Illinois football had an interesting start to the regular season, as Bret Bielema and Co. took down the UAB Blazers 42-23 in Champaign.
The Illini, led by quarterback Katin Houser's three touchdowns through the air, struggled mightily on defense to begin the game. Once the second half began, it was all Illinois, as they quickly pulled away from their AAC opponent.
Illinois will face a tougher opponent this Saturday with the Duke Blue Devils coming to town. The Blue Devils are coming off a 17-3 win against Tulane last week, where running back Nate Sheppard rushed for an astounding 227 yards and two touchdowns on 35 carries.
😈 32 carries
— ACC Network (@accnetwork) September 6, 2026
😈 227 Rush Yds
😈 2 TD
Nate Sheppard ran all over Tulane 😤 @DukeFOOTBALL pic.twitter.com/le3g9hJPxJ
Bielema's squad will have to be on their toes for this match-up, especially with how they played on defense last week. When it comes to betting on this game, here are a couple of juicy picks that any fan can sink their teeth into.
Life's too short to bet the under, except when Duke plays Illinois in football
Last season, Illinois had a stellar game against the Blue Devils, winning in Durham, North Carolina, by a score of 45-19. It was a one-sided affair from beginning to end, with quarterback Luke Altmyer throwing for 296 yards and three touchdowns.
This season, both teams are sporting revamped rosters, with Darian Mensah and Altmyer headlining their departures. They are still breaking in the fresh talent, with the growing pains being shown on the field in more ways than one.
The Illini may have scored 42 points in week one, but it's hard to imagine them repeating that performance in week two. It would also be hard to see Duke quarterback Walker Eget have a quick turnaround after struggling against Tulane, finishing with 131 yards and 50% completion.
Crazier things have happened, but I'm going to have to take the under of 51.5. There are too many variables at play to be comfortable with the over.
- Prediction: Under 51.5 points
The Illini should have no problem covering the first half spread on Saturday
Illinois may have started off slowly against UAB on September 3, as they led by only one point prior to Houser's 54-yard Hail Mary to end the first half. Those struggles shouldn't continue on Saturday, as they've had a week to work on their problems.
The defense, although lacking, should show some improvement with Bobby Hauck at the helm. It's not going to be a complete turnaround for this unit, but Hauck is too good a coach to let a performance like that hang over his head.
The Blue Devils, on the other hand, nearly shut out Tulane in Durham last week. They did show some signs of improvement after giving up 29.43 points per game in 2025. With the high-powered offense that Illinois has at their disposal, this doesn't seem like a performance Duke can replicate in Champaign.
Simply put, a -3.5-point first half spread seems reasonable for Illinois, unless Eget and Sheppard turn into the second coming of John Elway and Walter Payton. It's just hard to see Duke making a gigantic impact out of the gate.
- Prediction: -3.5 Illinois first half
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