Iowa: DE Joe Evans has 23 career sacks, tied for seventh in program history, and this appears to be a matchup that suits him. Bret Bielema adheres to the axiom that a player shouldn't lose his starting job because of an injury, but his decision shocked a vocal portion of the fan base. Backup John Paddock passed for 507 yards against the Hoosiers a week after coming in cold to lead the winning drive against Wisconsin. Illinois: QB Luke Altmyer was named the starter after missing last week's overtime win over Indiana because of injury. Iowa has an elite pass defender in Sebastian Castro but took a big blow this week when Cooper DeJean suffered a season-ending leg injury in practice. The Illini average 261 yards passing per game to rank third in the Big Ten, and they averaged 21.1 yards per reception against Indiana last week with backup quarterback John Paddock. Illinois will be bowl-eligible two years in a row for the first time since 2011 if it beats Iowa a second straight time.
Iowa clinched a share of the Big Ten West title last week and would lock up a spot in the conference championship game with a win against the Illini or against Nebraska next week. Line: Iowa by 3 1/2, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
