Early Illinois vs. Indiana Prediction, Odds & Picks for Week 4: College Football Preview
In one of the best games of the Saturday slate, my early Illinois vs. Indiana prediction is backing the Hoosiers to cover as 4-point betting favorites as part of our college football picks.
Fresh off last year's College Football Playoff run, Curt Cignetti's team hosts the No. 9-ranked Illini at Memorial Stadium in Bloomington, Ind., at 7:30 p.m. ET (NBC).
This is one of three top 25 matchups we're covering with our college football predictions for Week 4.
💰 Early Illinois vs. Indiana prediction & best bet
Stay ahead with the rest of our early college football predictions.
🔴 Indiana -4 (-110) ⭐⭐⭐⭐
This should probably be the location of ESPN's College GameDay on Saturday, instead of going to Miami to watch the Hurricanes pulverize a down-on-their-luck Florida team. This matchup between Big Ten rivals will almost certainly have an impact on the College Football Playoff odds, with both teams ranked in the top 20.
However, while Bret Bielema's Illini were projected in the preseason to be this year's Indiana as a surprise CFP team, the Hoosiers have shown no reason that they won't be playing meaningful football late into the season again. And if you don't believe me, just Google Coach Cig.
The second-year coach retained a ton of key players from last year's team - Elijah Sarratt, Omar Cooper Jr., Mikail Kamara, Aiden Fisher, D'Angelo Ponds - while utilzing the transfer portal once again to reload.
The most important addition has been QB Fernando Mendoza, a Heisman Trophy odds riser, who has the Hoosiers ranked No. 13 in SP+. Mendoza can be the difference against an Illinois team that's ranked outside the top 35 in EPA per pass on defense. If the Hoosiers can cover for the third straight game, a $10 bet pays a $9.09 profit.
📊 Illinois vs. Indiana odds: Week 4
College football odds update live in real time.
📈 Illinois vs. Indiana opening odds
- Moneyline: Illinois +158 | Indiana -189
- Spread: Illinois +3.5 (-110) | Indiana -3.5 (-110)
- Over/Under: Over 52.5 (-110) | Under 52.5 (-110)
🔍 Illinois vs. Indiana odds analysis
Despite Illinois being ranked in the top 10 and Indiana sitting at No. 19, the Hoosiers opened as a 3.5-point betting favorite. The line has shifted even further in their direction to between -4 and -4.5 at our best college football betting sites. Early money is backing the Illini, with 54% of bettors taking Illinois to cover, and I'd consider waiting on betting if you're planning to take the Hoosiers. I could see this line coming down and Indiana being closer to a 2.5-point favorite at home by Saturday night.
🚑 Illinois vs. Indiana injury report
| Illinois | Indiana |
|---|---|
| Xavier Scott, CB (probable) | Lee Beebe Jr., RB (questionable) |
| Dylan Rosiek, LB (questionable) | Mitch McCarthy, P (questionable) |
| Aidan Laughery, RB (questionable) |
📺 Illinois vs. Indiana game info
- When: Saturday, Sept. 20
- Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. ET]
- Where: Memorial Stadium (Bloomington, Ind.)
- How to watch: NBC
❓ Illinois vs. Indiana FAQs
Who is favored to win Illinois vs. Indiana?
Indiana is a -188 moneyline favorite, implying a 65.28% probability the Hoosiers will win. Illinois is a +165 moneyline underdog, implying a 37.74% probability the Illini will win.
What are the opening odds for Illinois vs. Indiana?
Indiana opened as a 3.5-point betting favorite, with the Hoosiers now sitting at -4.5 against Illinois. The game total is sitting between 51.5 and 52.5 points.
How do college football odds work?
When betting on college football odds, the point spread shows how many points the favorite needs to win by in order to cash the bet. For example, a favorite of -3 must win by more than 3 points to cover the spread, while an underdog at +3 must win outright or lose by fewer than 3 points to cover the spread.
Moneyline odds represent the payout for picking the outright winner (+200 means a $100 bet wins $200, while -200 means a $200 bet wins $100). Over/Unders let you wager on whether the combined total will be higher or lower than the set number.
You can determine the payouts and implied probabilities for any wager - or convert odds to different formats - with our odds converter.
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