The No. 22 Nebraska Cornhuskers conclude their season-opening four-game homestand when they face the 24th-ranked Illinois Fighting Illini in a Big Ten battle at Tom Osborne Field at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, Neb. on Friday. Nebraska (3-0), which has lost 12 straight home meetings with ranked opponents, is off to its first 3-0 start since winning its first seven games in 2016.
The Cornhuskers rolled past Northern Iowa 34-3 last weekend, while Illinois (3-0) is coming off a 30-9 triumph over Central Michigan. The Fighting Illini are 3-0 for the first time since 2011, when they began with six consecutive victories. Nebraska defeated Illinois 20-7 on the road last year to improve to 14-6-1 in the all-time series.
Kickoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET. The Cornhuskers are 9-point favorites in the latest Nebraska vs. Illinois odds from SportsLine consensus, while the over/under for total points scored is 42.5. Before making any Illinois vs. Nebraska picks or CFB predictions, you need to see what the SportsLine Projection Model has to say.
The model simulates every FBS college football game 10,000 times. Since its inception, it has generated a profit of over $2,000 for $100 players on its top-rated college football picks against the spread. It also is coming off a profitable 13-9 season on top-rated spread picks and is off to a 5-2 start on over/under picks this season. Anyone who has followed it has seen STRONG returns!
The model knows Nebraska is seeking its first four-game home winning streak since bridging the 2018 and 2019 seasons with six straight victories in its own building. The Cornhuskers have allowed 24 points or fewer in 10 consecutive overall contests and 10 or fewer in their first three games of a season for the first time since 2009. Nebraska is 3-0 against the spread this year but 1-4 ATS in home conference games under head coach Matt Rhule. Freshman Dylan Raiola is the first Nebraska quarterback to complete at least 70% of his pass attempts in three straight contests since Jeff Quinn in 1980.
The model has also taken into account that Illinois is facing a ranked opponent while ranked itself since 2008, when it suffered a 38-24 loss to No. 12 Penn State while ranked 21st in the nation. The Fighting Illini, who won three straight meetings with the Cornhuskers prior to last year's defeat, are 7-1 ATS in their last eight road conference games. Junior quarterback Luke Altmyer has yet to throw an interception this campaign after finishing second in the Big Ten with 10 in 2023. Senior wideout Pat Bryant, who made four catches for 76 yards and a touchdown against Nebraska last year, is coming off his second multi-TD performance of the season and the third 100-yard effort (102) of his career.
The model has simulated Nebraska vs. Illinois 10,000 times and the results are in. We can tell you the model is leaning Over on the total, and it also says one side of the spread hits nearly 60% of the time!
Who wins Illinois vs. Nebraska, and which side of the spread hits nearly 60% of the time? ... Join SportsLine right now to find out which side of the spread you should be all over, all from the model on a 13-9 roll on top-rated CFB picks!
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