Illinois Fighting Illini at Wisconsin Badgers College Football Betting Preview

Wisconsin Badgers Look to Open 2020 Season Strong

The Big Ten season is finally here, and it starts Friday night as the Illinois Fighting Illini travel north to face the No. 16 Wisconsin Badgers. The contest kicks off at 8:00 p.m. ET on Friday at an empty Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wisc., and will be televised on the Big Ten Network.

Last year, the Illini stunned the then-No. 6 Badgers 24-23 in Champaign with a last-second field goal. They haven’t defeated the Badgers in consecutive years since 2001-02, and Wisconsin is 13-2 in the rivalry since 2002.

Overall, Wisconsin leads the series 42-38-7 and has won seven in a row at home over Illinois by an average of 19.1 points.

Illinois Fighting Illini Betting Outlook: Stay Close Early

The Illini took a big step last year in Lovie Smith’s fourth season as head coach as they went 6-7 overall, including 4-5 in the Big Ten, and made a bowl game for the first time since 2014. After starting 2-4 and losing to the MAC’s Eastern Michigan, Illinois won four in a row to get bowl-eligible, including wins over Wisconsin and Michigan State.

Back this season for the Illini is quarterback Brandon Peters, who threw for 1,884 yards and 18 touchdowns with eight interceptions last year after transferring from Michigan. Peters completed 55% of his passes last season and will be backed up by dual-threat redshirt freshman Isaiah Williams.

The backfield lost running backs Reggie Corbin (675 yards, seven TDs) and Dee Brown (584 yards, five TDs), but Mike Epstein is back from injury. Chase Brown transferred in from Western Michigan and played in just two games last year after rushing for 352 yards as a freshman with the Broncos in 2018.

Senior wide receiver Josh Imatorbhebhe, a USC transfer, led the Illini with 33 receptions, 634 yards and nine touchdowns last season, and he returns along with wide receiver Donny Navarro (27 catches, 345 yards, two TDs). Ricky Smalling (24 catches, 225 yards, one TD) is gone, but tight end Daniel Barker had 18 catches for 273 yards as a sophomore. Tight end Luke Ford is finally eligible after transferring from Georgia and should help the passing game.

The Illini led the Big Ten with 2.2 takeaways per game last season and led the nation with six defensive scores. They also return the Big Ten Punter of the Year in Blake Hayes and kicker James McCourt, who made 13-of-19 field-goal attempts last year, including two game-winners.

Wisconsin Badgers Betting Preview: Run The Ball

Last year, the Badgers went 10-4 with a 7-3 Big Ten record, and they are favored to win the Big Ten West this year with +600 odds at  PayPerHead247 to win the conference title. The 2019 Badgers ran for 233.7 yards per game and did so at a clip of 5.4 yards per carry.

Quarterback Jack Coan is back this season, but a foot injury will sideline him for the first few games. Last year, he completed 70% of his passes for 2,727 yards and 18 touchdowns to just five interceptions. Redshirt freshman Graham Mertz, a former four-star recruit from Kansas who threw 10 passes last year, is the likely starter.

Running back Jonathan Taylor is now in the NFL after amassing 2,003 yards and 21 rushing touchdowns last year. This year will likely start as a running-back-by-committee approach, with senior Garrett Groshek (194 yards, two TDs), redshirt sophomore Nakia Watson (331 yards, two TDs and freshman Jalen Berger all getting some time.

The passing game lost wide receivers Quintez Cephus (59 catches, 901 yards, seven TDs) to the NFL and A.J. Taylor (23 catches, 267 yards, two TDs) to graduation. Back are Danny Davis (30 catches, 250 yards, one TD), Kendrick Pryor (23 catches, 278 yards) and Jake Ferguson (33 catches, 407 yards, two TDs).

The Wisconsin defense was a monster last year, holding teams to 16.9 points per game and 101.3 rushing yards per game. The top two linebackers are now in the NFL, as Zack Baun had 12.5 sacks last year and Chris Orr had 11.5. Junior Jack Sanborn had three of the team’s nine interceptions and returned to anchor the linebacking crew.

Illinois Fighting Illini at Wisconsin Badgers College Football Betting Line

Head to our favorite pay per head bookie site at PayPerHead247 , where the Badgers are favored by 23.5 at home.

Betting Analysis

With Taylor gone and Coan injured, there are some question marks about the Wisconsin offense. But the Badgers always have a massive line and run the ball well.

Illinois is an upstart program looking to make a move upward. While the Illini are unlikely to upset the Badgers again, they should be able to keep it close for a while.

Free Bet: Illinois +23.5 (-110) By Gameadvisers.com