Illinois Football: Betting odds and advice for Illini vs Wisconsin

Illinois football heads into the Wisconsin matchup this week with a record of 3-1.

The Illini being 3-1 is exciting. What is even more exciting is the fact we could easily be 4-0 and sniffing the votes to be in the top 25. But a win against the Badgers could easily vault us into consideration.

What does FanDuel think about the Illini and the potential for us to come out victorious this Saturday, though?

Here are the betting odds and advice for the Illinois football team vs Wisconsin.

Spread: Illinois +7; Wisconsin -7

The opening spread for the Illini against the Badgers is +7. That means Illinois essentially starts the game up 7-0 over Wisconsin.

I think this ends up being a pretty close game when it the final whistle blows. Wisconsin has struggled against power-five programs this season, losing both contests.

Despite the numbers showing otherwise, both offenses can get stagnant at times. I think both teams have a solid defense as well. Past history doesn’t say this will be a close game, though. Only one game over the past 12 meetings has been within seven points, and that was the Illinois game-winning field goal back in 2019.

I think the biggest difference between this Illinois football team compared to the past is that we have a good defense this time around. Wisconsin won’t score more than 24 points, and I think Illinois can hang with that.

Prediction: Illinois +7

Moneyline: Illinois +225; Wisconsin -280

Betting is all about value, and if you are getting an Illinois team that is starting to hit their stride at +225 against Wisconsin, you take it.

Illinois’ defense has only surrendered 29 points in four games this season. That number would have been 22 points if it wasn’t for a bad final drive to end the Indiana game. The Illini defense can lock opponents down.

Wisconsin hasn’t been good on the offensive side of the ball either. In the two power-five games they have played, the Badgers have scored a total of 35 points, so that comes out to 17.5 points per game. I don’t believe Wisconsin has too much firepower on offense.

There will be opportunities for Illinois to force some interceptions as well. This will turn momentum quickly. Graham Mertz has regressed over the years. As long as we stop Braelon Allen on the ground, Illinois will have a chance to win the game.

I like money, and this is a great value bet. Take the Illini.

Prediction: Illinois

Over/Under: 43.5 points

I have touched on this over the past couple of sections, but Illinois’ defense has been amazing in 2022. We are giving up just 10.7 points per game, which ranks No. 4 in the country. For what it is worth, we are tied with Georgia.

If you mix in a solid Illinois defense against a struggling Wisconsin offense, that bodes well for the under. To top that off, the Badgers have been solid on defense this season too.

In three out of the four games they played, Wisconsin has only given up 24 points. The other game was against Ohio State, in which they gave up 52 points. But the Badgers do have a good defense. The Buckeyes are just an outlier.

Illinois can turn the ball over at times, and our offense can get too predictable. There will be drives that stall out. With two good defenses and two offenses that are suspect at times, this spells under.

Prediction: Under 43.5 points.