It is a battle between neighbors (only 65 miles apart) as Eastern Illinois takes the short trip to Champaign, IL to take on the Fighting Illini in one of many FCS vs. FBS matchups in Week 1 in college football.
This is the 4th year for Bret Bielema at Illinois. He has sandwiched a pair of 5-7 seasons around an 8-5 campaign. After losing out on a bowl bid due to consecutive losses to close last season, there is mounting pressure on the Illini to start fast this season.
Eastern Illinois has gone from 2-9 in 2022 to 8-3 in 2023 with a final ranking of #24 in the FCS.
We’ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on the how to catch first-pitch, projected pitching matchup, lineup cards, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.
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Game details & how to watch Panthers vs. Fighting Illini live Thursday
● Date: Thursday, August 29, 2024
● Time: 9PM EST
● Site: Memorial Stadium
● City: Champaign, IL
● TV/Streaming: BTN
Game odds for Eastern Illinois vs. Illinois
● Money Line: Eastern Illinois +3000, Illinois -10000
● Spread: Fighting Illini -28
● Total: 45
NBC Sports Betting Analyst Brad Thomas (@MrBradThomas) is fading the Fighting Illini against the Panthers of Eastern Illinois
” How much do you trust Luke Altmyer as a four-touchdown favorite? I don’t, not even a little. Illinois was 0-5 ATS as a home favorite last season.”
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Recent betting stats for the Big Ten per John Ewing of BetMGM
● Favorites: Ohio State +150
● Highest Ticket%: Penn State 33.7%
● Highest Handle%: Ohio State 55.4%
● Biggest Liability: Ohio State
Names to Know for Eastern Illinois vs. Illinois
○ Panthers: QB Pierce Holley passed for 2,741 yards and 17 TDs last season. RB MJ Flowers rushed for 854 yards and 8 TDs in 2023
○ Fighting Illini: QB Luke Altmyer threw for 1,883 yards last season including 13 TDs and 10 INTs. RBs Kaden Feagin (438yds in 2023), Josh McCray (156yds), and Aidan Laughery (81 yds) will be expected to take a step and in the process a bit of the pressure off of Altmyer
Rotoworld still has you covered with all the latest player news from the NFL and MLB. Check out the feed page right here on NBC Sports for headlines, injuries and transactions where you can filter by league, team, positions and news type!
Top betting trends & insights to know ahead of Panthers vs. Fighting Illini on August 29, 2024
● Bret Bielema is 3-0 in season openers at Illinois with wins over Nebraska, Wyoming, and Toledo
● The Panthers’ allowed 3.19 sacks per game last season
● Illinois WR Zakhari Franklin, a transfer from Ole Miss, is college football’s active career leader in receptions (266), receiving yards (3,386) and receiving touchdowns (38)
● Of the 120 players on the Illinois roster, 45 are new to the Illini program
● Illinois offensive linemen have a combined 96 starts
If you’re looking for more key trends and stats around the spread, moneyline and total for every single game on the schedule today, check out our College Football Top Trends tool on NBC Sports!
Expert picks & predictions for Thursday’s Eastern Illinois vs. Illinois game
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Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the MLB calendar based on data points like past performance, player matchups, ballpark information and weather forecasts.
Once the model is finished running, we put its projection next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.
Here are the best bets our model is projecting for Thursday’s Panthers vs. Fighting Illini game:
- Moneyline: NBC Sports is staying away from a play on the Moneyline.
- Spread: NBC Sports is recommending a play on the Fighting Illini laying the 28.5 points.
- Total runs: NBC Sports is leaning towards a play on the Total OVER 45 points
Want even more college football best bets and predictions from our expert staff & tools? Check out the Expert College Football Predictions page from NBC Sports for money line, spread and total picks for each of the games on today’s calendar!
Follow our experts on socials to keep up with all the latest content from the staff:
- Jay Croucher (@croucherJD)
- Drew Dinsick (@whale_capper)
- Vaughn Dalzell (@VmoneySports)
- Brad Thomas (@MrBradThomas)
