This article is part of our College Football Picks series.
College Football Picks: Illinois vs. Nebraska Best Bets
Get in on the college football action for 2023 with a BetMGM bonus code sporting a $1,500 bonus bet offer. RotoWire has plenty of college football betting tools and info to keep you in the loop this season. From the latest college football odds to college football futures and Heisman odds, we have you covered.
We have some Friday night college football between…a couple of teams. I don't say that to be glib or tautological, but that's kind of what Illinois and Nebraska feel like this year. The Matt Rhule project in the Cornhusker State is interesting in the big picture, yes, but all he's managed to do this year is instill a degree of competence. This game will be airing on Fox Sports 1, though, so a national audience has a chance to watch. Of course, it feels exactly like the kind of contest that would benefit, engagement-wise, from having some money on the line, and certainly, winning on your bets would make for a delightful Friday evening.
Illinois vs. Nebraska Betting Odds for Week 6
Spread: Illinois -3.5 (FanDuel Sportsbook)
Total: 43.5 (BetMGM Sportsbook)
Moneyline: Illinois -160 (FanDuel Sportsbook), Nebraska +145 (DraftKings Sportsbook)
Snare a piece of the action during the 2023 college football season with a FanDuel Sportsbook promo code with $200 in bonus bets.
That's a narrow spread and languishing over/under total. The sportsbook also seemingly feels a lack of enthusiasm for either of these teams. It's a toss-up built upon two mediocre teams, but they will both be fired up to get their first conference win and move their record back up to .500.
Illinois vs. Nebraska Betting Picks for Week 6
The best win either of these teams has is Nebraska over Northern Illinois, which is not exactly a banner victory. Yes, Illinois beat Toledo in its opener, and Toledo is better than Northern Illinois, but Bret Bielema's squad won by a mere two points. At least the Huskers handled their business in beating the Huskies 34-11. Neither of these teams has a win over a Group of Five team. Both are coming off bad losses. Nebraska lost 45-7 at home against Michigan. At least the Wolverines are, in the minds of many, the best team in the country. Illinois lost at Purdue by a score of 44-19.
These teams are within a narrow bandwidth in SP+, with Illinois 58th and Nebraska 69th. Their defenses rank 39th and 41, respectively, while both field below-average offenses. Luke Altmyer has been a turnover machine for the Illini. With Jeff Sims banged up (and ineffective before his injury), Nebraska has turned to Heinrich Haarberg, who helped lead the team to both of its wins by running the ball over and over like Tom Osborne was back on the sidelines. Of course, Michigan went ahead and held him to minus-2 yards on nine carries and made him fumble twice. That was a reality check.
SP+ has Illinois barely covering the spread, but does project the game to cover this particular point total by 2.5 points. You know, one of these days, Matt Rhule will get that first win he can point to. Nebraska is going to pull something off that speaks of momentum. The Cornhuskers need to pick up a conference win. With that PointsBet moneyline offering, a $20 bet would yield you $29. You won't get anything like that betting a spread in this one. The spread is narrow, and the teams mediocre. Why not go all in on the underdog and bet on the coach who has turned Temple and Baylor into winners out of the ashes? If nothing else, it'll give you some juice when watching this game on a Friday night.
Illinois vs. Nebraska Best Bet: Nebraska +145 (DraftKings Sportsbook)
Enjoy more of the 2023 college football season with a DraftKings Promo Code for $200 in bonus bets.
Illinois vs. Nebraska Predictions for Week 6
I don't expect a ton of offense, but getting under 43.5 points when Iowa is not involved is tricky. That goes double when both of these defenses could easily manage turnovers. Altmyer and Haarberg (or Sims, who is questionable with his ankle injury) have proven conducive to turnovers. Isaiah Williams, the Illinois receiver, is the best offensive talent in this one, but does it matter when your quarterback has thrown seven picks against five touchdowns?
This feels like a close one, which, of course, in Nebraska's recent history, would spell doom. However, it's a new era with Rhule replacing Scott Frost. Programs aren't cursed; luck balances out over time, and the sequencing gets weird sometimes. I am not super confident the Cornhuskers will win, and if they do there will likely be a defensive touchdown or something strange in the mix, but the upset is quite conceivable to me. It feels like a game that will be in the vein of a 21-20 or 24-21, and I'll say Rhule figures out how to get on the right side of that ledger.
