The Illinois Fighting Illini aim for their third home victory of the season when they host the Nebraska Cornhuskers in a Big Ten Conference showdown on Friday. Illinois (2-3, 0-2), which went 5-2 on its own field last year, has sandwiched home wins against Toledo and Florida Atlantic around a loss to Penn State. Nebraska (2-3, 0-2) has yet to win on the road in 2023, losing at Minnesota and Colorado to start the campaign.
Kickoff at Memorial Stadium in Champaign, Ill. is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET. The Fighting Illini are 3.5-point favorites in the latest SportsLine consensus Illinois vs. Nebraska odds, while the over/under for total points scored is 43. Before making any Nebraska vs. Illinois picks, you need to see the college football predictions and betting advice from SportsLine’s proven computer model.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every FBS college football game 10,000 times. Since its inception, it has generated a stunning profit of more than $2,000 for $100 players on its top-rated college football picks against the spread. Anyone who has followed it has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on Illinois vs. Nebraska and just revealed its picks and predictions. You can visit SportsLine to see the model’s CFB picks. Here are several college football odds and trends for Nebraska vs. Illinois:
- Illinois vs. Nebraska spread: Fighting Illini -3.5
- Illinois vs. Nebraska over/under: 43 points
- Illinois vs. Nebraska money line: Fighting Illini -166, Cornhuskers +140
- ILL: The Fighting Illini are 5-0 against the spread in their last five games against unranked conference opponents
- NEB: The Cornhuskers are 0-5 ATS this season
- Illinois vs. Nebraska picks: See picks at SportsLine
- Illinois vs. Nebraska live stream: fubo (try for free)
Why Illinois can cover
Luke Altmyer has been doing a better job of avoiding turnovers after getting off to a rough start in his first year with the Fighting Illini. The sophomore quarterback, who spent the previous two seasons with Ole Miss, has gone back-to-back outings without an interception after throwing a total of seven over his first three contests. Altmyer is fourth in the Big Ten in total offense with an average of 250.2 yards and leads Illinois with three rushing touchdowns.
The Fighting Illini hope to regain the services of leading rusher Reggie Love III, who missed last week’s game with a foot injury. The junior running back, who is a game-time decision, has rushed for 248 yards and a TD on 44 carries. Freshman Kaden Feagin filled in nicely for Love against Purdue, rushing 11 times for 85 yards. If Love is unable to play, Feagin would have an opportunity for another strong effort against a Nebraska defense that allowed 249 rushing yards against Michigan last week. See which team to pick here.
Why Nebraska can cover
The Cornhuskers have done well against the run this season, ranking third in the Big Ten and 14th in the nation with an average of 86.8 yards allowed on the ground. Nebraska also is tied for fifth in the country with only five rushing plays of 10 or more yards permitted. The club has run the ball well itself, as it leads the conference and is 13th nationally at 209 rushing yards per contest.
Sophomore quarterback Heinrich Haarberg is the top rusher on the Cornhuskers with 270 yards on 51 carries. He’s followed closely by senior running back Anthony Grant, who has rushed 44 times for 224 yards. Haarberg and Grant both have run for a pair of touchdowns, while sophomore tight end Thomas Fidone II had made a team-high three scoring catches. See which team to pick here.
How to make Illinois vs. Nebraska picks
SportsLine’s model is leaning Under on the total, projecting the teams to combine for 39 points. The model also says one side of the spread hits in more than 50% of simulations. You can only see the model’s pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Illinois vs. Nebraska, and which side of the spread hits more than 50% of the time? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Nebraska vs. Illinois spread you need to jump on, all from the model that has notched a profit of more than $2,000 on its top-rated college football spread picks, and find out.
