Best and worst future betting lines for the Illinois football team

The college football season is quickly approaching, and the betting sites don’t have a lot of confidence in the Illinois football program.

I believe in the Illini this season, as we have some good pieces. The defense might struggle at times, but Illinois’ offense should be able to put up some great yardage and points.

The Illinois schedule could be a bit daunting, especially in the first eight games. But the talent is there to knock off a few big teams.

Here are the best and worst future betting lines for the Illinois football team

Illinois football odds to win the championship: 1000-1

Could this be the year Illinois forges ahead and wins it all? Probably not. But hey, we are tied with everyone in college football at 0-0 right now. If we can get hot and knock off some big teams, maybe we have a chance to play for the national title. This isn’t a great value bet, though.

• Value: Bad

Illinois football odds to make the College Football Playoff: 50-1

I was blown away that Illinois didn’t have worse odds than 50-1 to make the College Football Playoff. Does somebody know something?

Illinois does have a solid team, and honestly, the schedule is tough enough that if we beat a few of the ranked opponents, then maybe we can sneak in. I would imagine the Illini need to go 9-3, at worst, to have a chance at the top-12.

• Value: Awful

Illinois football odds to win the Big Ten Championship game: 200-1

Illinois has the second-to-worst odds to win the Big Ten Championship game in 2024. They are tied with Indiana, Michigan State, and Northwestern at 200-1, and all four are just ahead of Purdue, which has 300-1 odds.

The top of the ticket is pretty tough in the Big Ten. Oregon is a great team, and now that there are no divisions, the top two programs get into the title game. That makes it even tougher for Illinois.

• Value: Bad

Illinois football odds to make the Big Ten Championship game: 90-1

It would be extremely tough to win the Big Ten, but making it to the Big Ten Championship game isn’t exactly easier. I think Oregon is a near lock to be playing in it, but the Big Ten has some pretty good teams at the top.

Illinois landing at 90-1 makes sense. It will be tough to get past Ohio State, Oregon, Penn State, and Michigan to get into the conference title game.

• Value: Awful

Big Ten regular season passing yards leader: Luke Altmyer 50-1

I think it is time for every Illinois football fan to realize that we are a passing team. Last season, Illinois attempted 34.6 passes per game, which ranked No. 32 in the country. Only five current Big Ten teams were ahead of us.

If Luke Altmyer had stayed healthy in 2023, and he got the John Paddock attempts, he finishes with 413 attempts, which is second in the conference. I am not saying Altmyer will lead the Big Ten in passing yards, but at 50-1, this isn’t a bad bet. Altmyer has a full offseason with this offense too. He should be toward the top of the Big Ten in passing yards.

• Value: Good

Big Ten regular season rushing yards leader: Kaden Feagin 25-1

I love Kaden Feagin and think this kid is special. He has a chance to do some great work in the Illinois backfield. But as mentioned above, Illinois is a passing team now.

Feagin will average over 4.5 yards per carry, but Illinois won’t give him the rock enough to lead the Big Ten in rushing. Illinois only had three games where we had someone go over 100 yards rushing, and one of those times was by Luke Altmyer. 25-1 odds seem way too good.

• Value: Awful

Big Ten regular season receiving yards leader: Pat Bryant 25-1

Pat Bryant is the lone Illinois wide receiver to make the odds on DraftKings. That is a bit surprising because I think there is a solid chance Zakhari Franklin ends up being our leading wide receiver.

Bryant will have a good year, though. There is a lot of talent at the wide receiver position, and with Luke Altmyer flinging the ball around, our pass-catchers will have good numbers. But 25-1 is too good of odds. I don’t think there will be that much attention paid to just one wide receiver in the Illinois offense.

• Value: Bad

Illinois football regular season wins: Over 5.5 +105, Under 5.5 -125

Illinois is coming into the 2024 campaign with more talent and chemistry than in 2023. We had a pretty new team with a new quarterback flinging the ball around. I think this season should bear much better results with the team having more time together.

In a projected 2024 results piece, I had Illinois going 8-4 in the regular season. The schedule is tough in the first eight games, but the final four contests are very winnable. The over 5.5 wins is what I would take in 2024. The fact you get the over 5.5 at +105 is good.

• Value: Great

Illinois football regular season home wins: Over 4.5 +150, Under 4.5 -200

This is an intriguing bet because of how the home games fall in 2024. Eastern Illinois and Central Michigan should be wins. That gets us to two home victories. Purdue is projected to be the worst team in the conference, so that is a win. Illinois then needs to find two wins from No. 22 Kansas, No. 9 Michigan, Minnesota, and Michigan State.

Minnesota and Michigan State can get us over the hump. I also have Illinois projected to beat Michigan, as I think the Wolverines could take a step backward this year. I love this bet for the over 4.5 home wins, especially at +150.

• Value: Incredible