Illinois vs. Iowa Prediction 8/31/24 – With the 2024 college football season only a few days away, there will be an interesting Big Ten contest between Illinois and Iowa. As both teams are desperate to make a good beginning of their season, the clash at Kinnick Stadium is bound to provide thrills and chills. While fans are searching for premium free NCAAF predictions etc., this fixture will be a glorious opening of the weekend on football televised live on BTN at an enthralling encounter.
Illinois vs. Iowa Prediction 8/31/24 Game Info |
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| When: | Saturday, August 31, 2024 at 12:00 PM ET |
| Where: | Kinnick Stadium |
| TV: | BTN |
| Stream: | Sofascore |
Illinois (0-0) vs. Iowa (0-0)
The Illinois offense, albeit featuring some individual talent, will focus mostly on running and catching to breach the solid defense of Iowa. One such element is Reggie Love III, who is given the ball quite often and has 116 rushing attempts for 567 yards, a little under five a clip. His contributions, including a long of 61 yards rushing and four scoring runs, will also be needed against Iowa. Further, Isaiah Williams, combining with the ground game, will try to make the defense consider the passing game more seriously with his decisive 82 grabs for a total of 1,055 yards and five touchdowns. Because such block-busting plays will obviously be useful in their face-off resembling the Virginia Tech vs Vanderbilt match-up today, Illinois’s dependability on the run and the pass makes it possible for the scale to be tipped.
On the other side, Iowa’s offensive game plan is directed through consistent rushing done by Leshon Williams and pass reception by Erick All Jr. Leshon effectively combines strength with stamina, adding 821 rushing yards on 170 attempts at an average of 4.8 yards per carry. Even though he has not been able to score many touchdowns, he is capable of making a long rush that can go up to 82 yards which is quite remarkable. This in addition to this Erick All Jr. has somewhat of a receiving threat with 299 yards on 21 catches and three touchdowns. This secondary possibility concurs with the lessons from the Clemson vs Georgia game today where through offense all facets in Iowa must be optimally exploited.
Luke Altmyer QB vs. Deacon Hill QB
Illinois quarterback Luke Altmyer has more than just handed the football off to running backs as he plays a pivotal role in the team’s passing strategy. In the former year, when he took charge of the attack, he succeeded in 175 of 270 passes for 1,883 yards. His 64.8% completion rate and 13 touchdowns . . . show he can compete in the pocket although he was picked off 10 times. While this focus on Iowa’s burning issue of the secondary appears critical, concerns about Altmyer’s general desire to throw the ball where perhaps the defense is asking for it, evidenced by the old 34 sack count, remain.
On the other hand, Deacon Hill will lead the offense for Iowa, combining aggression and the potential for development. Out of 251 attempts he managed to connect sundry 122 with his receivers for 1152 yards and 5 touchdowns. His completion percentage is so low at 48.6 therefore shows that there is a gap for improvement. His passer rating of 87.4 coupled with the high number of sacks further reveals some weaknesses which Iowa will have to guard against. For Mrs. Hill, the challenge will be to have efficient authoritative throws wherein the occurrence of mistakes is minimal which is very crucial in stopping Illinois from stealing possessions on interceptions.
NCAAF Odds/Point Spread: Iowa -22.5, Total Odds: 40.5
The expectations are that Iowa was most likely to win the game comfortably and as a result, they were given a 22.5-point favorits. Iowa’s conformance to this single handicap indicates how the bookies perceive the Illinois team. Seeing the total at 40.5 indicates that the game will primarily involve defense going by the expectations. Iowa’s fans might be willing to bet on the team winning by the margin offered given their strong home performance, however, it would be a mistake to ignore Illinois with their fast-changing capabilities.
Illinois Betting Trends
It has been a mixed campaign for the Fighting Illini, with two wins and five losses recorded against the spread in the last engagements. The safe haven of two other weaknesses is as follows – winless away from home (5-15 SU) or against the Big Ten (1-8 SU). The notion of complementing the more stable, but sometimes erratic weapons with the ability to counterattack in such a way allows for avoiding unpleasant surprises in the shape that took place in the last away games when the route was changed.
Iowa Betting Trends
The trends for Iowa are indicative of solid foundations, as they bear out a substantially more commendable performance of 15-5 in the last 20 games. The home record corroborated by a 6-1 win-loss in the most recent games adds reason to believe that Illinois can be beaten. Nevertheless, their record against the spread is decent, standing at 2-5, which can be of concern. Furthermore, in trends noticed after these games, there is a pull to play lower-scoring matches, which may keep defensive pressure on for the duration of the game as well.
Illinois vs. Iowa 08/31/24 Betting Picks
Taking into account the strengths and weaknesses brought to light through analysis and current betting trends, Iowa appears to have the advantage in terms of home ground and good history on the defense of the team. However, Illinois has the potential to take advantage of any deficiency in Iowa’s offense provided Altmyer is on the mark and can make good use of his receivers. Such situations would allow Illinois to stay within striking distance of the game even if some mishap occurs and the situation is under control. The expert premium analysis picks are intact for Iowa to win.