Illinois vs Duke Picks and Predictions for Saturday September 6 2025

By: David Anicetti Updated 09/01/2025, 11:21 PM ET

Illinois Preview

The No. 12-ranked Illinois Fighting Illini visit Wallace Wade Stadium in Durham, North Carolina Saturday to play the Duke Blue Devils. Illinois is 1-0 following its 52-3 rout of Western Illinois last Friday. Illinois gained 441 yards of total offense and held Western Illinois to just 163 yards of total offense. Illinois did not commit any turnovers while forcing Western Illinois to commit one. The Fighting Illini gained 210 yards rushing and 231 yards passing.

Illinois quarterback Luke Altmyer has 217 yards passing with three touchdowns. Aidan Laughery is the leading rusher with 101 yards and two touchdowns, while Kaden Feagin has 74 yards rushing and one touchdown. Hank Beatty leads all receivers with 108 yards. Gabe Jacas is the leading tackler with five. Illinois has 4.0 quarterbacks but has not yet intercepted a pass.

Duke Preview

The Duke Blue Devils opened the regular season last Thursday with a 45-17 rout of the Elon Phoenix. Duke gained 548 yards of total offense and held Elon to just 275 yards of offense. Duke started slowly, trailing 3-0 after one quarter and was tied at half 10-10, but the Blue Devils got on track in the second half, outscoring the Phoenix 35-7 after the break.

Duke quarterback has passed for 389 yards with three touchdowns and did not throw an interception on opening night. Anderson Castle is the leading rusher with 69 yards, while the leading receiver after one game is Cooper Barkate with 117 yards. The leading tackler is Jaiden Francios with 10. Duke’s defense has three quarterback sacks and one interception.

Illinois vs Duke Pick

The Illinois Fighting Illini are off to a strong start after routing the Western Illinois Leathernecks on Friday, 52-3. The Illini looked strong on both sides of the line of scrimmage. Duke won its season opener but was tied at halftime 10-10 with Elon, and will face a much more talented opponent in Illinois on Saturday. Look for Illinois to once again dominate on both offense and defense and cover the number. Final Score Prediction: Illinois Fighting Illini wins and covers 44-17.

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