Mississippi State Bulldogs vs Illinois Fighting Illini 1/2/2023 Picks

Mississippi State Bulldogs vs Illinois Fighting Illini 1/2/2023 Picks Predictions Previews

The #22 Mississippi State Bulldogs will go against the Illinois Fighting Illini in ReliaQuest Bowl action in Raymond James Stadium, FL, on Monday, January 2, 2023, at 12:00 PM ET.

After the terrible passing of their head coach Mike Leach, the Mississippi State Bulldogs enter the bowl contest feeling emotional. They concluded that coach Leach would have preferred that they participate in this game.

Good season for the Bulldogs, which was capped by a three-game victory run. Three of their four conference losses, including defeats to Kentucky and Alabama, were against ranked opposition.

In the final game of the regular season, the Bulldogs defeated rival Ole Miss 24-22 despite being 2.5-point underdogs. In two of their last three games, they managed to beat the odds.

The Bulldogs have a strong defense. Collin Duncan, one of their top defenders, won’t be participating in the game. The safety made a draft announcement for the NFL.

Without Forbes, the pass defense is still strong. They are ranked 55th against the run and 36th against the pass respectively.

Mississippi State is ranked 36th with an average scoring average of 32.7 points. They are ranked 51st in the FBS for their average 24.2-point turnovers.

The Mississippi State Bulldogs are 2-4 ATS in their last 6 matches.
The total went OVER in 6 of Mississippi State’s last 9 matches.
The Mississippi State Bulldogs are 8-4 SU in their last 12 matches.

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Mississippi State Bulldogs vs Illinois Fighting Illini Predictions 1/2/2023

After starting the Big Ten schedule with a perfect 5-0 record, it seemed as though the Illinois Fighting Illini were headed for the championship game.

However, they dropped three of their final four regular-season games and missed out by one match in the rankings.

Thanks to the strong defense, Illinois was one of the Big Ten’s most improved teams from the 2021 campaign. They came close to defeating Michigan, dropping the second-to-last game 19-17, and then defeated Northwestern 41-3 in the season finale to cover the 15-point spread.

In all but three of their Big Ten matches this season, they covered the spread.

Unquestionably, the Fighting Illini have one of the greatest defenses in the nation. This unit, which ranks sixth in pass defense and tenth in rush defense, has no weaknesses.

They kept Michigan to 19 points and gave up 10 points or fewer seven times this year. They accumulated 22 interceptions.

Illinois is ranked 84th with a scoring average of 25.4 points. They are the best team in the FBS since they are only allowing 12.3 points from their opponents.

The Illinois Fighting Illini is 11-4 ATS in their last 15 matches.
The total went UNDER in 13 of Illinois’ last 20 matches.
The Illinois Fighting Illini is 7-3 SU in their last 10 matches.

#22 Mississippi State Bulldogs vs Illinois Fighting Illini. The NCAAF pick for this game is the Illinois Fighting Illini. The Mississippi State Bulldogs lost three of their final six matches, compiling a 3-3 record.

In their final four conference games, the offense averaged only 16 points per game due to inconsistency. The Fighting Illini have one of the top defensive teams in all of FBS, so this is crucial.

They gave up the fewest points in the whole FBS and are ranked third in EPA/Game. Rara Thomas, the Bulldogs’ leading receiver, and Dillon Johnson, the team’s top rusher in terms of yards per run, both entered the transfer portal.

The Bulldogs’ defense is also only passable. Illinois averages a respectable 178 running yards per game and uses the run in the majority of their offensive plays.

The Fighting Illini have a fantastic offensive line that helps open up holes even when running leader Chase Brown chose to sit out.

Reggie Love, a running back, could succeed as he is currently generating 4.7 yards per carry. The Bulldogs’ rush defense ranks 55th in the FBS, showing that it is ineffective against the run.

The Illinois Fighting Illini will win to a predicted score of 24-20.

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