Illinois vs Western Illinois Prediction, Game Preview, and Betting Lines: College Football 2025

Originally posted on College Football News
By Pete Fiutak | Last updated Aug 24, 2025 4:52 PM ET

The hype around Illinois is big, it's warranted, and it starts here with a paycheck date before dealing with a dangerous date at Duke.

The talent is in place to make a hard push for a College Football Playoff spot, but with a slew of dangerous Big Ten games ahead - at Indiana, USC, Ohio State, at Washington - this scrimmage is when the rotation has to come together.

Western Illinois had a rough 4-8 year, but the offense should be okay, the pressure is all on the Illini side, and the team can be loose. The Leathernecks get Western Illinois next.

Illinois vs Western Illinois Preview

Illinois vs Western Illinois: How To Watch
Date: Friday, August 29, 2025
Game Time: 7:30 PM ET
TV: Peacock
Location: Memorial Stadium, Champaign, IL

Why Western Illinois Will Win

The defense will continue to struggle, but the offense should be able to run a little bit early on - at least that's the hope.

The backfield has new parts, and the Illinois back seven is a killer, but Bret Bielema's defensive line needs the transfers to be great right away. There's a ton of talent coming in for the Illinois front, but Western Illinois has to try grinding the clock and get control of the game right away. However ...

Why Illinois Will Win

Let's just say Western Illinois struggled defensively.

The run defense was but a soft, polite rumor, and the secondary got torched way too easily. Illinois will be able to pick and choose what it wants to do.

The idea is to see just how sharp Illinois is right away. With all the veterans on both sides of the ball, does it put this away in the first few drives?

The offense should mix it up just enough, and the defense doesn't have to deal with a slew of Leatherneck veterans at the skill spots.

Illinois vs Western Illinois: Who Will Win

The Illini will do whatever it wants to.

They beat Western Illinois 34-14 back in 2018, but in the two games against FCS teams since then - UT Chattanooga in 2022, and Eastern Illinois to open up last year - they won by a combined score of 76-0.

Illinois vs Western Illinois Prediction, Betting Lines

Illinois 52, Western Illinois 0
Consensus Line: Illinois -45.5, o/u: 63.5
ATS Confidence out of 5: 2
Must See Rating: 1

Consensus Line from BetMGM, Caesars, DraftKings, and FanDuel. Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.

This article first appeared on College Football News and was syndicated with permission.

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