Fighting Illini home to Nittany Lions in NCAAF betting action

Penn State Nittany LionsIllinois Fighting Illini
Sep 29, 12:00 PM | Turf of Memorial Stadium

Penn State Nittany Lions vs Illinois Fighting Illini Odds

2-2TEAM RECORD2-2



Penn State visits Illinois on Saturday, hoping to send the Fighting Illini to a loss while also covering the spread in NCAAF action at Memorial Stadium.

Backers of the Fighting Illini have seen them go 2-2 and 2-2 ATS so far this season, while the Nittany Lions are at 2-2 and 3-1 ATS. In totals betting, the Nittany Lions are 0-4, while the Fighting Illini are 2-1.



View Penn State vs Illinois Odds and Stats.

Betting Line: Sportsbooks have set the Fighting Illini as 4-point underdogs on the Sportsbook line for this contest.

Power Rankings / Prediction: The power rankings show a disparity between these teams, with the Fighting Illini rated this week at No. 73 and the Nittany Lions sitting at No. 45. It may or may not play a role in OddsShark score prediction models that turned out a 29-23 result in favor of the Nittany Lions this week.



How They Match Up:
Offensively, the game matches up Illinois's No. 78-ranked offense (26.5 PPG) against a Nittany Lions defense that ranks No. 24 at 15.2 PPG. The Fighting Illini passing attack has averaged 201 yards per game, less than the Nittany Lions give up through the air (209.2 YPG on average).

Defensively, the Nittany Lions feature the league's No. 2-rated road run defense, allowing 32 yards per game. Illinois, meanwhile, ranks No. 105 in rushing offense at home.

Penn State was a 24-13 Sportsbook in their most recent outing at home against Temple. They covered the 7-point spread as favorites, while the total score (37) made Sportsbooks of UNDER bettors. Matt McGloin led the way last time out for the Nittany Lions, connecting for 318 passing yards and a 24-13 victory over the Owls at Beaver Stadium.

Last time out for Illinois, they were a 52-24 loser as they battled Louisiana Tech at home. Illinois failed to cover in the match as a 3-point favorite, while 76 combined points moved the game OVER for totals bettors. Illinois didn’t make much of a game of it last time out, losing to the Bulldogs as Louisiana Tech blasted them 52-24 in Week 4 action.


Penn State Nittany Lions Trends:
When playing in September are 7-3
When playing on turf are 7-3
After outgaining opponent are 7-3
When playing within the conference are 7-3

Illinois Fighting Illini Trends:
When playing in September are 8-2
When playing on turf are 5-5
After being outgained are 6-4
When playing within the conference are 3-7


A few Nittany Lions at Fighting Illini trends to consider:
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Penn State's last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Penn State's last 5 games when playing Illinois
Penn State is 10-3 SU in its last 13 games when playing Illinois
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Penn State's last 7 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Illinois's last 5 games when playing Penn State
Illinois is 8-4 SU in its last 12 games at home
Illinois is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Penn State
Illinois is 3-8 SU in its last 11 games


Next up:
Penn State home to Northwestern, Saturday, October 6
Illinois at Wisconsin, Saturday, October 6

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