College Football

Penn State vs. Illinois Prediction, Odds, Expert Pick

Updated Sep. 26, 2024 4:29 p.m. ET

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The No. 19 Illinois Fighting Illini (4-0) are 17.5-point underdogs in a road Big Ten matchup against the No. 9 Penn State Nittany Lions (3-0) on Saturday, September 28, 2024 at Beaver Stadium. The over/under is set at 47.5 points for the outing.

The Nittany Lions won versus the Kent State Golden Flashes in their most recent game, 56-0. In their last game, the Fighting Illini won against the Nebraska Cornhuskers, 31-24.

Keep up with college football all season on FOX Sports.

Penn State tight end Tyler Warren throws touchdown pass to Nicholas Singleton to extend lead over Kent State

Penn State Nittany Lions' tight end, Tyler Warren, threw a touchdown pass to Nicholas Singleton to take a 14-0 lead over Kent State. 

Penn State vs. Illinois Game Information & Odds

• When: Saturday, September 28, 2024 at 7:30 p.m. ET
• Location: Beaver Stadium in University Park, Pennsylvania
• TV: NBC
• Live Box Score on FOX Sports

More College Football Predictions

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Pick by FOX Sports Betting Analyst Chris Fallica:

My tour of the Big Ten ends in State College, where the Nittany Lions are a bigger-than-expected favorite over 4-0 Illinois. This is one of those classic games that James Franklin will cover. He's 17-0-1 against the spread (ATS) since 2000 when favored between seven and 24 points. But on the field, I think they can have success throwing the ball and forcing the Illini to play from behind — something they really haven’t had to do this year. Nebraska had opportunities to get a stop and get up multiple scores on the Fighting Illini but just couldn’t do it. I think the talent level at Penn State is much better than that of Nebraska and expect the Nittany Lions to win by three touchdowns. 

PICK: Penn State (-18) to win by more than 18 points

Penn State vs. Illinois Prediction

• Pick ATS: Illinois (+17.5)  
• Pick OU: Over (47.5) 
• Prediction: Penn State 31, Illinois 18

Predictions are made by the Data Skrive betting model.

Learn more about the Penn State Nittany Lions vs. the Illinois Fighting Illini game on FOX Sports!

Penn State vs. Illinois Betting Insights

• Per the spread and over/under, the implied score for the tilt is Nittany Lions 32, Fighting Illini 15.
• The Nittany Lions have a 91.1% chance to win this contest based on the moneyline's implied probability. The Fighting Illini have a 13.4% implied probability.
• Penn State has covered twice in three matchups with a spread this season.
• Illinois has covered twice in three games with a spread this season.

Penn State vs. Illinois: Head-to-Head

• Penn State and Illinois have been matched up evenly over their last two matchups, sharing the same 1-1 record.
• The Nittany Lions and the Fighting Illini have been an even matchup over their last two games, sporting a split 1-1 record against the spread. In those two head-to-head matchups, the two squads have yet to go over the total.
• In their last two head-to-head matchups, Penn State has racked up 48 points against Illinois, while giving up only 33 points.

Penn State vs. Illinois: 2024 Stats Comparison

Penn State 2024 Key Players

Illinois 2024 Key Players

FOX Sports created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

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