Wyoming Cowboys at Illinois Fighting Illini Betting Preview/Prop Picks
27 August 2022
Time: 4:00 pm ET
Dunkel Ratings: Wyoming 92.334; Illinois 76.362
Dunkel Line & Total: Wyoming by 16; 62
Vegas Line & Total: Illinois by 10 ½; 44
Dunkel Pick: Wyoming (+10 ½); Over
The 2022 college football season is set to begin on August 27, as there are a handful of Week 0 games on the schedule. The Illinois Fighting Illini host the Wyoming Cowboys in one of those games, and both teams could really use a win to get the season off on the right foot.
Wyoming finished the 2021 season by winning three of their last five games, and they enter 2022 with plenty of optimism. The Mountain West Conference is once again going to be loaded with great teams, but the Cowboys believe they have a team that can compete.
Year 2 of the Brett Bielema era begins in Champaign-Urbana for the Illinois Fighting Illini on Saturday. Illinois missed out on a bowl game in the 2021 season, but they showed some signs of progress and will look to build upon that in 2022.
The Illinois Fighting Illini are 10.5 point betting favorites over the Wyoming Cowboys in this Week 0 college football matchup.
Wyoming Wants to Score
The Wyoming Cowboys enter the 2022 season with plenty of unknowns on the offensive side of the ball, but this is a team that wants to score. Head coach Craig Bohl is going to have to fit some new players in on offense, but they are going to look to push the tempo.
Wyoming is not a team that has a ton of size, and the defense is going to be tested against an Illinois team that loves to run the football. That defense will be strong in the secondary, and coming up with some big plays could change the outlook of this matchup.
Illinois Has Some Athletes
The Illinois Fighting Illini are not going to be the most talented team in the Big 10 Conference, but they have loaded up on athletes. Illinois should have the size and athleticism advantage on both sides of the ball in this matchup.
Tommy DeVito has been named the starting quarterback from Illinois, and the Syracuse transfer has plenty of college football experience. Illinois does not have a ton of skilled players to surround DeVito, though, and it could be a challenge to score some points.
The Fighting Illini are going to try to run the football in this game, but they also have to find some balance to keep the Cowboys honest on defense.
Cowboys Crush the Illini
Week 0 is a chance for a handful of teams in college football to show off on the national stage, and both Wyoming and Illinois are looking for that exposure. Wyoming and Illinois were both solid teams in 2021, but taking the next step will be a goal in 2022.
Wyoming is going to be a better offensive team in Illinois, and that usually matters early on in the season. Don’t expect the Fighting Illini defense to get many stops in this game, and it could end up leading to a long day for Illinois.
Bet the Wyoming Cowboys moneyline as they go into Champaign-Urbana and pick up a double-digit upset win over the Illinois Fighting Illini.
Prop Picks
Wyoming (-130) OVER 13.5 Points
Wyoming averaged 25.9 points per game on offense last season, which ranked No. 76 in FBS. That average increased to 31.1 points per game on the road.
With Dunkel predicting a Wyoming win by the score of 39-23, take the Cowboys (-130) to finish OVER their Vegas team total of 13.5 points against the Fighting Illini.
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All Media on this page by Associated Press.
