UAB Blazers vs Illinois Fighting Illini Prediction, 9/3/2026 College Football Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: UAB Blazers vs Illinois Fighting Illini

Date: Thursday, September 3, 2026

Location: Gies Memorial Stadium in Champaign, IL

TV: BTN

Odds/Point Spread: Fighting Illini (-28.0)

Total/Over-Under: 55

The Illinois Fighting Illini (9-4 last year) will try to defeat the UAB Blazers (4-8 last season) at Gies Memorial Stadium on Thursday, September 3, 2026. UAB opens this game as 28-point underdogs. The betting total comes in at 55.

The UAB Blazers ended the season holding a 4-8 record. In their last contest, the Blazers played the Tulsa Golden Hurricane and took home the win by a score of 31-24. The UAB Blazers ran the ball 55 times and accrued 229 yards, earning them an average of 4.2 yards per tote. For the game, they had 73 plays which converted into 395 yards. UAB gave up 11 completions on 22 attempts for a total of 159 yds, and a completion rate of 50.0%. On the ground, the Blazers gave up 198 yards on 42 tries, which is 4.7 yards per run surrendered.

The Blazers tallied 4,852 yards in total last year. UAB earned 20 touchdowns via the pass and 20 rushing touchdowns. They turned the football over 22 times. UAB accrued 264 1st downs as a unit, and they were hurt by 90 penalties for 745 yds. As a team they averaged 138.7 yards in the run game, giving them a rank of 87th in Division 1. When talking about scoring, the UAB Blazers averaged 26.4 points per outing.

The Blazers ranked 135th in the nation concerning team defense, conceding 38.3 points per game. The opposition ran for an average of 4.6 yards per rushing attempt and 191.1 yards on the ground per game throughout last year. During the season, they gave up 2,293 rushing yards through 12 outings. In terms of yards through the air, the Blazers gave up 2,788 yards which had them ranked 71st in college football. Over the course of their 12 games, they allowed 232.3 yards per contest via the pass and allowed a completion percentage of 66.4%. They relinquished 423.3 yards/outing which ranked them 119th in D-1. They relinquished 28 touchdowns via the pass as well as 31 touchdowns on the ground.

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The Fighting Illini ended the year with a 9-4 record. The last time they took the field, the Fighting Illini got the victory with a final of 30-28 against the Tennessee Volunteers. Illinois ran the ball for 5.7 yards per carry, finishing with a total of 221 yards on 39 attempts. The Fighting Illini finished the contest with a total of 417 yds while running 73 plays (5.7 yards per play). The Fighting Illini passing defense gave up a completion rate of 77.8%, relinquishing 121 yards on 14 out of 18 passing. Illinois relinquished 37 running attempts for 157 yards (4.2 yards per carry).

In relation to how much they scored, the Fighting Illini were ranked 52nd in college football with 29.4 PPG. The Illinois Fighting Illini had an average of 373.8 yards per outing, which had them ranked 80th in college football. The Illinois offense racked up 514 yards of penalties on 60 violations, which was good for 118th in D-1 in terms of making mistakes. They gave away 7 picks while surrendering 5 fumbles and they obtained 276 1st downs. Last season, the Fighting Illini compiled 3,065 passing yards in addition to averaging 235.8 passing yards per game, which had them ranked 59th in the country. They held an average of 138.1 rushing yards per game and rushed for 1,795 yards for the season.

The Fighting Illini gave up 23.6 points per game, which had them sitting 57th in the nation. Illinois surrendered a total of 1,645 yards rushing (126.5 yards per game) in addition to 17 touchdowns via the rush over the course of last year. They surrendered 20 touchdowns via the pass and 218.4 yards per outing, which had them sitting 63rd in college football. The Fighting Illini defense took the field for 846 plays, which had them ranked 68th in the nation. Their defense earned 10 fumbles recovered and 7 interceptions over the course of the prior season. Overall, they relinquished 307 total points.

Who will win tonight's Blazers/Fighting Illini college football game against the spread?

Parlays Pundit's Pick: Take the Fighting Illini -28.0

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