Nebraska Travels to Illinois Seeking End to Three-Game Losing Streak
The Cornhuskers face a Fighting Illini team that has won three straight, with kickoff set for 8 p.m. ET Friday.
By Christian Morales ·
A late collapse against Washington snapped a potential 6-2 season for the Nebraska Cornhuskers, leaving them with a 5-3 record heading into a trip to Illinois. The game is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET on Friday, marking Week 10 of the college football season.
Nebraska has struggled to hold leads in recent weeks. The team lost 20-17 to Indiana after controlling the game into the fourth quarter. They followed that with a 17-14 defeat to Oregon. Most recently, they dropped a 17-10 decision to Washington, surrendering two touchdowns in less than 30 seconds with under two minutes remaining. Quarterback Anthony Colandrea has been an elite dual-threat option, but the offense has not generated enough points in these three losses.
The Illinois Fighting Illini are also 5-3 overall but hold a 3-2 record in Big Ten play. They are riding a three-game winning streak that includes victories over Michigan State, Oregon, and Maryland. The win over Michigan State required an overtime period. The team then defeated Maryland 20-17. Maryland is currently under interim head coach leadership.
DraftKings Sportsbook lists Nebraska as a 4-point road favorite. The Over/Under for total points is set at 52.5, a figure that has moved up two points. Nebraska is 6-2 against the spread this season, while Illinois is 4-4. The Illini have gone over the total in five of their eight games, and the Cornhuskers have done so in four.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every FBS game 10,000 times and entered Week 10 with an 80-77 record on its top-rated picks. The model projects 53 total points in this matchup. It favors the Over 52.5 line, noting that Nebraska ranks 45th in scoring offense and 14th in scoring defense among 138 FBS teams. Illinois ranks 65th in scoring offense and 66th in scoring defense.
The model indicates that the Over cashes in 60% of its simulations for this specific contest. Both teams have shown defensive strength recently, but offensive production has dipped. Nebraska allows fewer points than Illinois, but Illinois scores slightly more. The betting market has adjusted the point total upward, reflecting an expectation for a higher-scoring affair than previous weeks.
