A massive Big 10 match up kicks off at 7:30 p.m. ET on Saturday night. The Penn State Nittany Lions will host the Illinois Fighting Illini for their homecoming game. This will be a white out for Penn State and will be one of the loudest most electric atmospheres in college football. Both teams head into this one ranked and undefeated but the Nittany Lions are 18 point favorites when this Illinois vs. Penn State game kicks off.
Game Matchup & Betting Odds
Illinois Fighting Illini (+18) at Penn State Nittany Lions (-18) o/u 47.5
7:30 p.m. ET, Saturday, September 28, 2024
Beaver Stadium, University Park, PA
TV: NBC
Public Betting: Public Bettors Backing Illini
As of this writing, our CFB Public Betting page shows that 89% of bets are on Illinois. That said, this page is updated frequently so make sure that you click on the link provided so that you’re getting the most updated information.
Illinois Fighting Illini
Illinois will play their second consecutive road game against a ranked opponent when they head to Penn State on Saturday. Last week, the Illini went to Nebraska and left with a 31-24 overtime victory. Luke Altmyer completed 21 of his 27 pass attempts for 215 yards and 4 touchdowns. He didn’t throw an interception but did lose a fumble on a sack. Receiver Hank Beatty also lost a fumble. The run game averaged 4.3 yards on 39 carries. Nebraska quarterback Dylan Raiola threw for 297 yards and 3 touchdowns while also getting picked off by Illinois once. The defense also added 6 sacks on the day and 8 tackles for loss, holding a very good Nebraska run offense to 102 yards. This was Illinois’ second ranked game of the season. In their first one, they hosted Kansas and beat them 23-17. The defense had 3 interceptions and returned one for a touchdown.
Penn State Nittany Lions
Penn State has had a much easier schedule to kick off the season. Their toughest matchup was against West Virginia, in which they won 34-12. A surprisingly close game followed that when the Nittany Lions hosted MAC school Bowling Green. Penn State was actually trailing at half time of this game 27-20 before winning the second half and pulling out a 34-27 victory. In that match up, Drew Allar finished with 13 completions on 20 attempts for 204 yards. He also had 2 touchdowns and 1 interception. The run game was strong with Nicholas Singleton rushing for 119 yards and a touchdown and Kaytron Allen rushing for 101 yards.
Illinois vs. Penn State Betting Trends
Illinois is 4-1 ATS in their last 5 away games
The UNDER is 3-1 in Illinois’ last 4 games
Penn State is 7-5 ATS in their last 12 games
The OVER is 4-3 in Penn State’s last 7 home games
Illinois vs. Penn State Prediction:
I like the over 47.5 in this matchup. I don’t feel confident in a side here. Illinois is 4-0 and has beat two ranked teams already this season. Penn State is 3-0 and has had a very weak schedule up to this point. Yet the Nittany Lions are an 18 point favorite. So instead I’ll take the total. Penn State is 13th in the country in points per game at 41.3. Illinois is averaging 28 points per game. The Penn State defense allowed the most points to Bowling Green. The Falcons threw for 254 yards and 2 touchdowns in the game. Illinois has struggled a bit running the ball but has looked good throwing it. Luke Altmyer is coming off a 215 yard 4 touchdown game and has thrown 10 touchdowns and no interceptions on the season. I think Penn State should be able to move the ball pretty easily and put points on the board. Assuming they will be up by quite a bit as the spread indicates that means Illinois will be forced to throw which only helps the over 47.5.
Illinois vs. Penn State Prediction: Over 47.5