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After putting together 3-0 starts and climbing into the Top 25 in the AP Poll, the Illinois Fighting Illini and Nebraska Cornhuskers will duke it out in an enthralling Big Ten matchup Friday to try and keep their respective undefeated streaks intact.
Last season, the Huskers defeated Illinois, 20-7, in Champaign.
Can true freshman Dylan Raiola lead the Cornhuskers to an eyebrow-raising 4-0 start or will the Fighting Illini ruin the party in Lincoln?
Read further for my Illinois vs. Nebraska pick.
Illinois vs. Nebraska Odds
| Team | Spread | Total | Moneyline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Illinois | +7.5 (-105) | o42.5 (-115) | +270 |
| Nebraska | -7.5 (-115) | u42.5 (-105) | -350 |
Illinois vs. Nebraska prediction
Depending on the sportsbook, the spread in the Illinois vs. Nebraska game currently hovers between 7.5 and 8.5 points in favor of the Cornhuskers.
Despite a 3-0 start that included a home win against the Kansas Jayhawks and a climb to No. 24 in the AP Poll, the Fighting Illini enter this game as a fairly significant underdog.
Why is that?
For one, the Jayhawks’ struggles, including a Week 3 home loss to an unranked UNLV team, have made Illinois’ single-score win look far less impressive.
Further, the Fighting Illini’s most recent win against Central Michigan was unconvincing (30-9), especially after the Chippewas lost to FIU the previous week by a score of 52-16.
On the other hand, the Cornhuskers have looked nothing short of dominant through their first three matchups, holding a high-octane Colorado team to merely 10 points and slaughtering their other two opponents.
Raiola has been fantastic, throwing for 670 yards and five touchdowns with only one interception. He has also completed just shy of 74% of his passes, the eight-best mark in college football this season.
The true freshman has played within himself and the offense, limiting mistakes and picking his spots to throw downfield, which will be the key for this Cornhuskers team moving forward.
Luckily, there won’t be too many games this season in which they will have to rely on Raiola to put up monstrous stats in order to win. And this game won’t be one of those either.
Nebraska’s defense is one of the best in college football and will be the difference-maker Friday night between two strong, defensive-minded Big Ten squads.
This season, Nebraska has the 20th-highest-graded defense, per PFF. The Cornhuskers have also held opponents to the fewest rushing yards per game, the 10th-fewest total yards per game and the ninth-fewest points per game.
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Sure, the Cornhuskers have faced atrocious rushing attacks to this point, including a Buffs team that refuses to hand the ball off. However, their defensive line, featuring Ty Robinson and Nash Hutmacher, is still one of the best units in the nation.
Expect Illinois to struggle offensively on the road in its first true test this season.
Pick: Nebraska -7.5 (-105, BetRivers)
Why Trust New York Post Betting
Andrew Norton handicaps the NBA, WNBA, NFL, college basketball and football, UFC and golf. During the 2022-23 NBA season, he achieved a standout 14.1% ROI, cashing 60% of his NBA spread picks and leading Tallysight in its SportsIQ metric.