The college football season kicks off Saturday with a matchup of Big Ten teams when the Illinois Fighting Illini host the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Champaign’s Memorial Stadium. The matchup was supposed to take place in Dublin, Ireland, but the pandemic forced a change of plans. Nebraska went 3-5 last season and finished fifth in the Big Ten’s West Division, while the Illini were seventh at 2-6 but beat the Huskers 41-23 in Lincoln. Illinois replaced Lovie Smith with former Wisconsin and Arkansas coach Bret Bielema, while Nebraska coach Scott Frost is 12-20 in three years and is on the hot seat.
Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. ET. The Cornhuskers are seven-point favorites in the latest Nebraska vs. Illinois odds from Caesars Sportsbook, while the over-under for total points scored is 55. Before making any Illinois vs. Nebraska picks, check out the college football predictions from the SportsLine Projection Model.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every FBS college football game 10,000 times. Over the past five years, the proprietary computer model has generated a stunning profit of over $3,500 for $100 players on its top-rated college football picks against the spread. For the 2020 season, it went 56-37 on all top-rated picks and returned over $1,200 on its top-rated spread and over-under picks. Anyone who has followed it has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on Nebraska vs. Illinois. You can visit SportsLine now to see the picks. Here are the college football odds and trends for Illinois vs. Nebraska:
- Nebraska vs. Illinois: Cornhuskers -7
- Nebraska vs. Illinois over-under: 55 points
- Nebraska vs. Illinois money line: Cornhuskers -260, Fighting Illini +210
- NEB: The Huskers are 14-0 all-time in August games.
- ILL: The Illini have won 22 consecutive home openers.
Why Nebraska can cover
The Cornhuskers want to come out strong with Frost taking a lot of heat, and they are 6-2 against Illinois since joining the Big Ten. They are 8-7 against the spread on the road under Frost and face an Illini team that had the second-worst record in Big Ten games (10-34) in the five seasons with Smith as coach. The Huskers will lean heavily on a defense that has 10 starters returning, and though it allowed 29 points per game a season ago, the Illini scored just 20. Nebraska allowed 386 yards per game (50th in FBS), while Illinois gave up 467 (114th).
Nebraska will count heavily on veteran quarterback Adrian Martinez to exploit that defense, and he will have to limit turnovers. The Illini had a 490-392 advantage in yards in 2020, but the Huskers gave them the ball five times. Luke McCaffrey threw three interceptions, and Martinez will have the reins this year. In the 2018 and 2019 meetings, the junior threw for a combined 618 yards and six TDs, with one interception, while rushing for 173 yards and a TD. Illinois allowed 230 yards per game on the ground last season (116th), while the Huskers rushed for 201 (28th).
Why Illinois can cover
Illinois has the confidence after last year’s rout, and the arrival of Bielema also should be a boost. The longtime Badgers coach is very familiar with the conference and is 11-1 in season openers as an FBS head coach. The Illini struggled last season with four quarterbacks seeing time because of COVID protocols and injuries, but Brandon Peters is healthy and had a strong game against the Huskers last year. He threw for 205 yards and a touchdown and ran for 36 and another score. The Illini ran for 285 yards and four scores, averaging 5.6 yards per carry.
Running backs Mike Epstein (13 carries for 113 yards) and Chase Brown (26 for 110) are both back, and they will be running behind a veteran offensive line. The Illini are 9-1 straight-up in their past 10 season openers, while Nebraska is 5-11 ATS overall as a favorite under Frost. Martinez hasn’t turned the ball over in his past two starts against the Illini, but that bucks his history. The junior has fumbled 32 times and thrown 20 interceptions in his career, so the turnover battle could be the difference again as the teams work out the kinks in the opener.
How to make Illinois vs. Nebraska picks
SportsLine’s model is leaning under on the total, projecting the teams to combine for 53 points. The model also says one side of the spread hits in almost 60 percent of simulations. You can only get the pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Nebraska vs. Illinois? And which side of the spread hits in almost 60 percent of simulations? Visit SportsLine now to find out which side of the spread you need to jump on Saturday, all from the model that has crushed its college football picks, and find out.
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