Indiana is hosting Illinois on Saturday night of Week 4. The game will take place at 7:30 P.M. ET in Bloomington, Indiana.
The Hoosiers are 6.5-point home favorites in this game on DraftKings Sportsbook, with the total set at 52.5 points. This is a preview, prediction and pick for this Illinois vs. Indiana Big Ten matchup.
Indiana vs. Illinois prediction, preview
Indiana Preview
It was an incredible 2024 season for the Indiana Hoosiers. In their first season under head coach Curt Cignetti, they made the College Football Playoff. The real test for Cignetti is now trying to back that up. There was some criticism over Indiana’s strength of schedule last season, and again this season, for that matter. However, if Cignetti can win 10 or 11 regular-season games with Indiana for the second straight season, there will be no doubt that they are the real deal. This is arguably the biggest game on Indiana’s schedule. Last season, their only brutal test was against Ohio State, their lone regular-season loss. They have two of those games this year, against Oregon and Penn State. Of course, the Hoosiers could pull off the upset in one of those games, but assuming they lose both of those games, they need this win over Illinois to still be able to make a case for the College Football Playoff at 10-2.
Illinois Preview
This is an equally important game for Illinois. The Fighting Illini were one of the first teams left out of the College Football Playoff after a great nine-win 2024 season. They are hoping to build on that this season, taking the next step to get into the CFP. They have a couple of challenging games on the rest of their schedule against USC and Ohio State. However, similarly to Indiana, a win here puts them in a great position to get into the College Football Playoff. Unlike Indiana, Illinois has already faced one test this season. While Indiana’s out-of-conference games have been a cakewalk, Illinois did face one real challenge with a road trip to Duke, a game that they won convincingly. A road upset against Indiana would establish Illinois as a real contender this season.
Indiana vs. Illinois pick, best bet
The Hoosiers will have an incredible atmosphere for this game. Their only huge game in their exciting 2024 season was on the road against Ohio State. This will be the biggest home game of the Curt Cignetti era, and the crowd in Bloomington should be out of control. Indiana is a well-balanced team that has no real weaknesses to exploit. Quarterback Fernando Mendoza is clicking, they have a committee of running backs who are running well, and the defense is strong in every facet. They rank sixth in the nation in net EPA/play, with a top-ten offense and a top-20 defense. Indiana has proven it can maintain a week-by-week consistency under Curt Cignetti that Illinois has yet to prove under Bret Bielema. Illinois has struggled in the first half of games this season. If they do so in this one, Indiana will jump on them and once the crowd gets into it, it could turn into a big Indiana win.
