The No. 22 Iowa Hawkeyes (5-0) look to extend their unbeaten streak as they play the Illinois Fighting Illini (4-1). The Big 10’s top passer, Wes Lunt (1,107 yards, 8 TDs), is a player to watch in this matchup. Players will take the field Saturday, Oct 10 at 12:00 p.m. ET and it will air on ESPU.
Iowa beat Wisconsin 10-6 last week. Matt VandeBerg had a solid outing in the win, totaling six receptions for 61 yards. Illinois managed to get the win as well, edging out Nebraska 14-13. Geronimo Allison had a big game for the Fighting Illini, registering eight receptions for 91 yards and one TD. Josh Ferguson finished with 50 rushing yards on four attempts.
Iowa is a 10-point favorite in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is unavailable at the moment.
Heading into Week 6 of the college football season, the Hawkeyes are 5-0 Straight Up (SU) and 4-1 Against The Spread (ATS). The Fighting Illini might have a difficult time running the ball against the 11th-best run defense in the nation. The Hawkeyes give up 84.4 rushing yards per game.
On the other side, the Fighting Illini have a record of 3-2 ATS and 4-1 SU. The Fighting Illini rely heavily on their air attack, averaging 43 passing attempts per game. Switching gears to the Illinois defense, it has some favorable matchups that it may be able to take advantage of as well. The Fighting Illini pass defense makes opponents earn every yard, allowing just 10.0 yards per pass.
Predictions: SU Winner – Iowa, ATS Winner – Illinois
Notes
Iowa is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games.
Iowa is 8-3 SU in its last 11 games at home.
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Iowa’s last 7 games at home.
Iowa is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games when playing Illinois.
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Iowa’s last 6 games when playing Illinois.
Iowa is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Illinois.
Illinois is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Iowa.
Illinois is 3-0 SU when leading at the half this season. Iowa is 4-0 SU when taking a lead into halftime.
The Iowa rushing attack is ranked only 54th in the nation, while the Illinois run defense is ranked 33rd. The Fighting Illini run game is ranked just 93rd, compared to the 11th-ranked rush defense of the Hawkeyes.
