Statement

The Wyoming Cowboys travel to Illinois to play against the Fighting Illini at Memorial Stadium on August 17th at 4:00 pm. This game will be the first time both of these teams play against each other. The Fighting Illini being the home team will have the advantage in this game as their stadium will be packed and filled with their fans supporting them. This game will involve two teams that had underwhelming seasons last year and want to finish better this year. Caesars Casino & Sportsbook has the match result odds at –430 Illinois and +330 Wyoming. Additionally, the over/under total points for the game is set at 44.0 with the over and under both being -110. New users will receive a Risk-Free Bet of up to $1500 on their first wager. 

The Illinois Fighting Illini finished last season with a record of 5-7 and were the fifth seed in the Big Ten West. They had a conference record of 4-5 and ended their season with a massive victory against the Northwestern Wildcats winning by a final score of 47-14. Last season they lost four games by 7 or fewer points. Quarterback, Brandon Peters, led the team last season in passing yards after throwing for 1,170 yards. Second to him in passing yards was quarterback Artur Sitkowski, who threw for 704 yards. Peters declared for the NFL during the offseason so Sitkowski will be the starting quarterback for the Fighting Illini. Next, running back Chase Brown led the team in rushing yards, having recorded 1,005 yards on 170 carries, averaging 5.9 yards per carry. Finally, wide receiver, Isaiah Williams, led the team in receiving yards, having recorded 525 yards on 47 catches, averaging 11 yards per reception. Brown and Williams are still on the roster and will be important players on the offense. In this game, expect Sitkowski, Brown, and Williams to be responsible for the majority of the yards. 

The Wyoming Cowboys finished last season with a record of 7-6 and were the fourth seed in the Mountain West – Mountain division. They had a conference record of 2-6 and ended their season playing in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl where they beat Kent State by a final score of 52-38. Quarterback, Sean Chambers, led the team last season in passing yards after throwing for 1,125 yards. Next, running back Xazavian Valladay led the team in rushing yards, having recorded 1,070 yards on 209 carries, averaging 5.1 yards per carry. Second to him in rushing yards was Titus Swen, who rushed for 785 yards. Valladay transferred to the Arizona State Sun Devils during the transfer portal so Swen will be the starting running back for the Cowboys. Finally, wide receiver, Isaiah Neyor, led the team in receiving yards, having recorded 878 yards on 44 catches, averaging 20 yards per reception. Like Valladay, Neyor transferred to the Texas Longhorns during the transfer portal. Heading into this season, expect Chambers and Swen to be the main focal points on this offense. 

In this game expect there to be a lot of points scored as it is the first game of the season. The Fighting Illini will have the advantage as they are the home team. This game will be evenly matched as both teams have evenly skilled rosters. Having it be the first time both of these teams clash, expect both teams to try to send a statement to each team’s respective conference. 

For our Wyoming Cowboys vs Illinois Fighting Illini, prediction take the over on the 44.0 total points scored in the game.