Illinois vs. Kansas College Football Prediction, Odds & Picks

by Nick Galaida (nickgalaida) Last Updated 2023-09-06 18:46:01

On Friday night, college football fans will be treated to a prime time matchup between the Illinois Fighting Illini and the Kansas Jayhawks. Both teams won their season opener last week and will have a chance to move to 2-0 in this cross-conference matchup.

Ahead of kickoff, the Jayhawks are priced as 3-point favorites on the spread, with the total set at 58.5 points.

In our Illinois vs. Kansas betting preview, we break down the rosters for both teams, make a prediction for the game, deliver a free betting pick and a PrizePicks lean.

Illinois vs. Kansas Odds

Let’s take a deeper look at the matchup and some college football betting tips as we try to find value at sportsbooks in this contest.

Illinois Fighting Illini

Question marks on offense

Illinois only barely escaped with a 30-28 win against Toledo last weekend. The Fighting Illini trailed 12-7 at the half and were outgained 416-374. Luke Altmyer played reasonably well, throwing for 206 yards and adding another 69 rushing yards with his legs. However, he did throw an interception and was largely unsupported by his running backs, which combined for a pedestrian 99 rushing yards on 26 attempts.

Some of the issues running the football can be attributed to poor offensive line play. Left tackle Julian Pearl and left guard Isaiah Adams are two NFL-capable players, but center Josh Kreutz and the right side of the line are significant question marks going into a tough Week 2 affair.

Is Illinois defense ready for tough road challenge?

According to Phil Steele, Illinois lost three of their top-four tacklers from 2022 and lost three members of their secondary unit to the NFL Draft this past summer. Each of those three defensive backs – Devon Witherspoon, Jartavius Martin, and Sydney Brown – were drafted in the first three rounds.

Those losses were evident against Toledo, allowing 230 passing yards and a pair of scores through the air. This group also struggled to contain the ground game, allowing 186 rushing yards and 4.4 yards per carry. Facing a strong Kansas offense, this defense is likely to have an extremely difficult time getting off of the field.

Kansas Jayhawks

Jason Bean leads potent Kansas offense

Jason Bean turned in a strong performance in last week’s season opener, completing 22-of-28 passes for 276 passing yards and a pair of scores. He also had 41 rushing yards. The ground game (excluding Bean’s numbers) had a strong afternoon as well, totaling 204 rushing yards and four touchdowns. The offensive line for this group returned four starters for 2023 and figures to continue winning the line of scrimmage on a weekly basis.

Can Kansas overcome their defensive line?

The Jayhawks’ defense projects to be a force at two levels this fall, but the defensive line is an area of concern. Across their last seven games in 2022, Kansas allowed 286 rushing yards per game and 5.7 yards per carry. This unit did their job against Missouri State last Saturday, but will face a much tougher test against Illinois this Friday.

Nevertheless, Brian Borland’s defense should be in good shape as long as they stay healthy at linebacker and in the secondary. All three starting linebackers from last year returned for 2023 along with their top-six defensive backs. Overall, this defense should be up for the task at hand against Illinois.

Illinois vs. Kansas Prediction and Betting Picks

This past summer, Illinois lost an abundance of talent to the NFL Draft, and their Week 1 performance showed that they are nowhere near as stout defensively as they were in 2022. Kansas has one of the better offensive lines in the entire country, not to mention an extremely capable dual-threat quarterback and a deep running back room. The defensive line is a concern for the Jayhawks, but they are strong enough at linebacker and in the secondary that they should be able to get a few timely stops, at a minimum, in this matchup.

According to Phil Steele, Kansas is 3-0 ATS and 2-1 SU against Big Ten opponents since 2008. Factoring into account Illinois’ draft losses and their extremely good fortune on turnovers from 2022, which is bound to regress in 2023 – there is a clear team to back in this spot. Kansas should be able to get the job done in front of their home fans.

FREE PICK: Kansas Moneyline (-150, Fanatics Sportsbook)

Free PrizePicks Prediction

Isaiah Williams Less than 54.5 Receiving Yards, PrizePicks

According to PFF, Isaiah Williams lined up in the slot for 48 of his 62 offensive snaps in Week 1. On Friday night, he will have to contend with Craig Young, who is the primary slot cornerback for the Jayhawks. Young finished 2022 ranked 64th out of 917 eligible players at his position in PFF’s grading system. Expect him to make life difficult for Williams on Friday.

Check out more DFS sites with College Football fantasy pick’em games like Sleeper Fantasy.

More College Football Odds Week 2

Team	Opponent	Spread	Total	Implied Pts
Notre Dame	North Carolina State	-7.5	51	29.25
North Carolina State	Notre Dame	7.5	51	21.75
James Madison	Virginia	-7	40.5	23.75
Virginia	James Madison	7	40.5	16.75
Purdue	Virginia Tech	3	49.5	23.25
Virginia Tech	Purdue	-3	49.5	26.25
Troy	Kansas State	16.5	50	16.75
Kansas State	Troy	-16.5	50	33.25
Utah	Baylor	-7.5	47.5	27.5
Baylor	Utah	7.5	47.5	20
Nebraska	Colorado	3	58	27.5
Colorado	Nebraska	-3	58	30.5
Eastern Kentucky	Kentucky	31.5	52.5	10.5
Kentucky	Eastern Kentucky	-31.5	52.5	42
Texas A&M	Miami (Florida)	-4	51	27.5
Miami (Florida)	Texas A&M	4	51	23.5
Iowa	Iowa State	None	None	None
Iowa State	Iowa	None	None	None
Mississippi	Tulane	-7.5	64	35.75
Tulane	Mississippi	7.5	64	28.25
UTEP	Northwestern	-1.5	38.5	20
Northwestern	UTEP	1.5	38.5	18.5
UNLV	Michigan	36	57.5	10.75
Michigan	UNLV	-36	57.5	46.75

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