Duke is hosting Illinois on Saturday afternoon of Week 2. The game will take place at noon ET in Durham, North Carolina. This is a big non-conference game for two teams looking to build off strong 2024 campaigns.
The Fighting Illini are three-point road favorites in this game on DraftKings Sportsbook, with the total set at 49.5 points. This is a preview, prediction and pick for this Illinois-Duke non-conference matchup.
Illinois vs. Duke Preview
Illinois Preview
Illinois needs this win for its season to go the way it hopes. Illinois had a great 2024 season and capped it off with a bowl win over South Carolina. The team brought back QB Luke Altmyer and have its sights set on the College Football Playoff. The Illini are hoping to be “2025 Indiana” as the Big Ten team, outside of the elite teams, that sneaks into the playoff. It was an easy Week 1 matchup against a lower-tier FCS team, Western Illinois. The Illini dominated the game, but it’s hard to take much away given the opponent. Their Big Ten schedule has some tough tests, meaning they likely need to get through their non-conference schedule undefeated if they want to make the CFP. The Illini are small favorites, but this will be a tough road test against a well-coached Duke team.
Duke Preview
Manny Diaz had a great first season at Duke. It was expected to be a bit of a transition year after Mike Elko left for Texas A&M and quarterback Riley Leonard transferred to Notre Dame. Maalik Murphy took over the quarterback job and won nine games with Diaz at the helm. Despite a good season from Murphy, Duke aggressively went after sophomore quarterback Darian Mensah from Tulane. Mensah took the starting job, causing Murphy to transfer out. Duke is hoping for another great season with Diaz coaching up the defense and Mensah leading the offense. The sophomore had a great outing against Elon, an inferior opponent, in Week 1. He finished with 389 yards and three touchdowns in his Duke debut. This will be a much tougher test to see what the ceiling is for Mensah and Duke.
Illinois vs. Duke Pick
My best bet for this non-conference battle is the first-half under 23.5 points. These two teams have contrasting styles of offense. Duke wants to move the ball quickly through the air, while Illinois wants to slow things down and run the ball. In a hostile road environment against a tough defense, the Illini will want to be even more conservative than normal early on. They should try to limit the amount of possessions and slow down the pace of play to start this game. Diaz is an elite defensive coach and should limit any explosive plays from Illinois and keep them out of the end zone. On the other side, Illinois has a great defense of its own. It should give the young Duke quarterback some trouble and make Duke have a more conservative approach than normal. Both offenses might get going in the second half as they try to win the game, but the first half should be methodical and low scoring.
