After months without meaningful football, fans and bettors alike must wait no longer. The college football season will get underway this weekend with several Week 0 matchups. Of course, that means the college football betting markets are open for business! DraftKings Sportsbook has an AMAZING offer, giving bettors $200 INSTANTLY just for making a $5 bet.
The Mountain West’s Wyoming Cowboys will head to Champaign for a matchup with the Big Ten’s Illinois Fighting Illini on Saturday afternoon. Bret Bielema’s plucky Illinois squad frustrated its conference opponents last season with upset road wins at Penn State and at Minnesota, but they couldn’t string consecutive good games together. They’ll look to build some consistency with what should be an easy start to the season. Here are our best bets and predictions for Wyoming’s road trip to Illinois.
Wyoming vs. Illinois Week 0 College Football Picks
Wyoming vs. Illinois Odds | Bet $5, Get $200 on DraftKings
Rocky Start Likely for the Cowboys | Bet $5, Get $200 on DraftKings
Like a stranded cowpoke in the Wild West, Wyoming's offense got picked clean this offseason. Both quarterbacks who saw playing time last year, Sean Chambers and Levi Williams, are off to greener pastures at Montana State and Utah State. Leading rusher Xazavian Valladay left for Arizona State, and leading receiver Isaiah Neyor left for Texas.
The Cowboys added quarterback Andrew Peasley from Utah State to start under center. Peasley worked as the Aggies' second-string quarterback in the last two seasons, and he failed to complete more than 55% of his passes both years. That said, neither Chambers nor Williams left particularly big shoes to fill. Wyoming's 159.9 yards passing per game ranked 118th of 130 teams.
Passing defense was a strength for Wyoming, but both starting cornerbacks left via the transfer portal. The Cowboys will struggle to allow the 12th-fewest yards passing again. Further, their defense allowed the 31st-most yards rushing per game, which may have alleviated some of the pressure on the secondary. With leading tackler and inside linebacker Chad Muma off for the NFL, Wyoming may have too many gaps to fill early in the season.
More Ups, Fewer Downs Key for Illinois | Bet $5, Get $200 on DraftKings
Few offenses looked worse than Illinois' last year. The Fighting Illini scored 20 points or fewer in seven of their games, including their nine-overtime win over Penn State, and ranked 94th in offensive efficiency. But with either Artur Sitkowski or Syracuse transfer Tommy DeVito under center, Illinois' offense should look more efficient in 2022 — if only because of how low last year's team set the bar.
Both quarterbacks have been solid against bad teams. Sitkowski opened last season with a 124-yard, two-score performance in an 8-point win over Nebraska last year. He then beat up UTSA with 266 yards and three touchdowns before injuries and tougher conference opponents got the better of him. Likewise, DeVito began his most recent campaign by throwing for 92 yards and rushing for 49 more — and a touchdown — in a 20-point win over Ohio. Since leading receiver Isaiah Williams and leading rushers Chase Brown and Josh McCray will return, Illinois won't have to reinvent the wheel on offense.
Illinois' defense played admirably given their offensive woes. The Fighting Illini ranked 30th in defensive efficiency last year, and they allowed only 22 points per game. They ranked 39th in yards passing allowed and 57th in yards rushing allowed. Leading tacklers Sydney Brown and Tarique Barnes will return, too, so Illinois should get out to a respectable start.
Wyoming vs. Illinois Pick | Bet $5, Get $200 on DraftKings
With so much roster turnover, the Wyoming Cowboys may struggle to start the year. The Illinois Fighting Illini don't have that problem, and they should win a home mismatch over their Mountain West opponents.
Sharps have bid Illinois up from a 9-point favorite to a 13-point favorite, depending upon where you look. The Fighting Illini have drawn a whopping 86% of the cash, the most of any team playing in Week 0. Very little value remains on this line because of Illinois' offensive ineptitude: Illinois won just one of its matchups by a double-digit margin last year, and that came against an embarrassingly bad Northwestern defense.
That said, some value remains on the first-half spread. The Fighting Illini ended the first half with an advantage of at least a touchdown in their wins over Nebraska, Minnesota and Northwestern. Illinois should get out to a solid enough strong start on offense to lead by just over a touchdown after one half.
