College Football Week 5 Odds & Picks: Illinois vs. Penn State (2024)
We’re headed to Week 5 of the college football season. Most teams play conference matchups, including a significant battle between Alabama and Georgia.
Here are two early college football Week 5 bets to consider heading into the weekend. Below we dive into our best bets for the college football Week 5 matchup Illinois vs. Penn State.
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College Football Week 5 Early Week Picks: Illinois vs. Penn State
(Odds courtesy of DraftKingsFanDuel Sportsbook)
Illinois vs. Penn State
Despite a 4-0 record, the Illinois Fighting Illini are 17.5-point underdogs against the Penn State Nittany Lions on Saturday. Illinois just knocked off Nebraska on the road in overtime and is ranked inside the top 20. Yet, Illinois is getting no love on the road.
Illinois has already beaten Kansas and Nebraska behind QB Luke Altmyer, who has ten touchdowns and no interceptions through four games this season.
Meanwhile, Penn State is 3-0 behind Drew Allar. Allar is very good at protecting the football and limiting mistakes. Penn State has already knocked off West Virginia on the road and added home wins against Bowling Green and Kent State. However, the Nittany Lions only beat Bowling Green by seven in that matchup. Penn State allows the Falcons to score 27 in a 34-27 win. That’s something to think about. Penn State went 2-for-9 on third down in that game against Bowling Green and had just 204 yards passing.
Penn State should win this game. But it’ll be closer than most think. Illinois is for real. As long as the Fighting Illini don’t turn the ball over and let its defense take care of business, I like Illinois to win against the spread of 17.5.
Pick: Illinois +17.5 (-110)