Opening betting lines released for Illinois vs. Kansas football this week

Kansas football opened its season with a lopsided victory over FCS opponent Lindenwood, comfortably defeating the Lions 48-3 this past Thursday. Aside from a pair of turnovers, the offense was firing on all cylinders, and the defense did its job.

While Lindenwood is inferior to the Jayhawks, head coach Lance Leipold and his group have a much tougher challenge this weekend heading into Champaign. KU will take on the Illinois Fighting Illini on the road in what should be a hard-fought battle. DraftKings Sportsbook released the opening lines for Saturday’s contest, and Kansas is listed as a 5.5-point favorite.

Kansas football deemed early betting favorites over Illinois

Despite playing a difficult road game, initial odds had Kansas as 6-point favorites. Those odds dropped half a point later in the day, meaning they are prone to change over time. However, it is clear that bettors have more faith in KU's moneyline than Illinois'.

Last year, the two teams began their home-and-home series in an intense environment at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium. It was one of the three games quarterback Jalon Daniels was active for, and he tossed 277 passing yards and two touchdowns. The defense fended off a late-game comeback attempt, and KU prevailed 34-23.

Illinois went on to finish the season with a mediocre 5-7 record, failing to reach a bowl game for the second time in three years under coach Bret Bielema. They are hoping for better fortunes in 2024 and began the campaign with a dominant 45-0 win against Eastern Illinois. This contest will serve as the first real test for both squads.

The Jayhawks fared well on the road last season, picking up wins over Nevada, Iowa State, Cincinnati, and nearly Oklahoma State. Meanwhile, Illinois played to a 3-4 record at home last year. The over/under of the contest is 55 points, while the moneyline is -230 in KU's favor.

Most outlets project Illinois to wind up with a bottom-five finish in the Big Ten. Their success lies in what junior quarterback Luke Altmyer can do for the offense, but they also lost star defensive tackle Jer'Zhan Newton to the NFL. Kansas can certainly come out of Champaign victorious, but it will need to play a clean game without turnovers.