Nebraska Cornhuskers vs Illinois Fighting Illini Prediction, Picks and Game Preview - 10/06/2023

Game Time: 8:00 pm ET, Friday, October 6, 2023

Venue:  University of Illinois Memorial Stadium, Champaign, IL 

Where to Watch:  Fox Sports 1

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  Nebraska +3, Illinois -3; Over/Under:  44.5 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  Nebraska +3.5, Illinois -3.5; Over/Under:  44.5 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Nebraska +3.5, Illinois -3.5; Over/Under:  44.5 points

Nebraska Cornhuskers:  2-3 (0-2) (7th place, Big Ten West)

Illinois Fighting Illini:  2-3 (0-2) (6th place, Big Ten West)

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Nebraska Cornhuskers:  lost their last game at home against the Michigan Wolverines 45-7.

Illinois Fighting Illini:  lost their last game on the road against the Purdue Boilermakers 44-19.

Nebraska is entering this game with a 2-3 record overall and they have a 0-2 record in their conference games too. They are 2-1 in their home games, 0-2 in their road games, and they are also 0-0 in their neutral site games this season, but they will be on the road for this game. They lost their last game against Michigan 45-7. Heinrich Haarberg was the starting QB and he completed 14/25 passes for 199 passing yards, 0 touchdowns, and 1 interception. Josh Fleeks led the team in rushing yards with 74 and 1 TD. Billy Kemp led the receivers with 61 receiving yards on 4 receptions. Nick Henrich led the defense in that game with 5 solo tackles and 4 assisted tackles while no one on the defense recorded a sack in that one. No one on the defense came away with an interception for them in that game.

 

 

 

Illinois is entering this game with a 2-3 record overall and they have a 0-2 record in their conference games too. They are 2-1 in their home games, 0-2 in their road games, and they are also 0-0 in their neutral site games this season, but they will be at home for this game. They lost their last game against Purdue 44-19. Luke Altmyer was the starting QB and he completed 16/25 passes for 202 passing yards, 1 touchdown, and 0 interceptions. Kaden Feagin led the team in rushing yards with 85. Isaiah Williams led the receivers with 113 receiving yards on 6 receptions. Dylan Rosiek and Miles Scott each led the defense in that game with 6 solo tackles and 0 assisted tackles while James Kreutz led the defense in sacks with 1. No one on the defense came away with an interception for them in that game.

The current betting odds have Nebraska listed as a 3.5 point underdog in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. Nebraska just got smoked at home by Michigan but they are going to have a much easier time against Illinois despite being on the road for this one. Illinois is 2-3 this season but they have been terrible in a lot of their games. Their 2 wins came in closer games while their 3 losses have been blowout losses and their defense has been terrible in these games. Nebraska doesn't have a great offense but they have been improving in their games lately and they are going to put up points here with how bad the Illinois defense has been. Illinois has also struggled a lot to put up points on offense which gives Nebraska the advantage here since their defense has been really good in their games. Nebraska's defense will keep them in this game if they fall behind and this will be a really close game between two teams who have been struggling this season. The best way to place a bet here is on Nebraska to cover the spread in this game.

Nebraska Illinois Prediction:  Our NCAAF Pick for Friday, October 6, 2023 (8:00 pm ET start time) is Nebraska 17 Illinois 13.

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Nebraska Cornhuskers: 8-1 ATS in a road game where the total is between 42.5 and 45. 11-6 ATS off a home loss by 14 or more points. 10-5 UNDER as an underdog. 10-5 UNDER after scoring 9 points or less last game.

Illinois Fighting Illini: 5-16 ATS as a home favorite of 3.5 to 7 points. 16-25 ATS in a home game where the total is between 42.5 and 49. 19-9 UNDER in all games. 10-5 UNDER in home games. 12-6 UNDER against conference opponents.

Nebraska Cornhuskers:  A. Gilbert (TE) day-to-day - Eligibility. J. Sims (QB) day-to-day - Ankle. C. Lenhardt (DL) day-to-day - Undisclosed. D. Bootle II (DB) out for season - Shoulder. G. Ervin Jr. (RB) out for season - Hip. R. Johnson (RB) out for season - Shoulder. I. Garcia-Castaneda (WR) out for season - Knee. M. Noonan (LB) out for season - Knee. B. Tagaloa (DL) out for season - Knee.

Illinois Fighting Illini:  R. Love III (RB) day-to-day - Ankle. M. Bailey (DB) out for season - Shoulder. D. Hill (DB) out for season - Knee. M. Hood (LB) out for season - Achilles. J. Anderson (RB) out for season - Knee.

“You hate these kinds of losses. They all count the same, but they hurt when you have this type of loss.” - Matt Rhule after his team’s loss against Michigan in their last game. 

“Obviously, we gave up the scoop and score in the first half and it was an utter collapse in the second half. It’s on my shoulders. We had a tight end bust (on Miller's score) and from that point forward it really unraveled." - Bret Bielema after his team’s loss against Purdue in their last game. 

WR Bullock, Alex 

WR Washington, Marcus  

WR Kemp IV, Billy 

TE Boerkircher, Nate 

QB Sims, Jeff 

RB Grant, Anthony  

FB Bonner, Janiran

WR Washington, Casey 

WR Bryant, Pat 

WR Williams, Isaiah 

TE Reiman, Tip 

QB Altmyer, Luke 

RB Love III, Reggie 

Passing: H. Haarberg (477)

Rushing: H. Haarberg (270)

Receiving: B. Kemp IV (193)

Touchdowns: T. Fidone II (3)

Passing: L. Altmyer (1081)

Rushing: R. Love III (243)

Receiving: I. Williams (446)

Touchdowns: L. Altmyer (3)

Coaches:

Nebraska Cornhuskers: Matt Rhule (1st season)

Illinois Fighting Illini: Bret Bielema (3rd season)