It's time for Friday night lights, as the Kansas Jayhawks welcome Illinois to town for an exciting Week 2 showdown as we look at our Illinois vs. Kansas prediction based on the best college football odds.
While it's only Week 2, there are bowl game implications when Illinois and Kansas meet up in Lawrence Friday night. After both teams notched a bowl berth last year, each win becomes even more important in their attempt to return to the postseason in 2023.
Kansas, which went 6-7 a year ago to notch its first bowl berth since 2007, opened the 2023 campaign with a 48-17 win over Missouri State last Friday. The Jayhawks didn't have starting quarterback Jalon Daniels in the opener, but he appears to be trending in the right direction to play in Week 2.
Illinois, meanwhile, had to score 23 second-half points to secure a 30-28 win over Toledo. But does that make the Fighting Illini more prepared for what should be a competitive matchup on ESPN2 this week?
Here is our best Illinois vs. Kansas prediction and college football picks (odds via our best college football betting sites; pick confidence based on a 1-to-5-star scale).
Illinois vs. Kansas prediction: Week 2
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There are several different ways to go about betting this game because I think the market is underrating Illinois after a tough battle in Week 1. Toledo won nine games last year, so that's a good opening test for Bret Bielema's s quad.
As such, there is likely some value on the Illinois spread at +3. There is also reason to believe this team could get off to a strong start, meaning the first quarter or first half angle is worth a look. But I'm attacking the team total because I see multiple avenues for this Over getting home.
The market has steamed this total up from an opener of 51.5, so clearly bettors are expecting points in this matchup. That makes sense, as Kansas ranked 21st in the nation with an average of 35.6 points per game last year and proceeded to drop 48 last week without its QB1. With Daniels potentially back in the mix, the Jayhawks should put up plenty of points.
Illinois will need to keep up in this potential track meet, which shouldn't be a problem based on the fact KU's defense finished 124th by allowing 35.6 points per contest last year. Quarterback Luke Altmyer, a transfer from Ol e Miss, also flashed in his debut for Illinois. He finished with 211 passing yards and two scores while adding 69 rushing yards.
For what it's worth, Tyler Shoemaker's TSI is projecting a 29-27 road win for Illinois in Week 2.
We anticipate both teams will flirt with 30 points in a high-scoring affair that could ultimately come down to who has the ball last. But let's plan on getting this bet to the window before that final drive even begins.
Though these odds have moved slightly since the time of writing, I'd still take Over 27.5 points for Illinois or Over 13.5 first-half points for the Illini.
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Illinois vs. Kansas best odds
| DraftKings | FanDuel | BetMGM | Caesars | bet365 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Illinois Over 26.5 points | Illinois Over 27.5 points | N/A | N/A | Over 26.5 points |
| -120 | +100 | N/A | N/A | -120 |
Only a few of our best sports betting sites have team totals as of this writing, but we are comfortable firing on Over 26.5 points for Illinois. I prefer to pay the juice at DraftKings rather than take the +100 offering on Over 27.5 points at FanDuel because I have trust issues with college kickers.
Our best sports betting apps are also starting to release player prop markets for this game, including touchdown scorer odds. Make sure to check out my player props article this week, as there are a couple lines that have caught my eye for this game.
Illinois vs. Kansas odds
Illinois vs. Kansas odds analysis
For a brief moment when lines opened on Sunday morning, Kansas was trading as a slight favorite below a field goal while the total started at 51.5. This is an example of why you should be in front of your odds screen every Sunday with shops releasing lines while most are focused on the NFL.
As the week has gone on, KU has settled as a 3-point favorite after touching as high as -4. The total climbed up to 57 before coming back home at 56 across our best sportsbooks.
Illinois vs. Kansas game info
- When: Friday, Sept. 8, 7:30 p.m. ET
- Where: David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium
- How to watch: ESPN2
- Weather: 83 degrees, 1% chance of precipitation, 10-mph winds
Illinois-Kansas prediction made 09/06/2023 at 11:45 a.m. ET.
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