The Illinois Fighting Illini hit on the road, going up against the Penn State Nittany Lions, ranked seventh in the league. It may be an uphill battle for the Fighting Illini, who scored zero in their 24-0 loss to Wisconsin. During that game, Illinois only gained 93 yards of total offense.
Over the last eight games, the Fighting Illini are 6-2 against the spread, while Penn State is the favorite. The Nittany Lions came in with 7-1 against the spread over its last eight games. Caesars Sportsbook shows Penn State as a 24-point favorite in their game against Illinois, but the sportsbook has set the over-under for total points at 45.5.
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SportsLine Projection Model
Before finalizing your pick, check it against the SportsLine Projection Model, which simulates every college football game 10,000x. The proprietary SportsLine Projection Model has been stunningly accurate, generating a win of nearly $3,700 for every $100 player bet on it against the spread of college football picks. Anyone who has used it has seen huge wins.
Now, SportsLine has issued its prediction and picks for Penn State vs. Illinois. Below, you can see a few of SportsLine’s college football odds and trends for the game:
- Penn State vs Illinois 45.5 points over-under
- Penn State vs Illinois spread: Penn State -24
- Money line: Penn State vs Illinois: Illinois +1200, Penn State -2800
- Penn State Nittany Lions are the favorite with 7-1 against the spread for their last eight games
- Illinois Fighting Illini are overall Under 5-0 in their last five games
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Jahan Dotson is Penn State’s Secret Weapon
Jahan Dotson, senior receiver for Penn State, is Big Ten top pass-catcher. With an impressive 82.3 receiving yards per game, Dotson is in the running for fourth place.
Not only that, Dotson has caught 43 passes for 6 touchdowns and 494 yards. Also, he has caught a minimum of seven passes in four of six games. This year, Dotson hit his stride when playing against Villanova and Wisconsin.
Against Wisconsin, Penn State’s senior receiver caught five passes gaining 102 yards and a touchdown. Against Villanova, Dotson did even better, catching seven passes gaining 117 yards and a touchdown. To top it off, Dotson opened Villanova bombed 52-yards down the center field for a score.
Illinois Has Strong Defense
Over the last four games, the Illini defense has only allowed 22 or fewer points. Owen Carney Jr, the team’s senior outside linebacker, leads the defense with 4.5 sacks and 5 tackles for a loss. Kerby Joseph, junior defensive back, is fifth in the Big Ten, with a total of 36 tackles, including two dozen solo tackles.
The junior defensive back also leads Illinois with three fumble recoveries and three intercepts. Joseph also has two pass deflections this year. To defeat the Nittany Lions, the Fighting Illini need to force a few turnovers.
Sadly, Illinois Sports Bettors Can’t Bet on This Game
While sports betting has been legal in Illinois since 2019, regulations prohibit wagers on in-state college teams.
These regulations apply to all Illinois collegiate teams, including:
- Chicago State
- Bradley
- DePaul
- Illinois State
- Loyola
- University of Illinois Chicago
- Eastern Illinois
- Western Illinois
- Southern Illinois
- Southern Illinois Edwardsville
- Northern Illinois
However, this may change soon. During the most recent Illinois state legislative session, the State House passed a bill that could repeal the in-state college betting ban. However, the ban would still apply to online sportsbooks, meaning that bets would need to be placed in-person at a retail sportsbook. The Illinois State Senate needs to vote on the bill during the October veto session.
In the meantime, Illinois sports bettors can drive over the state line to the Oneida Casino in Green Bay to place their collegiate bets. The casino plans to open its retail sportsbook by November 1. Other Oneida Casinos in Wisconsin also plan to offer sports betting. If you are at one of the Oneida casinos, you’ll also be able to place a mobile bet.
Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers signed an amendment to the state’s deal with Oneida Tribe, expanding what the tribe can offer to sports betting. The Oneida have partnered with International Gaming Technology to offer PlaySports as the sports betting platform. The equipment should be in place by November 1, but in the meantime, a mobile app is available.
