Iowa at Illinois NCAA Football Week 12 Lines & Game Preview.

Iowa at Illinois NCAA Football Week 12 Lines & Game Preview

Written by on November 15, 2018

This is the stage of the college football season where a lot of teams are playing for little more than school pride. The playoff race is now down to a handful of teams, while the battle to become bowl eligible still rages on for many more. There are a whole host of teams that fall somewhere right in the middle, which means no shot at a conference title or a playoff spot, but bowl game eligibility already wrapped up. That is where the 6-4 Iowa Hawkeyes find themselves as they head into the final 2 weeks of the regular season. For them, it’s all about winning at least one more game to ensure that they end the season with a winning record.

It’s not the perfect scenario, but a winning season means being able to look forward to next year with a certain level of positivity. The Hawkeyes will be taking their show on the road this weekend, as they head into Illinois to face the Fighting Illini. Iowa is in as a 15-point favorite, with the point total set at 58 ½.

Iowa at Illinois NCAA Football Week 12 Lines & Game Preview

  • When: Saturday, November 17 at 3:30 PM EST
  • Where: Memorial Stadium, Champaign
  • TV: BTN
  • Radio: TuneIn
  • Live Stream: BTN2Go
  • NCAA Football Week 12 Lines: Iowa -15 (Total 58.5)

Oregon State vs Washington NCAA Football Week 12 Lines & Preview

Weather Forecast

  • Chance of Rain: 3°C/37°F
  • Humidity: 89%
  • Precipitation: 34%
  • Cloud Cover: 99%
  • Wind: 10 mph NNE
  • Stadium Type: Open

Why bet on the Iowa Hawkeyes?

Iowa actually had their bowl eligibility all taken care off a few weeks ago, but they have struggled to gain any traction since then. A 23-0 win over Maryland took the Hawkeyes to 6-1 on the season, but they have fallen to 3 straight losses since then, killing any shot that they had of winning the West Division and getting into the Big Ten Conference Championship game.

To add insult to injury, it was their loss to Northwestern last weekend that allowed the Wildcats to clinch the division and their spot in the title game. The question now is whether the Hawkeyes can pull out of this skid and end the season on a positive note. You would certainly like their chances here given that they have won 9 of the last 10 meetings with Illinois. They are 4-1 versus the Illini on the road in the last 5 meetings, although just 2-4 ATS in their last 6 visits there.

Team Stats

Offense
  • Average Score For: 28.40
  • Total Yards: 385.70
  • Rush Yards: 147.50
  • Passing Yards: 238.20
Defense
  • Average Score Against: 18.10
  • Total Yards: 285.90
  • Rush Yards: 96.00
  • Passing Yards: 189.90

Why bet on the Illinois Fighting Illini?

Illinois is coming into this one on a run of form that is perhaps even worse than what Iowa is going through, winning just once in their last 5 games. This is a team that is pretty awful on the defensive side of the football, giving up over 38 PPG thus far.

Iowa at Illinois should be a close one.

Things have been even worse during that 5-game run, though, as the Illini have surrendered a whopping 48 PPG in that stretch. This is a team that can put some offense on the board, but they are all too often chasing games after going behind and trying to play catch-up. They have also not been a very good ATS bet of late, covering just once during that 1-4 losing streak.

Team Stats

Offense
  • Average Score For: 29.60
  • Total Yards: 425.30
  • Rush Yards: 262.80
  • Passing Yards: 162.50
Defense
  • Average Score Against: 38.60
  • Total Yards: 532.90
  • Rush Yards: 247.90
  • Passing Yards: 285.00

Middle Tennessee vs Kentucky NCAA Football Week 12 Odds & Pick

Iowa vs Illinois NCAA Football Week 12 Betting Trends

  • Iowa is 8-4 ATS in its last 12 games
  • Iowa is 8-4 SU in its last 12 games
  • The total has gone OVER in 6 of Iowa’s last 8 games
  • Illinois is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games
  • Illinois is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games
  • The total has gone OVER in 6 of Illinois’s last 7 games

Expert Pick & Final Score Prediction

The Iowa Hawkeyes offense is probably going to be made to look very good this weekend, which is why I see them having very little trouble in winning and covering the spread in this one.

Score: Iowa Hawkeyes 39 – Illinois Fighting Illini 17