Illinois Fighting Illini vs Duke Blue Devils Prediction & Picks - NCAA
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by Matt Lowrimore | in NCAA Picks
There are not a ton of marquee games on the Week 2 college football Saturday slate; however, one game that should be interesting will feature the Illinois Fighting Illini, out of the Big Ten, and the Duke Blue Devils, out of the ACC. Let’s take a look at the match statistics and predictions for this game between the Fighting Illini and the Blue Devils.
Illinois enters this game with a record of 1-0, having beaten the Western Illinois Leathernecks in Week 1 by a score of 52-3. The Fighting Illini had a total of 440 yards of offense, while allowing a total of 163 yards. Illinois quarterback Luke Altmyer threw for 217 yards and three touchdowns, while running back Aidan Laughery had 101 rushing yards and two touchdowns.
As for Duke, they enter this game with a record of 1-0, having beaten the Elon Phoenix in Week 1 by a score of 45-17. The Blue Devils had 548 yards of offense, while their defense allowed 275 total yards. Quarterback Darian Mensah threw for 389 yards and three touchdowns, while Anderson Castle led the team in rushing with 69 yards.
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Illinois Fighting Illini vs Duke Blue Devils Form
Table
| Teams | % | P | W | D | L |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
5
|
0.75 | 8 | 6 | 0 | 2 |
|
9
|
0.556 | 9 | 5 | 0 | 4 |
Illinois Fighting Illini and Duke Blue Devils Latest Matches
5/6 (83%)
0/6 (0%)
1/6 (17%)
Aug 29, 2025 - NCAA
Dec 31, 2024 - NCAA Division I, FBS, Playoffs
Sep 28, 2024 - NCAA
Sep 20, 2024 - NCAA
Sep 7, 2024 - NCAA
Aug 29, 2024 - NCAA
4/4 (100%)
0/4 (0%)
0/4 (0%)
Aug 29, 2025 - NCAA
Dec 31, 2024 - NCAA Division I, FBS, Playoffs
Sep 7, 2024 - NCAA
Aug 29, 2024 - NCAA
1/2 (50%)
0/2 (0%)
1/2 (50%)
Sep 28, 2024 - NCAA
Sep 20, 2024 - NCAA
2/3 (67%)
0/3 (0%)
1/3 (33%)
Aug 28, 2025 - NCAA
Jan 2, 2025 - NCAA Division I, FBS, Playoffs
Sep 6, 2024 - NCAA
1/1 (100%)
0/1 (0%)
0/1 (0%)
Aug 28, 2025 - NCAA
1/2 (50%)
0/2 (0%)
1/2 (50%)
Jan 2, 2025 - NCAA Division I, FBS, Playoffs
Sep 6, 2024 - NCAA
Illinois Fighting Illini - Duke Blue Devils Key Points
- Duke allowed 163 rushing yards in Week 1
- Illinois rushed for 209 yards in Week 1
- Duke averaged 11.4 yards per pass in Week 1
- Illinois allowed 4.6 yards per pass in Week 1
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Our Illinois Fighting Illini vs Duke Blue Devils Prediction
Illinois may be on the road in this game, but is the small favorite. They are also ranked as the #11 team in the country, but it is hard to say if they deserve that based on who they played in Week 1. Speaking of Week 1, the Fighting Illini looked to be well-balanced, having thrown and rushed for more than 200 yards.
As for Duke, they had some issues defending the run, allowing 163 yards to Elon in Week 1. That being said, their passing offense was excellent. The Blue Devils are likely to lean on their passing offense in this game as well, though the Fighting Illini allowed just 4.6 passing yards per play. Illinois also held Western Illinois to 29 total rushing yards, just 1.1 yards per play.
This game looks as if it will be tight throughout; however, given the balanced offense the Fighting Illini showed in Week 1 and their stout defense, our Illinois Fighting Illini vs Duke Blue Devils prediction is: Illinois Fighting Illini ML.All tips are fully researched and given in good faith, but profits cannot be guaranteed.
