Illinois Football: Betting odds and advice for the Illini vs Nebraska

Finally, Illinois football is back in action this weekend with a tough matchup on the road against Nebraska.

One wouldn’t have said the Cornhuskers were a tough matchup for the Illini just a month ago, but they have rebounded nicely since firing their head coach. Nebraska is now in the running for a bowl game, so they have something to play for this weekend.

What does FanDuel think about the Illini and the potential for us to come out victorious this Saturday, though?

Here are the betting odds and advice for the Illinois football team vs Nebraska.

Spread: Illinois -7.5; Nebraska +7.5

FanDuel is finally seeing Illinois as a decent team, and that is why we are entering the Nebraska game as 7.5-point favorites.

I think the thing people are most looking at in this game is the Illinois defense against the Nebraska offense. Can Cornhuskers’ quarterback Casey Thompson throw on a tough Illini secondary?

Nebraska does average 282.2 yards per game through the air, which ranks No. 26 in the nation. But they will be going up against one of the toughest pass defenses in the country, and Thompson is prone to making mistakes.

This season, the Illini are only allowing 159 yards per game through the air, which ranks No. 5 in the country. On top of that, we are forcing 1.7 interceptions per game, which ranks No. 3 in the nation.

With Thompson being turnover prone – eight interceptions in seven games – this should bode well for the Orange and Blue. I think this could be one of those games where turnovers just pile up on Nebraska and things could get out of hand.

Prediction: Illinois -7.5

Moneyline: Illinois -285; Nebraska +230

I see very little actual value in the moneyline on Saturday. Unless you are betting a ton of money, it is going to be a near-pointless bet.

Offensively and defensively, Illinois seems like the better team. The Illini have a rushing attack, led by Chase Brown, that should be able to control the clock. Brown is one of the best running backs, if not the best, in the nation, and Nebraska has a horrible rush defense.

This season, the Cornhuskers average giving up 193 yards per game on the ground, which ranks No. 109 in the country. They are going up against an Illinois team that averages 205.7 yards per game on the ground, which ranks No. 19 in the nation. Advantage Illini.

I talked about Illinois’ ability to force turnovers during the spread portion of this article. The fact we are good at intercepting the football, and Nebraska’s quarterback throws a lot of interceptions, should mean the Illini have the advantage there as well.

At the end of the day, Illinois seems like the safe bet here. But you aren’t going to get a lot of return on investment at -285.

Prediction: Illinois

Over/Under: 50.5 points

How I look at the over/under is I divide the number in half. So, I ask myself, can Illinois and Nebraska each get to 25.25 points on Saturday?

I believe Illinois can do their part of the over/under. Brown is most likely going to run all over the Cornhuskers and put the ball in the end zone on a couple of occasions. Brown’s running ability will then open the field for quarterback Tommy DeVito to have a good day. I wouldn’t be shocked if the Illini put up 35 points in this game.

It comes down to Nebraska’s ability to score. They will probably put up a couple of random touchdowns throughout the game and may tack on a field goal. 17 points is around where they will end up being by the time the final whistle blows. That would give you the over. I hesitantly say, take the over in this game.

Prediction: Over 50.5 points

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.