Illinois football: Moneyline, spread, and total points betting advice vs. Wisconsin

3 of 3

Aug 28, 2021; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Bret Bielema enters the field with his team before a NCAA football game with the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-USA TODAY Sports /

Alternate Bets

There are two alternate bets on the table right now for the Illinois vs. Wisconsin game. The first of the two bets is the Wisconsin total points.

As of right now, WynnBET has the Badgers with an over-under of 26 points in the game against Illinois. You would be getting -110 on that bet either way you take it.

The other option for an alternate bet is the Illinois total points. Illinois has an over-under of 16 points against the Badgers, which gets you -110 odds on either side of the bet.

The Analysis

If Wisconsin would have played Illinois earlier in the season, then I would say hammer the over on the Badgers scoring 26 points. But this is a different Illinois defense as of late.

Illini defensive coordinator Ryan Walters has this team playing well. Just in the last three games, Illinois has only given up 15.6 points per game. You have to remember that Wisconsin quarterback Graham Mertz isn’t 100% if he even plays. This hinders the Wisconsin offense.

And then you have the Illinois over-under. This one is difficult, but if the Illini stick with the run as they did against Charlotte, then I think we can see the over hit. Illinois is a different team if we can sustain drives via the run. Let’s make sure to not go away from the ground attack. This will also help keep Wisconsin under 26 total points.

The Picks

I believe Wisconsin won’t hit 26 points on Saturday. Their offense isn’t good this season, and the Illini defense is playing well as of late. In fact, I would make the case that the Badgers won’t hit 20 points. The under 26 points seems like one of the surest things this weekend.

Next. Brad Underwood and Illini staff check in on Ty Rodgers. dark

The Illinois over-under 16 points is a little tougher. Wisconsin’s defense is good. They lead the country in rush defense. Illinois’ strength is the running attack. Something has to give. I could see this game ending something like Illinois 14 Wisconsin 10. That means I would, hesitantly, take the under 16 points for the Illini.

Home/Illinois Football