We have a Friday night showdown in Big Ten country to look forward to as the Nebraska Cornhuskers travel to Memorial Stadium in Champaign, IL, to battle the Illinois Fighting Illini. The game will kick off at 8 p.m. ET and will air on FS1.
Nebraska (2-3, 0-2 Big Ten) will try to bounce back from its 45-7 thrashing at the hands of Michigan last Saturday and pick up its first conference victory of the season here. The Cornhuskers were stymied on offense for the entire afternoon and managed to put its only touchdown on the board in fourth-quarter garbage time.
Illinois (2-3, 0-2 Big Ten) is also seeking its first conference win of the year and is also trying to bounce back after getting blitzed in a 44-19 loss to Purdue last week. This was actually just a three-point game at halftime before the Boilermakers took advantage of the Illini offense stalling out by rattling off three touchdowns in the third quarter. Quarterback Luke Altmyer went 16-25 for 202 yards and a touchdown in the loss.
SP+ Rankings
Nebraska: 69 overall, 87 offense, 41 defense
Illinois: 58 overall, 76 offense, 39 defense
Injury update
Nebraska
DL Cameron Lenhardt – Questionable (Leg)
DB Deshon Singleton – Out indefinitely (Knee)
LB Luke Reimer – Out (Undisclosed)
QB Jeff Sims – Questionable (Ankle)
TE Arik Gilber – Out indefinitely (Eligibility)
Illinois
RB Reggie Love III – Questionable (Ankle)
ATS/Total
Against The Spread in 2023
Nebraska: 2-3 ATS
Illinois: 0-5 ATS
Total in 2023
Nebraska: Over 2-3
Illinois: Over 2-3
Team Pace
Nebraska: 1.99 plays per minute of offense (26th)
Illinois: 2.46 plays per minute of offense (117th)
Odds at DraftKings Sportsbook
Spread: Illinois -3.5
Total: 42.5
Moneyline: Illinois -170, Nebraska +142
Opening line: Illinois -3.5
Opening total: 44.5
Weather
Our Best Bet for Nebraska vs. Illinois
Under 42.5
This game could very well be the exact Big Ten West slog that you’re picturing in your head. This is an inefficient Nebraska offense that likes to take its time going up against an inefficient Illinois offense that likes to go fast. Combine that with cool, windy, and wet conditions in Champaign on Friday and I’m absolutely going under.