Teams trending in opposite directions will clash when the Nebraska Cornhuskers visit the Illinois Fighting Illini in a key Big Ten Conference matchup on Friday night. Nebraska enters on a three-game losing streak after a 17-10 defeat to Washington, while Illinois has won three straight following a 20-17 victory over Maryland. The Cornhuskers are 5-3 overall and 2-3 in conference play, with a 1-1 road record. The Fighting Illini are also 5-3 overall but 3-2 in the Big Ten and 3-2 at home this season.
Kickoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET at Memorial Stadium in Champaign, Illinois. Nebraska opens as a 4-point favorite with an over/under of 50.5 points. The money line lists Nebraska at -188 and Illinois at +160.
A projection model that simulates each FBS game 10,000 times leans toward the over on the total. The over has hit in four of the last seven head-to-head meetings and in five of the past eight Illinois games. The model projects 53 combined points, making the over the value side 54% of the time. It also indicates one side of the spread hits in well over 50% of simulations.
Nebraska ranks tied for fifth in the Big Ten in scoring at 32.4 points per game, while Illinois sits tied for ninth at 29.0. The model forecasts Nebraska quarterback Anthony Colandrea to throw for more than 200 yards and a touchdown while adding nearly 30 rushing yards and a score. Colandrea has accumulated 1,825 passing yards and 15 touchdowns this season. Illinois quarterback Katin Houser is projected to throw for nearly 220 yards and a touchdown; he has 1,663 passing yards and 13 touchdowns on the year.
The model entered Week 10 on an 80-77 run on top-rated college football picks, adding credibility to its latest projections for this Big Ten showdown.
