Nebraska and Illinois meet in a key Big Ten Conference game on Friday night at Memorial Stadium in Champaign, Illinois. Kickoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET.
The Cornhuskers enter at 5-3 overall and 2-3 in conference play, having lost three consecutive games, including a 17-10 defeat to Washington last Saturday. They are 1-1 on the road this season. Illinois, also 5-3 overall but 3-2 in the Big Ten, has won three straight, most recently a 20-17 victory over Maryland. The Fighting Illini are 3-2 at home in 2026.
Nebraska is 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 simulating the game 10,000 times leans toward the over 50.5 points, noting that the over has hit in four of the last seven head-to-head meetings and in five of the last eight Illinois games. The model projects Nebraska quarterback Anthony Colandrea to throw for over 200 yards and a touchdown while adding nearly 30 rushing yards and a score; Colandrea has 1,825 passing yards and 15 touchdowns this season. Illinois quarterback Katin Houser is expected to throw for nearly 220 yards and a touchdown, with 1,663 passing yards and 13 touchdowns on the year. The model forecasts a combined 53 points, with the over representing the value side 54% of the time.
The model also indicates one side of the spread hits in well over 50% of simulations. The model entered Week 10 on an 80-77 run on top-rated college football picks.
