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The Illinois Fighting Illini (1-0) and Kansas Jayhawks (1-0) clash in David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium in Lawrence on Friday night. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET (ESPN2). Below, we analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the Illinois vs. Kansas odds, and make our expert college football picks and predictions.
Illinois snuck by Toledo in a hard-fought home game Saturday. The Illini were tagged with 100 yards in penalties and had to overcome a 2-for-8 performance in 3rd-down conversions. They rallied from a 19-point deficit in a 30-28 triumph over the Rockets.
The Jayhawks got a 276-yard, 2-TD performance from senior QB Jason Bean in their 48-17 Week 1 victory over FCS Missouri State. Bean went 22 of 28 through the air as Kansas rolled up 521 total yards in its 3rd straight season-opening win.
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Illinois at Kansas odds
Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated Thursday at 8:12 p.m. ET,
- Moneyline: Illinois +130 (bet $100 to win $130) | Kansas -115 (bet $115 to win $100)
- Against the spread (ATS): Illinois +3 (-105) | Kansas -3 (-110)
- Over/Under (O/U): 57.5 (O: -110 | U: -110 )
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Illinois at Kansas picks and predictions
Prediction
Kansas 28, Illinois 27
Moneyline
Liking Illinois and the points but respecting host Kansas in what could well be a 1-possession margin at the end. PASS.
Against the spread
Kansas has lost 5 straight against the number, and some bettors may still be analyzing the mental picture that went 5-0 straight up to open the 2022 season.
A mental image of last week’s foes for each — Toledo and Missouri State — do not do the Illini justice. The Rockets were a big test for a UI defense replacing quite a few tacklers. The opening games on each side spell an Illinois team that’s up to speed and a Kansas one that might get caught flat-footed in Friday’s early action.
The Illinois offense is typically solid on 1st downs. Don’t figure on a 25% 3rd-down success rate slowing its progress as much in this battle.
BACK THE FIGHTING ILLINI +3 (-105).
Over/Under
Its easier to envision a total of 40-something developing than a 60-something. Still the lean on the Under is not strong enough to require an account log-on. PASS.
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