The Iowa Hawkeyes (4-2, 4-2 Big Ten) visit the Illinois Fighting Illini (2-3, 2-3) Saturday for a 3:30 p.m. ET kickoff. Below, we analyze the Iowa-Illinois college football betting odds and lines, with picks and predictions.
Iowa at Illinois: Betting odds, spread and lines
Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Thursday at 11:25 a.m. ET.
- Money line: Iowa -527 (bet $527 to win $100) | Illinois +385 (bet $100 to win $385)
- Against the spread/ATS: Iowa -13.5 (-115) | Illinois +13.5 (-106)
- Over/Under: 50.5 (O: -115 | U: -106)
Iowa at Illinois: Three things to know
- Iowa opened the season with back-to-back losses, but the Hawkeyes are 4-0 straight up and 3-1 ATS across their past four outings. They scored 40 total points in their first two outings but have posted 37.8 points per game during their four-game win streak.
- The Fighting Illini opened on a three-game losing streak, but they have cobbled together back-to-back wins, both on the road, against Rutgers and Nebraska. The Illini outscored those two opponents 64-43. They have covered the spread in three of their past four games as underdogs of 5.5 or more points.
- The favorite is 5-2 ATS in the past seven meetings, with the road team cashing in five of the past six in this series. The Under is also 7-3-1 in the past 11 meetings, including 4-1-1 in the past six battles in Champaign.
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Iowa at Illinois: Odds, betting lines, predictions and picks
Prediction
Iowa 31, Illinois 23
Money line (ML)
Iowa (-527) will cost you more than five times your potential return. While it’s a good bet to win outright, Illinois has won two in a row, so nothing is a guarantee. Betting heavy favorites will net you plenty of wins, but the losses are very costly. It’s just not a good long-term strategy.
AVOID.
Against the spread (ATS)
ILLINOIS +13.5 (-106) has covered two in a row, and three of its past four. It has covered the number in each of its past five following a straight up win and is 8-3 ATS in its past 11 games as an underdog.
Iowa is 20-7 ATS in its past 27 as a road favorite, and 6-1 ATS in its past seven on the road against a team with a losing record. That makes for a strong argument to take the Hawkeyes, but the home side is the play here.
Over/Under (O/U)
OVER 50.5 (-115) is the lean, but know you’ll be going against the series and most team trends. The Under is 7-1 in the past eight for Illinois following a bye week, and the Illini were off last week due to COVID issues within the Ohio State program. The Under is also 7-3-1 in the past 11 games in this series, and 4-1-1 in the past six meetings in Champaign.
Still, these teams are playing good offense lately, and the Over is the way to go.
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