Penn State vs Illinois 10/23/21 College Football Picks, Odds, Predictions

The Penn State Nittany Lions meet the Illinois Fighting Illini Saturday in week 8 Big Ten college football action at Beaver Stadium. The Illinois Fighting Illini need a win after losing five of their last six games. The Penn State Nittany Lions look for a win to build on their 5-1 record.

The Illinois Fighting Illini have lost four straight road games. Artur Sitkowski is completing 51.2 percent of his passes for 666 yards, six touchdowns and one interception. Isaiah Williams and Deuce Spann have combined for 415 receiving yards and three touchdowns, while Casey Washington has 13 receptions. The Illinois Fighting Illini ground game is averaging 159.9 yards per contest, and Chase Brown leads the way with 414 yards and three touchdowns. Defensively, Illinois is allowing 24.6 points and 428.4 yards per game. Tarique Barnes leads the Illinois Fighting Illini with 42 tackles, Owen Carney Jr. has four sacks and Kerby Joseph has three interceptions.

The Penn State Nittany Lions have won six straight home games. Sean Clifford is completing 66.3 percent of his passes for 1,482 yards, 11 touchdowns and five interceptions. Jahan Dotson and Parker Washington have combined for 851 receiving yards and eight touchdowns, while KeAndre Lambert-Smith has 18 receptions. The Penn State Nittany Lions ground game is averaging 128.2 yards per contest, and Keyvone Lee leads the way with 204 yards on 38 carries. Defensively, Penn State is allowing 13.8 points and 312 yards per game. Ellis Brooks leads the Penn State Nittany Lions with 44 tackles, Arnold Ebiketie has four sacks and Ji’Ayir Brown has three interceptions.

The Fighting Illini are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games on grass. The Nittany Lions are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 home games and 8-2 ATS in their last 10 games overall. The under is 5-0 in Fighting Illini last 5 games overall. The under is 7-3 in Nittany Lions last 10 games as a favorite. The Fighting Illini are 6-2 ATS in their last 8 meetings in Penn State.

You could make a case for Illinois and the boatload of points given the extra week to prepare for this contest. However, Illinois is god awful offensively, ranked 120th in scoring offense and scoring 14 or fewer points in three of its last five games. This could be a look ahead spot for Penn State with Ohio State on deck, but that’s the only concern you should have here. It’s Penn State or pass for me.