Illinois vs Indiana Prediction, Pick, Line & How to Watch
By Darren Cooper in College Football
Published:
- It’s the first Top 20 showdown in Bloomington since 1987 when No. 19 Indiana (3-0) hosts No. 9 Illinois (3-0) at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBC.
- Illinois has won seven straight against the spread but are 6.5-point underdogs to the Hoosiers.
- Read on for Illinois vs Indiana prediction, pick, line and how to watch the potential college football game of the day
Big-time football has come to Indiana, and the Hoosiers (3-0, 2-1 ATS) try to keep it going with an upset of No. 9 Illinois (3-0, 3-0 ATS) Sept. 20 at Memorial Stadium.
Indiana has won four of the last five meetings straight up, and Cal transfer QB Fernando Mendoza is coming off an impressive performance against Indiana State with six total touchdowns.
Read on for my Illinois vs Indiana prediction and tips on the betting line and how to watch this college football Big Ten battle.
Illinois vs Indiana Prediction, Pick
- Illinois +6.5 (-105 at Caesars)
- Over 52.5 (-110 at Caesars)
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Each of Indiana’s last 10 September games as a favorite have ticked the over, and I like there to be plenty of points tonight. Hoosiers QB Fernando Mendoza transferred in from Cal (Indiana gets almost as many transfers as Colorado does), where he threw for over 3,000 yards last year. He went 19-20 in the Hoosiers last win over Indiana State.
Indiana has a good offensive line (more transfers) and three players already with over 200 yards on the ground. They’re averaging 6.9 yards a carry as a team. UAB transfer Lee Beebe Jr. was a home run threat at 7.7 yards per carry; however, he’s now out for the season.
I like Illinois in this spot. The nation is going to find out just how good Illini quarterback Luke Altmyer is tonight. He’s going to be a big name come NFL Draft time. Altmeyer has thrown for 709 yards with eight scores. Illinois has 16 starters back, the most of any team in the Big Ten.
I also like that at least Illinois has already played someone this season. Illinois went to Durham and beat Duke two weeks ago. Indiana has played three cupcakes.
How often do you get almost a touchdown for a Top 10 team on the road? I’m still feeling good after my Tulsa pick last night. I’ll take those points and the Illini.
Illinois vs Indiana Line
Illinois is higher ranked, but comes in as 6.5-point underdogs at my favorite sportsbook. The line opened at 4.5 and has gone up in favor of Indiana.
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Odds as of Sept. 20 at Caesars. Check out Caesars Rewards and join the Caesars Empire ahead of Illinois vs. Indiana.
The total has been locked in at 52.5. Illinois is 3-0 against the spread, 8-2 in its last 10 games against the spread and 1-2 this season over/under.
Indiana is 2-1 against the spread this season, 6-4 against the spread dating back to last season and 2-1 over/under.
In the last five meetings, Indiana has covered the spread four times, three of the five games ticked the under. The Hoosiers have lost their last 14 games against ranked teams.
I found the best moneyline value on Illinois is +210 at DraftKings and you can get Indiana -230 at FanDuel.
How to Watch Illinois vs Indiana
Big Ten Saturday night on NBC doesn’t feature Ohio State (they have a bye) or Michigan (they play Nebraska at 3:30), it’s coming to Bloomington.
You can watch this game over the air on NBC, stream it on Peacock, or on your favorite streaming provider like YouTube TV, Fubo or SlingTV as long as you subscribe to one of those services.
Noah Eagle and Todd Blackledge have the call.
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Darren has been covering the world of sports since 1998. His grandfather had a special 'system' to bet on the ponies, but the secrets of that system have been lost to time. He loves betting the under, thinks homefield advantage is worth more than 3 points nowadays and always stays within his means.
