Free NCAA Football Prediction: Illinois vs. Iowa Odds
Looking for Illinois Fighting Illini vs. Iowa Hawkeyes free picks? College football betting sees the Fighting Illini take on the Hawkeyes on Saturday, November 13, 2021, at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, IA. Cappers Picks provides complimentary handicapping picks all NCAA football season long so stay tuned for more FREE college football game Week 12 predictions like this Illinois Iowa free pick.
College Football Handicapping Analysis: Week 12
Illinois Fighting Illini (4-6) vs. Iowa Hawkeyes (8-2)
Date: Saturday, November 13th, 2021
Time: 2:00 pm EST
Venue: Kinnick Stadium, Iowa City, Iowa
NCAA Football ATS Spread Odds: Illinois +13 / Iowa -13 (Bet Now!)
NCAA Football Moneyline Odds: Fighting Illini +385 / Hawkeyes -525
NCAA Betting Total Odds: O/U 38.5
No. 17 Iowa will be looking to stay alive for the Big Ten West Division title when it hosts Illinois on Saturday afternoon.
The Hawkeyes have bounced back from a two-game losing streak with a pair of wins over Northwestern and Minnesota. Illinois is coming off an upset win on the road at No. 20 Minnesota and had an extra week to prepare for this game.
Illinois Fighting Illini
Illinois got off to a good start this season when it picked up a 30-22 upset win over Nebraska in Week Zero. The train went off the rails for a short time after that, though, as the Fighting Illini would lose their next four games. They snapped the skid with a 24-14 win over Charlotte and have since split their four conference games.
They are coming off one of their best performances of the season, knocking off No. 20 Minnesota on the road in a 14-6 final. Illinois entered that game as a 14.5-point underdog.
The Fighting Illini have struggled offensively this season, ranked No. 116 nationally in yards per game (318.6). Artur Sitkowski was the starting quarterback earlier this year, but he is out for the season with an arm injury. Senior quarterback Brandon Peters is now in charge of the offense.
Running back Chase Brown has been the best player offensively, rushing for 851 yards and four touchdowns on 143 carries—he is averaging 6.0 yards per attempt. Wide receiver Isaiah Williams has caught 38 passes for 376 yards.
Iowa Hawkeyes
No. 17 Iowa got off to a 6-0 start this season and was in contention for a College Football Playoff spot. Those dreams were dashed with consecutive losses to Purdue and Wisconsin, but the Hawkeyes can still accomplish one of their goals and that is to reach the Big Ten title game.
Iowa needs to win their final 2 games and have Wisconsin drop a game for the Hawkeyes to likely back the Buckeyes at Lucas Oil Stadium.
While Iowa’s defense has been fantastic, its offense has been the exact opposite. The Hawkeyes rank No. 124 out of 130 FBS teams in yards per game (297.0).
Quarterback Spencer Petras has missed the last two games with an undisclosed injury and is not expected to play on Saturday. Sophomore Alex Padilla has taken over, completing 29 of 52 attempts for 378 yards and 2 touchdowns in those two games.
Running back Tyler Goodson has rushed for 813 yards and six touchdowns on 188 carries in 2021. Tight end Sam LaPorta has caught a team-high 37 passes for 425 yards and 2 touchdowns.
NCAA Football Handicapping Trends
- Fighting Illini have lost 7 straight against Iowa
- Iowa is 11-5 ATS in their last 16 games
4* Free Week 12 NCAA Betting Pick: Iowa -13
This is a sucker line for an Iowa team that is not known for scoring many points. I do not see much variance happening on Saturday afternoon, though.
The Hawkeyes are not going to give up much defensively and their offense is going to score around 20-24 points. They have been able to overcome poor offense with elite defense over the last two years, covering the spread in 11 of their last 16 games.
I’m taking Iowa to roll in this very winnable game.
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