Illinois at Indiana Prediction for Week 1
Odds, best bets and analysis for this college football matchup
Matthew Horner - Sep 2, 2022, 1:02pm EDTIllinois Fighting Illini
One of the strongest aspects of the Fighting Illini in 2022 will be their secondary, which is led by a veteran group of players that can cover well and close on the football when needed. They also have a much-improved pass rush from last season, and the defense as a whole should take a step forward in the right direction. That was all put on display just last week when they held Wyoming to just 30 yards in a 38-6 Week 0 win. Against Indiana, it could be just as easy. The Hoosiers were clueless on offense last season, and they just couldn't find anything that worked. The running game was bad, the passing attack was just as bad, and the turnovers were many in a terrible 2021 season to forget. And as bad as the offense was, the defense might have been even worse.
Indiana couldn't generate any pressure at all, and the unit struggled to the tune of allowing over 33 points per game. As long as the Illini offense can grind and control the clock, the offensive line should be able to handle the Hoosier defensive front without too much of a problem. The defense should be able to take care of business on their end as well.
Indiana Hoosiers
The good news for the Hoosier is that Illinois isn't a team that is going to be overwhelming for them. They certainly can win, and the best way they can do that is by stopping the Illini ground attack. Once again Illinois is trying to fix themselves at the quarterback position, this time with Syracuse’s Tommy DeVito, and it’s going to be all about the running game for them. If Indiana is smart, they will load up against the run and do whatever they can to get to the quarterback on passing plays. The defensive line, while a work in progress, is far better than it was last season. JH Tevis from Cal, Myles Jackson from UCLA, and LeDarrius Cox from Ole Miss should make for a huge improvement in production overall.
On offense, they added a few key RBs in Auburn’s Shaun Shivers and Josh Henderson from North Carolina. Those guys both will be far better than anything Indiana had cooking in 2021. Basically, if Indiana can be just average on offense, that could be enough to win against an average Illinois team.
My Favorite Pick: Illinois ML
I think the Fighting Illini come into this game with an advantage right away, that being the fact they got to play a real football game last week against Wyoming. That type of tune-up game can go a long ways for your team, especially when you have a blow out win. DeVito, while not a superstar, is a solid option at QB for the Illini. They have needed that for a long time. Chase Brown is looking like a star after running for 151 yards and two scores last week.
I expect both of these teams to be better than their 2021 counterparts, but the key difference will be that Illinois is just better on defense. I wouldn't expect a blow out at all, but I do think an upset is in order.
