Illinois Fighting Illini Odds

Illinois Fighting Illini Football

After five straight losing seasons under former coach Lovie Smith, the Illini have installed Bret Bielema at the helm to right the ship. Bielema has quite the task in front of him, as the Illini's last winning season came in 2011.

Sportsbooks don’t think the turnaround will happen in the upcoming 2021 season, giving the Illini a 3.5-game win total and the worst odds to win the Big Ten of any team in the conference. You can find all of the Illini's results on this page, including against-the-spread (ATS) performance, as well as their upcoming schedule, odds, depth charts and more.

Illinois Fighting Illini Point Spreads

Betting on Illini spreads wasn’t great last season, as they posted a .305 record against the spread that was only a single game better than their overall record. One way we’ll be able to judge how bullish the market is on Bielema taking over is the Illini's point spreads, which are a representation of how much sportsbooks expect them to win or lose by. Here’s an example:

• Illinois +9.5 (-110)
• Purdue -9.5 (-110)

If the Illini lose by a touchdown, then they’re said to have “covered” the 9.5-point spread, and bets on them win. Conversely, Purdue needs to win by 10 or more to cover. Teams expected to win (favored) always have a minus sign before their spread, and teams expected to lose (underdogs) always have a plus sign.

Illinois Fighting Illini Over/Unders

Bielema is known as a defensive-minded coach, as he was the D-line coach under Bill Belicheck and the linebackers coach for the Giants. If you think he can reshape an Illini defense that allowed 34.9 points last season, you might want to try betting the under on their over/unders.

Over/unders, or totals, are a way to wager on the total scoring in a game. Which team wins is irrelevant, so if the total was set at 55.5 against Purdue, a 31-24 (55 total points) loss for the Illini is a win for the under. Over bettors are hoping for 56 or more combined points in this scenario.

Illinois Fighting Illini Moneylines

Since moneylines are just bets on the winner of the game, the Illini’s 2-6 overall record last season was also their moneyline record. However, betting on their moneylines wasn’t as terrible as the record suggests, losing only 1.25 units throughout the 2020 season.

Moneylines pay off more on underdogs that win than on favorites, and Illinois was an underdog every game last season. For example, as a +185 dog against Rutgers, a $100 bet would pay a profit of $185. If Illinois was a -185 favorite, you would need to bet $185 to earn $100 in profit.

You can use our Odds Calculator to calculate any bet amount or conversion.

Illinois Fighting Illini Props

Illinois quarterback Brandon Peters was able to play in only five games last year due to COVID-19 protocols. If you want to bet on him to play well with a more normal season in 2021, consider betting on his player props.

Player props are bets on one player's performance during a game. Examples of prop bets on Peters include over/under on his passing yards, touchdowns or completions, but other Illini will have their own props as well.

Illinois Fighting Illini Futures

Sportsbooks don’t think the Illini have much of a chance to win the Big Ten, giving them +10000 (100/1) odds in the futures markets. Futures are frequently priced like moneylines, with significant underdogs given big payouts on end-of-season outcomes.

Other futures bets you could make on the Fighting Illini include their season win total, odds to win the national championship and odds for players to win certain awards.

For Fighting Illini Fans, Illinois sports betting is legal and live online.

How to Bet on Illinois

Sports betting is currently legal in Illinois! Online sports bettors will be required to register in-person at a sportsbook through March 5, 2022. After March 5th, though, bettors will be able to register for a sportsbook of their choosing fully online. The state has numerous operators taking bets online, including Caesars Sportsbook. Check out our Caesars Promo Code page and use The Action Network's exclusive promo code “ACTIONCZR” to get up to a $1,500 deposit match with a deposit of $50 or more.

Illinois’ sports betting laws on college teams are tricky. Betting on in-state college teams in Illinois is only legal for in-person pregame wagers and they’re limited to outcomes of the games, not individual players’ performances.

Also check out on The Action Network's Illinois betting page regarding sports betting legislation in the state.