No. 19 Illinois Fighting Illini (-14) at Indiana Hoosiers, Total 53 |
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Illinois hits the road for the first time this season and is coming off an emotional 38-35 win over the Northwestern Wildcats as 9.5-point home favorites. The Fighting Illini tallied a 43-13 win as 13-point home favorites in last year’s meeting with the Indiana Hoosiers.
At 5-0, the program is enjoying its best start since the 1951 team opened 7-0, as the Fighting Illini are one of 15 remaining unbeaten teams. The squad has also won six in a row dating back to last season.
The Illinois defense knows how to create a turnover, forcing at least one opponent miscue in 20 consecutive games.
Quarterback Nathan Scheelhaase threw for a career-high 391 yards and three touchdowns to lead the team from an 18-point deficit against Northwestern. He has thrown 20 touchdowns against just four interceptions over his last 12 games.
The last three wins for the program have come down to the sire, marking the first time in school history that the Illini have won three straight games by three points or less.
sportsbook bettors will find that the team is 0-2 ATS as a road favorite the past two-plus seasons, while both of those games went under the total.
Indiana has dropped its last two games, including a 16-10 loss to the Penn State Nittany Lions as 14-point home underdogs in its Big Ten Conference opener. The Hoosiers were out-gained by 208 yards in the contest.
The defense has allowed a total of 19 points in its last six quarters of action, including just three points in the first half last week, which was the first time that has happened against a conference opponent since 2007.
Creating turnovers is the only way the team will pull off an upset this week, but it has recorded at least three takeaways in three games this year. Indiana is tied for second in the Big Ten with a plus-three turnover margin.
On the season, opponents have scored touchdowns eight times in 20 trips inside the red zone, which is second in the Big Ten behind Michigan in terms of percentage.
Sportsbook bettors will find that the Hoosiers are 2-0 ATS as a home underdog of 10.5 to 14 points, while also going 10-4 ATS at home over the last two-plus seasons.
