In Bret Bielema’s first season at Illinois, it took until Oct. 2 for the Fighting Illini to record their second win. If the Illini upset Big Ten rival Indiana on Friday, they will be 2-0 before Labor Day.
Illinois looked impressive in its opener rolling a young Wyoming squad, 38-6. The Illini racked up 477 yards of total offense and 260 yards on the ground in a game that was an even bigger mismatch than the score suggests.
While a strong running game is the trademark of any Bielema-coached team, the most encouraging takeaway for the Illini is quarterback Tommy DeVito. The Syracuse transfer completed 27 of 37 passes for 194 yards and two touchdowns. His performance is a welcome sign for an offense that finished 122 in passing last season.
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Indiana may not be Wyoming, but the Hoosiers enter 2022 as my lowest-rated team in the Big Ten. Indiana returns just four offensive starters from last year’s 2-win team and must replace six players in its front seven. Illinois running back Chase Brown should have another big game after rushing for 151 yards and two scores in the opener.
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This looks like two programs heading in opposite directions. Indiana opened -5 but the spread moved to -2. I’ll still back Illinois at that number because I believe the line should be closer to even.
The play: Illinois +2.