 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Iowa +3.5, Illinois -3.5; Over/Under:  36.5 points

 

Iowa Hawkeyes:  3-2 (1-1) (4th place, Big Ten West)

Illinois Fighting Illini:  4-1 (1-1) (2nd place, Big Ten West)

 

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Iowa Hawkeyes:  lost their last game at home against the Michigan Wolverines 27-14.

Illinois Fighting Illini:  won their last game on the road against the Wisconsin Badgers 34-10.

 

Iowa is entering this game with a 3-2 record overall to start their college football season and they will be playing their 2nd road game of the season here as they are 1-0 in their road games this year. This will also be their 3rd conference game of the college football season this year as they are 1-1. They lost against the Michigan Wolverines in their last game at home 27-14. Spencer Petras started that game at QB and he completed 21/31 passes for 246 yards and 1 touchdown. Leshon Williams led the team in rushing with 34 yards on 8 rushing attempts. Luke Lachey led the team in receiving with 84 yards and 1 TD on 4 receptions. Seth Benson led the defense in that game with 6 solo tackles and 8 assisted tackles. Deontae Craig led the defense in sacks with 1 while no one on the defense came away with an interception for them in that one.

 

 

 

Illinois is entering this game with a 4-1 record overall to start their college football season and they will be playing their 4th home game of the season as they are 3-0 in their home games this year. This will also be the 3rd conference matchup on their conference schedule this season as they are 1-1. They won against the Wisconsin Badgers in their last game on the road 34-10. Tommy Devito started that game at QB and he completed 18/24 passes for 167 yards. Chase Brown led the team in rushing with 129 yards and 1 TD on 25 carries. Brian Hightower led the team in receiving with 59 yards on 5 receptions. Jartavius Martin led the defense in that game with 7 solo tackles and 0 assisted tackles. Jartavius Martin, Keith Randolph, Isaac Darkangelo, Te-Rah Edwards, and Alec Bryant led the defense in sacks with 1 while Tahveon Nicholson and Kendall Smith each came away with 1 interception for them in that one.

The current betting odds have Iowa listed as a 3.5 point underdog in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. Iowa hasn't been great in their games, mainly with their offense letting them down in so many games, but they still have one of the best defenses in the Big Ten and they are going to make it hard in Illinois to score here. Illinois is off to a very good 4-1 start this season but their offense hasn't been great in their games either. They have been averaging less than 30 PPG but they have kept their opponent to less than 10 points in 3 games in a row. Both of these teams play very similar styles with their defense being their strength and their offense struggling to move the ball well and put points on the board. Either team could really win this game but it will likely be dictated by the defense and whoever does win the game, it will only be by a field goal. The best way to place a bet here is on Iowa to cover the spread in this game.

 

Iowa Illinois Prediction:  Our NCAAF Pick for Saturday, October 8, 2022 (7:30 pm ET start time) is Iowa 20 Illinois 17.

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Iowa Hawkeyes: 6-1 ATS when the line is +3 to -3. 14-6 ATS in a road game where the total is 42 or less. 17-10 UNDER in all games. 

Illinois Fighting Illini: 1-12 ATS in a home game where the total is 42 or less. 15-9 UNDER in all games. 8-4 UNDER in home games.

 

 

Iowa Hawkeyes:  J. Harris (DB) out for season - Illness. D. Vines (WR) Late Oct - Wrist. J. Ritter (WR) out for season - Undisclosed.

Illinois Fighting Illini:  J. McCray (RB) Mid Oct - Knee. E. Holmes (LB) out for season - Knee. S. Miller (WR) out for season - Undisclosed. D. Leary (QB) Out indefinitely - Undisclosed.

 

 

"They did a good job of setting the tone, making it very difficult for us." - Kirk Ferentz after his team’s loss against Michigan in their last game.

 

 

"I told them last night in a team meeting at the end, I had a feeling they were going to play well, and if we played our kind of football and played the way that I've seen them play and the way that we asked them to be coached, I thought we could have success." - Bret Bielema after his team’s win against Wisconsin in their last game.

 

 

 

WR Brecht, Brody

WR Bruce IV, Arland 

TE LaPorta, Sam

QB Petras, Spencer

RB Williams, Gavin

FB Pottebaum, Monte 

 

WR Hightower, Brian

WR Bryant, Pat

WR Williams, Isaiah 

TE Reiman, Tip 

QB DeVito, Tommy 

RB Brown, Chase 

 

 

Passing: S. Petras (770)

Rushing: K. Johnson (206)

Receiving: S. Laporta (178)

Touchdowns: K. Johnson (3)

 

Passing: T. Devito (1118)

Rushing: C. Brown (733)

Receiving: P. Bryant (310)

Touchdowns: C. Brown (5)

 

Coaches:

Iowa Hawkeyes: Kirk Ferentz (24th season)

Illinois Fighting Illini: Bret Bielema (2nd season)