The Nebraska Cornhuskers (5-3) travel to face the Illinois Fighting Illini (5-3, 3-2 Big Ten) on Friday at 8 p.m. ET. Nebraska opened as a 4-point road favorite at DraftKings Sportsbook, with the over/under set at 52.5 points. The Cornhuskers have dropped three of their last four games after a 3-0 start, including losses to Indiana, Oregon, and Washington. Illinois has won three straight, beating Michigan State, Oregon, and Maryland.
Betting Odds and Trends
Money line: Nebraska -192, Illinois +160. Spread: Nebraska -4. Over/Under: 52.5 (Over -115, Under -105). Nebraska is 6-2 against the spread this season, while Illinois is 4-4. The Illini have gone over the total in five of eight games; the Cornhuskers are 4-4 to the over.
Model Prediction
The SportsLine Projection Model, which simulates each FBS game 10,000 times, favors the over on 52.5 points. The model projects 53 total points and has the over cashing in 60% of simulations. Nebraska ranks 45th in scoring offense and 14th in scoring defense among 138 FBS teams; Illinois ranks 65th and 66th respectively. Quarterback Anthony Colandrea is noted as an elite dual-threat option for Nebraska, though the offense has struggled to convert in recent weeks.
