Illinois Fighting Illini vs Indiana Hoosiers Prediction, Picks and Game Preview - 09/20/2025

Game Time: 7:30 pm ET, Saturday, September 20, 2025

Venue:  Indiana University Memorial Stadium, Bloomington, IN

Where to Watch:  NBC, Peacock

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  Illinois +4.5, Indiana -4.5; Over/Under:  52.5 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  Illinois +4.5, Indiana -4.5; Over/Under:  52.5 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Illinois +4.5, Indiana -4.5; Over/Under:  52.5 points

Illinois Fighting Illini:  3-0 (0-0) (6th place, Big Ten)

Indiana Hoosiers:  3-0 (0-0) (3rd place, Big Ten)

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Illinois Fighting Illini:  won their last game at home against the Western Michigan Broncos 38-0.

Indiana Hoosiers:  won their last game at home against the Indiana State Sycamores 73-0.

Illinois is entering this game with a 3-0 record overall and they have a 0-0 record in their conference games too. They are 2-0 in their home games, 1-0 in their road games, and they are also 0-0 in their neutral site games this season, but they will be on the road for this game. They won their last game against Western Michigan 38-0. Luke Altmyer was the starting QB and he completed 17/26 passes for 195 passing yards, 2 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions. Kaden Feagin led the team in rushing yards with 100 and 1 TD. Hank Beatty led the receivers with 53 receiving yards on 6 receptions and 1 TD. Matthew Bailey led the defense in that game with 6 solo tackles and 0 assisted tackles while Leon Lowery Jr. and Pat Farrell each led the defense in sacks with 1. No one on the defense came away with an interception for them in that one.

 

 

 

Indiana is entering this game with a 3-0 record overall and they have a 0-0 record in their conference games too. They are 3-0 in their home games, 0-0 in their road games, and they are also 0-0 in their neutral site games this season, but they will be at home for this game. They won their last game against Indiana State 73-0. Fernando Mendoza was the starting QB and he completed 19/20 passes for 270 passing yards, 5 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions. Khobie Martin led the team in rushing yards with 109 and 2 TDs. Omar Cooper Jr. led the receivers with 207 receiving yards on 10 receptions and 4 TDs. Isiah Jones led the defense in that game with 2 solo tackles and 2 assisted tackles while Isiah Jones, Mario Landino, Stephen Daley, William Depaepe, and Tyrique Tucker each led the defense in sacks with 1. No one on the defense came away with an interception for them in that one.

The current betting odds have Illinois listed as a 4.5 point underdog in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. Illinois has looked great in their games this season with their 3-0 record overall. They haven't really played any great opponents yet, but they did get a nice road test against Duke 2 weeks ago and they obliterated Duke on the road. Now they are getting another road test here and it is also their first conference game of the year, but they are going to bring their best effort for another ranked team in the conference since they have real hopes of making the playoffs this year. Meanwhile, Indiana has looked great in their games this season with their 3-0 record overall. They haven't really played any tough opponents yet and all 3 of their games have been at home so this is going to be their first real test this season, but they will still have home advantage for the game. They have to be feeling disrespected in this game too since they are barely ranked inside the top 20 while Illinois is ranked as a top 10 team in the nation, and Indiana was the team that actually went to the CFP last season. This is definitely going to be a statement win for whichever team gets the job done, but both of these teams have so much talent and with everything on the line here, this will likely be a really close game that gets decided by a field goal either way. The best way to place a bet here is on Illinois to cover the spread in this game. 

Illinois Indiana Prediction:  Our NCAAF Pick for Saturday, September 20, 2025 (7:30 pm ET start time) is Illinois 23 Indiana 20.

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Illinois Fighting Illini: 15-6 ATS in all lined games. 8-0 ATS after scoring 37 points or more last game. 5-0 ATS after a win by 17 or more points. 8-4 ATS when playing against a team with a winning record. 26-15 1H OVER in a road game where the total is between 49.5 and 56.

Indiana Hoosiers: 16-27 ATS off a home win by 17 points or more. 26-35 ATS after a win by 17 or more points. 41-60 ATS when playing against a top-level team (Win Pct. > 75%). 33-21 OVER in a home game where the total is between 49.5 and 56.

Illinois Fighting Illini:  X. Scott (CB) Probable - Undisclosed. D. Brown (LB) Questionable - Undisclosed. D. Rosiek (LB) Questionable - Undisclosed. A. Laughery (RB) Questionable - Undisclosed. A. Knapik (OG) Questionable - Knee. L. Farrell (TE) Questionable - Undisclosed. J. Clarke (CB) Questionable - Hamstring. B. Clawson (CB) Questionable - Undisclosed. T. Cox (CB) Out - Undisclosed. J. Forster (RB) Out - Undisclosed. J. Hirdes (OG) Out - Knee. G. Smith (TE) Out - Undisclosed.

Indiana Hoosiers:  L. Beebe Jr. (RB) Out - Leg. M. McCarthy (P) Questionable - Undisclosed. B. Bonds (CB) Questionable - Undisclosed. B. Baldwin Jr. (CB) Questionable - Undisclosed. T. Morris (WR) Out - Knee.

“I can't repeat what I said at halftime. I was probably as spirited as I've ever been at halftime during my time at Illinois. We can't give away two quarters of football and expect to be in the contest at the end.” - Bret Bielema after his team’s win against WMU in their last game. 

“We did tonight what we wanted to do. I was pleased about that. I didn't see anybody relaxing at any point in the game, coaches or players." - Curt Cignetti after his team’s win against Indiana State in their last game. 

WR Clement, Hudson

WR Elzy, Malik

WR Dixon, Collin

TE Arkin, Tanner

TE Stoffel, Davin

QB Altmyer, Luke

RB Laughery, Aidan

WR Sarratt, Elijah

WR Williams Jr., E.J.

WR Cooper Jr., Omar

TE Nowakowski, Riley

QB Mendoza, Fernando

RB Hemby, Roman

Passing: L. Altmyer (709)

Rushing: K. Feagin (222)

Receiving: H. Beatty (289)

Touchdowns: J. Bowick (3)

Passing: F. Mendoza (708)

Rushing: K. Black (217)

Receiving: O. Cooper Jr. (299)

Touchdowns: O. Cooper Jr. (5)

Coaches:

Illinois Fighting Illini: Bret Bielema (5th season)

Indiana Hoosiers: Curt Cignetti (2nd season)