Illinois Fighting Illini vs Kansas Jayhawks Prediction, 9/8/2023 College Football Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Illinois Fighting Illini vs Kansas Jayhawks

Date: Friday, September 8, 2023

Location: David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium in Lawrence, KS

TV: ESPN+

Odds/Point Spread: Jayhawks (-2)

Total/Over-Under: 55

The Illinois Fighting Illini (1-0) are on their way to David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium on Friday, September 8, 2023 where they will take on the Kansas Jayhawks (1-0). Illinois opens as 2-point dogs. The over/under has been set at 55.

The Illinois Fighting Illini come into this matchup with a record of 1-0 for this season. The last time they stepped onto the field, the Fighting Illini stepped onto the field against the Toledo Rockets and walked away with a win by a score of 30-28. Luke Altmyer went 18/26 with 211 yards through the air and 2 TDs. He had a QB rating of 155.1 and walked away from the contest with 1 pick. Luke Altmyer was the leader on the ground for the Fighting Illini with 9 carries for 69 yards (7.7 yards per attempt). The Illinois Fighting Illini ran the football 35 times and totaled 163 yards, which is an average of 4.7 yds per attempt. In all, they ran 61 plays which gave them a total of 374 yards. Illinois gave up 20 pass completions on 37 tries for a total of 230 yds, and a completion percentage of 54.1%. Against the run, the Fighting Illini gave up 186 yards on 42 attempts, which is 4.4 yards per rush surrendered.

The Fighting Illini have earned 374 total yards over the course of this season. When it comes to getting in the endzone, Illinois has totaled 2 passing touchdowns and 1 touchdown on the ground. They have surrendered the football 1 time. Illinois has accrued 20 first downs as an offense, and they have been hurt by 10 infractions for 100 yards. As a unit they're averaging 163.0 yards on the ground which is 57th in D-1. Concerning getting in the endzone, the Illinois Fighting Illini are averaging 30.0 PPG.

The Fighting Illini are sitting in 91st in Division 1 in terms of the opposition scoring, allowing 28.0 PPG. They are allowing teams to run for an average of 4.4 yards per rushing attempt and 186.0 rushing yards per contest on the year. Over the course of this season, they have conceded 186 rushing yards through 1 game. When talking about passing yardage, the Fighting Illini are giving up 230 yards which ranks them 75th in D-1. They are allowing 230.0 yards per contest via the pass as well as giving up a completion percentage of 54.1%. For the year, they have surrendered 416.0 yards/outing which ranks them 99th in the nation. They have yielded 2 touchdowns via the pass as well as 1 touchdown via the ground game.

The Jayhawks come into this matchup with a record of 1-0 this year. In their last game, the Jayhawks took home the win by a final score of 48-17 against the Missouri State Bears. Devin Neal ran the ball 13 times for 94 yds, finishing the game with 7.2 yards per attempt for Kansas. Jason Bean (2 touchdowns) ended the game with 276 yards on 22/28 passing while his quarterback rating was 184.9. He didn't toss any interceptions and his average yards per attempt was 9.9. Kansas allowed 27 run attempts for 74 yds (2.7 yards per rush). The Jayhawks pass defense allowed a completion percentage of 66.7%, relinquishing 143 yards on 14 for 21 passing. The Jayhawks finished the contest with 521 yds while they ran 66 plays (7.9 yards per play). Kansas rushed the football for 6.4 yds per attempt, finishing the game with 245 yds on 38 carries.

The Kansas Jayhawks are averaging 521.0 yards per game, which ranks them 21st in the country. The Kansas offense has 35 yards of penalties on 3 violations, which is good for 106th in the country in terms of giving up free yards. They have tossed no interceptions while allowing opponents to recover 1 fumble and they have been able to earn 27 1st downs. Regarding how much they score, the Jayhawks are ranking 19th in the country holding an average of 48.0 points per contest.

The Jayhawks are relinquishing 17.0 points per game, which puts them 56th in Division 1. Kansas has given up a total of 74 yards on the ground as well as 1 touchdown by way of the ground game for the year. Over the course of the season, they have relinquished 17 points in total. They have allowed 1 touchdown via the pass in addition to 143.0 yards/game, which puts them in 31st in college football. The Jayhawks defense has taken the field for 48 plays, which is good for 5th in college football. They have tallied no fumbles recovered and 2 interceptions for the year.

Who will win tonight's Fighting Illini/Jayhawks college football game against the spread?

Tony's Pick: Take the Fighting Illini +2

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