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Illinois hopes to stay relevant in the Big Ten after losing to Penn State two weeks ago, and to do that they must take care of business against Purdue. The Boilermakers have been one of the most disappointing teams in the conference this season and their upcoming schedule will do them no favors. It is time to continue our college football odds series with a Purdue-Illinois prediction and pick.
Purdue started their season with a shutout win over Indiana State, which gave their fans reason for optimism. However, the next four weeks of their season have been nothing short of a disaster. They felt the wrath of a frustrated Notre Dame after their upset loss to Northern Illinois, then dropped three more games to Oregon State, Nebraska, and Wisconsin. Last week's loss to Wisconsin wasn't even close, as they entered the game as 11-point underdogs but suffered a 52-6 loss. It could get even worse for Purdue, as they'll face Oregon next week.
Illinois took a massive step back two weeks ago when they scored just seven points in a 21-7 loss to Penn State. The Fighting Illini had a bye week to get back on track, and they hope they can return to the form that saw them get out to a 4-0 start. Illinois hasn't faced many good teams, but their against-the-spread record is 4-0-1 and they've been outperforming expectations.
Here are the College Football odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
College Football Odds: Purdue-Illinois Odds
Purdue: +19.5 (-105)
Moneyline: +810
Illinois: -19.5 (-115)
Moneyline: -1450
Over: 49.5 (-110)
Under: 49.5 (-110)
How to Watch Purdue vs. Illinois
Time: 3:30 PM ET/12:30 PM PT
TV: Fox Sports 1
Stream: fuboTV (Free Trial)
Why Purdue Could Cover The Spread/Win
Is Illinois' real form how they looked in the season's first four games or their seven-point performance against Penn State? Purdue hasn't given much reason for optimism, but both Big Ten games for Illinois this season have been close. It's a mighty spread for the Fighting Illini to cover in this game, and the Boilermakers could keep it close enough.
Why Illinois Could Cover The Spread/Win
Purdue's defense looked dominant against Indiana State, but shutting out the non-FBS team wasn't indicative of future success. They allowed 66 points to Notre Dame and their defense hasn't recovered since then. It reached a new low last week when they let the Badgers score 52 points. Wisconsin hadn't scored over 28 points in a game this season and had back-to-back weeks of ten and 21 points before the Purdue result. The Fighting Illini have won two games outright as underdogs against Kansas and Nebraska.
Final Purdue-Illinois Prediction & Pick
Purdue's loss against Wisconsin last week gives no belief that they can shake it off and put forth a good effort against Illinois this week. The Boilermakers haven't been able to stop anyone on defense, and their performance against a below-average offensive team in Wisconsin was a low point for the program.
Illinois had high hopes after a promising start to the season, but they struggled against Penn State, bringing them back down to earth. The Penn State loss came in Week 5, meaning Illinois has been waiting at home for two weeks, preparing for Purdue to arrive.
You can believe that the Fighting Illini will be ready for this matchup, and the Boilermakers will still be licking their wounds after getting dominated by the Badgers a week ago. Take Illinois to run all over Purdue and get a rebound win here.
Final Purdue-Illinois Prediction & Pick: Illinois -19.5 (-115)
