Illinois football vs. Purdue first half and game betting lines

It is a big week for the Illinois football team, as we try to move to 3-2 on the season and 1-1 in the Big Ten.

The Purdue Boilermakers are standing in the way, though. The Illini head over to West Lafayette in hopes of securing the win, but Las Vegas doesn’t see either team as having much of an advantage.

Here are the Illinois football vs. Purdue first half and game betting lines

Illinois vs. Purdue 1st half betting lines

Spread – Illinois +0.5 (-125), Purdue -0.5 (+105)

• Pick – Illinois +0.5

These are two teams that don’t start games well. Purdue has only led one time this season by halftime, and the same goes for Illinois.

Purdue’s defense has been giving up a lot of points in the first half, though. Opposing teams are averaging 19.0 points per game against the Boilermakers in the first half compared to Illinois giving up 16.5 points per game. This will be a close first 30 minutes.

Over/Under – 25.5 points (-110)

• Pick – Under 25.5 points

The over/under of 25.5 points essentially means four touchdowns being scored. Can these teams muster up that much offense?

Illinois’ offense started to click a little bit in the final three quarters last week. I think the Illini defense has been great the last couple of weeks as well. I could see Illinois holding Purdue to 10 points or less. Ryan Walters also knows Barry Lunney Jr.’s offense. That might mean Illinois struggles to put points on the board in the first half.

Moneyline – Illinois -108, Purdue -112

• Pick – Illinois -108

Las Vegas sees this game as essentially a coin flip. I think it is going to be low scoring in the first half with a solid defensive play that allows Illinois to gain a slight margin over the Boilermakers heading into the half. It won’t be pretty football by any means.

Illinois vs. Purdue game betting lines

Spread – Illinois +1 (-110), Purdue -1 (-110)

• Pick – Illinois +1

It takes Illinois a while to find their groove. In the second half, we are much better team, though. This season, Illinois has won the second half in three out of four games. I think this will likely be the case again, as Luke Altmyer settles in and starts delivering accurate passes.

Over/Under – 53.5 points (-110)

• Pick – Over 53.5 points

Normally, I would say this game is going to go under 53.5 points, but I think there will be some weird stuff happening. Hudson Card isn’t terribly accurate, so it wouldn’t shock me to see a couple of turnovers that could cause some points. Luke Altmyer has also been known to turn the ball over.

The Purdue and Illinois defenses will help in the scoring department. I also believe the two quarterbacks can get the offenses moving. I think this score ends up going over in the second half.

Moneyline – Illinois -105, Purdue -115

• Pick – Illinois -105

I just don’t believe Purdue is a good team right now. Their lone win was against a really bad Virginia Tech squad, and it was only by seven points.

The Boilermakers can’t get out of their own way, and Illinois has been playing a much better brand of football the last couple of weeks. Look for the Illini defensive line to wreak havoc and for the Illini to come away with the win.