Nebraska vs. Illinois Pick
Which Big Ten team will pick up a conference win when Illinois plays host to Nebraska Friday night at 8PM ET? Here’s our take on the game.
According to oddsmakers at Bovada.lv, Nebraska is favored on the road, as the Cornhuskers are getting odds of -6.5 points on the road against Illinois. The over/under total for the contest is listed at just 46.5 points. Nebraska has won five of its last six against Illinois, while the Illini has covered the spread in two straight against the Huskers. Friday’s game takes place from Memorial Stadium in Champaign, Illinois and will air live on FS1.
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Nebraska is 2-2 overall coming into this week and just 1-3 against the spread. They are 0-3 against the spread as a favorite this season. Nebraska hasn’t looked too good, averaging 30.5 points and 378.5 yards per game on offense while allowing 29 points and 367.5 yards per contest. Quarterback Tanner Lee has thrown for 898 yards and seven touchdowns, but also has nine interceptions. Stanley Morgan Jr. has 18 catches for 299 yards and three scores, but he missed last week’s game with a neck injury and is questionable to play on Friday. In the backfield, Tre Bryant is leading the team with 299 yards and two touchdowns.
Illinois fell to 2-1 on the season a few weeks back with a 47-23 loss at South Florida. The Illini fell to 1-2 against the spread in the loss. Illinois’ offense has been a mess, averaging just 22.3 points and 290 yards per game this season. Mike Epstein is leading the team with 221 rushing yards and three touchdowns. Illinois has a bit of a QB issue as Chayce Crouch remains the starter despite throwing for only 328 yards with one TD and three interception. Jeff George Jr. has 211 yards passing over 40 less attempts with a touchdown and two interceptions. Defensively, Illinois is giving up 443 yards per game, but holding opponents to just 25 points per contest.
I don’t like the way either team is playing. Nebraska has looked rough on offense while Illinois isn’t any better. I think this will be an ugly football game, but the Cornhuskers were able to pick up a 10-point win over Rutgers, a similar caliber of Big Ten team to Illinois. Nebraska is 15-6 against the spread on the road this season, so I will stick with the Huskers. The spread is low because of how bad the Huskers have looked, but I still feel like this is the better team.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL PREDICTION: NEBRASKA -6.5