Nebraska faces Illinois in Big Ten
The Cornhuskers are 4-point favorites after a late collapse, while the Fighting Illini enter the matchup on a three-game winning streak.
By Ariana Flores ·
Nebraska leads Illinois by four points as road favorites for Friday's Big Ten contest, a line that has moved two points higher to 52.5 for the total score at DraftKings Sportsbook. The match is scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. ET.
The Cornhuskers entered the season with a 3-0 record but have since slipped to 5-3. They lost 20-17 to Indiana before falling 17-14 to Oregon. Following a bye week, Nebraska dropped 17-10 to Washington. In that final loss, the defense allowed two touchdowns in under 30 seconds with less than two minutes remaining.
Illinois is also 5-3 but holds a 3-2 record in conference play. The Fighting Illini have won three consecutive games against Michigan State, Oregon, and Maryland. The victory over Michigan State required overtime, and the win over Maryland came by a 20-17 margin against a team led by an interim head coach.
Nebraska quarterback Anthony Colandrea has been an elite dual-threat performer, yet the offense has struggled to generate sufficient points in recent weeks. The team ranks 45th in scoring offense and 14th in scoring defense among FBS teams. Illinois ranks 65th in scoring offense and 66th in scoring defense.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates each FBS game 10,000 times. It entered Week 10 with an 80-77 record on top-rated picks. The model projects 53 total points for this contest and favors the over in 60% of simulations.
Nebraska is 6-2 against the spread this season, while Illinois is 4-4. The Illini have gone over the line in five of their eight games, and the Cornhuskers are 4-4 to the over.
