Iowa Hawkeyes vs Illinois: Game Thread

The Iowa Hawkeye are sitting on the doorstep of a return trip to Indianapolis and a second Big Ten West division title in three years. Thanks to their best offensive performance of the season in a 22-0 win over Rutgers a week ago, Iowa sits alone atop the West standings entering the day and just a win away from clinching the title.

But they play host today to the Illinois Fighting Illini, who enter the day two games back in the West standings, but very much alive in the race. That is, if they can pull out the win in Kinnick today. Doing so would not only get the Illini bowl eligible and keep their hopes of a trip to Indy alive, but also mark the first time they’ve won in Iowa City since 1999.

Illinois comes in fresh off an offensive outpouring against Indiana week ago. Meanwhile, the Hawkeyes are reeling from the loss of superstar corner Cooper DeJean from a secondary that’s already on the thin side. Will Phil Parker work his magic once again to gift wrap the West for the Iowa Hawkeyes and the lackluster offense? Or will it be the Illini to come out firing on all cylinders to keep their season alive?

We’ll know soon enough as the Hawkeyes and Illini face of in the final home game inside Kinnick Stadium of 2023.

Here’s a quick reminder on the details for today’s matchup:

Date: Saturday, November 18th
Time: 2:30 pm CT
Matchup: Illinois Fighting Illini (5-5, 3-4) at Iowa Hawkeyes (8-2, 5-2)
Location: Kinnick Stadium- Iowa City, IA
TV: FS1
Preliminary Weather Forecast: sunny with temps in the upper-50s, 5% chance of rain
DraftKings Sportsbook Line: Iowa -3, O/U 32.5

Odds/lines subject to change. T&Cs apply. See draftkings.com/sportsbook for details.

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Go Hawks!