Trent...I don't know much about Illinois this season, but I can say Mizzou is going to be very good. But early in the season might be the best time to play them. It could take a couple games for their JC transfers to get up to snuff on the defensive line. Like I said I don't know much about IU, but I would lay odds that Mizzou's team speed is a little better than Ill. Pinkel said that this is his fastest team. They'll be a handful for anybody they play this season. But having said that, if the line is going to be +7 like somebody up above mentioned, then I would be very tempted to take Illinois. Especially since this is a territorial rivalry of sorts for these teams.
this brings up an intereting philosophical situation in gambling...
do you bet a game bc you like the team
or
do you bet a game bc you like the spread
i'm always inclined to go with the team rather than the spread, as part of the reason you like the spread is probably bc vegas wants you to like the spread..!!
you can get talked into liking a game by the spread, but if you like the team, no one needs to talk you into anything
last yr i liked oh st @ texas +3... they won by 17. would texas getting 3 have gotten you to play them..?? not me, i liked oh st, and while i wouldn't have been too happy to lay the pts, i wasn't taking them bc they were getting pts, i was taking them bc i liked them in that spot
now ask yourself, "do you like illinois against missouri..??
if yes, then you should play them
if you're not sure, i wouldn't recommend taking them just bc they're getting 8 points...
those points can disappear real quickly when a team is outclassed
:toast:
Like I said, I don't know much about Illinois yet. So I can't say for sure what I'm going to do either way until we get closer to kickoff.. But my philosophy about spreads in college football is to take the team you like in early non-conference games. And take a closer look at the spreads when they get into conference play. Non-conference games very seldom live up to the Vegas hype. Especially where the higher ranked teams are involved. This Illinois-Mizzou game is a little different in that it is a renewed rivalry series again (especially in recruiting area) and it's played on a neutral field. These two factors could make the betting angle on this game a bit dicier if you're giving up a TD or more here.
cant see missouri as an underrated team this year. everyone has them either 1st or 2nd in big 12 north and they return 9 starters on offense. and same reason as gosooners points out is "jc" defensive transfers on mizzou dline. sometimes they dont work out or takes them a few games to adjust to div 1 ball. plus this game is still played in "missouri" although in st. loo. we will just have to see when spreads come out but i'll still be surprised if spread is under a td.
