Nebraska vs Illinois Odds, Lines & Predictions for Friday Night Football

Sep 30, 2023; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers quarterback Heinrich Haarberg (10) hands the ball off to running back Anthony Grant (23) against the Michigan Wolverines during the first quarter at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dylan Widger-USA TODAY SportsNebraska vs Illinois takes place Friday night in College Football Week 6The latest CFB odds favor the Illini to win by a slim margin on their home fieldRead below for Nebraska vs Illinois odds and predictions for Friday night football action

The Nebraska Cornhuskers are set to face off against the Illinois Fighting Illini in a Big Ten college football matchup on Friday, October 6, 2023. The game will kick off at 8:00 PM from Memorial Stadium and will be broadcast on FS1 Network.

The latest betting odds for Friday night football favor the Fighting Illini with a spread of -3.5 and an over/under of 43.5. Illinois won by a 29-6 score when these two teams faced off last season.

Let’s dive into the Nebraska vs Illinois odds and offer our prediction for Friday night football.

Nebraska vs Illinois Odds

Illinois is a -170 moneyline favorite in the Friday night football odds, meaning there is a 63% implied chance that the Illini secure the victory.

This game is being played at Memorial Stadium, where the Illini have failed to cover the spread in five straight home games.

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Cornhuskers Betting Analysis

The Nebraska Cornhuskers have had a rough start to the season with a record of 2-3. In their last game, they lost against the Michigan Wolverines 45-7. Matt Rhule’s team struggled to get anything going offensively, finishing 3/10 on first downs.

Nebraska’s strengths lie in their rushing attack, which has been effective this season, averaging around 200 rushing yards per game. They have struggled in the passing game, however, with Heinrich Haarberg under center. The sophomore has thrown for 477 yards and four TDs with one interception.

Defensively, the Cornhuskers are allowing 23.8 points per game through five games. They have a strong run defense, allowing under 100 yards on the ground, but they are giving up an average of 239 yards per contest through the air.

2023 College Football Conference Championship Odds TrackerRead More

Illini Betting Analysis

Illinois Fighting Illini have also had a challenging start to their season with a record of 2-3. In their most recent contest, they lost to the Purdue Boilermakers by a 44-19 score. Purdue did most of their damage on the ground, rushing for 189 yards in the victory.

Illinois’ offense is led by quarterback Artur Sitkowski, who has thrown for 1,200 yards and 6 touchdowns this season. Running back Reggie Love III has been a key player with 250 rushing yards, while Wide receiver Donny Navarro has been a reliable target for Sitkowski with 300 receiving yards and two TDs.

Illinois’ strength is typically been their defense, but it hasn’t been able to bail them out this year. The Illini are allowing 30.5 points per game and 4.7 yards per carry. This is a stark contrast to last season where they gave up only 13 points and 3.3 yards per carry.

Nebraska vs Illinois Prediction

Nebraska’s run game is key and gives the team some solid underdog value for Friday night college football. The Cornhuskers started the season 0-2 in road games, mainly due to turnovers, but they’ve had good rushing stats, running for over 400 yards combined in those losses.

Anthony Grant is a major weapon! This ain’t new to him! He’s been doing this! 22 car, 135 yards, 6.1 avg, 1 TD pic.twitter.com/1IENWanENn

— Huskers Talk | 𝙉𝙚𝙗𝙧𝙖𝙨𝙠𝙖 𝙎𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙨 (@HuskersTalk) September 26, 2023

Last season, Illinois outperformed Nebraska, winning easily 26-9, but Nebraska had four turnovers which skewed the game. As long as the Cornhuskers can take care of the football, they’ll have a great chance of pulling off the upset as they face the worst rush defense in the Big Ten.

Illinois is a miserable 0-5 against the spread this season, and they’re still being overrated due to their strong performance last season. This isn’t the same team from one year ago, and we don’t expect their defense to hold up against this dominant Cornhuskers’ ground game.

Pick: Nebraska +3.5 (-110)

 

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