<p>Two teams hoping to take a step forward this season hook up when Nebraska and Illinois meet for a season-opening Big Ten West battle Saturday, Aug. 28 in Champaign. The Cornhuskers are coming off their fourth straight losing season, third under Coach Frost, while the Illini just changed head coaches for the eighth time over the last 17 seasons. Nebraska's favored by a touchdown for this one, but its recent record as chalk ain't great. How are we playing this game with our <a class="advblue" href="https://www.sportsbettingstats.com/ncaaf/free-ncaaf-picks&quot; title="College Football Against the Spread Picks">free college football ATS pick</a>?</p>
<h2>The Betting</h2>
<p>Week 0's college football betting lines opened Nebraska at around -9.5 for this game, with an over/under of 56. Early betting action then dipped that spread to -7 and that total to 54 at <a class="advblue" href="https://www.sportsbettingstats.com/sportsbooks/betonline">BetOnline</a>…;
<p>Anyone thinking Illinois might pull an upset here could get upwards of +280 on the college football money line.</p>
<h2>Nebraska-Illinois College Football Betting Preview</h2>
<p>The Cornhuskers return 17 starters this season from a team that played 3-5 last year. The 'Huskers opened 1-4 last year, losing to two pretty good teams in Ohio State and Northwestern, beating Penn State but then losing to Illinois and Iowa. Nebraska then finished 2-1, but it wasn't enough to avoid its fourth-straight bowl-less campaign.</p>
<p>The Cornhuskers actually had chances in those losses to Northwestern and Iowa, but red-zone failures proved costly. On the season, Nebraska out-rushed opponents by a per-game margin of 201-170 but posted a -11 turnover ratio.</p>
<p>Seven starters are back from a Cornhuskers offense that averaged 392 yards per game last season (4th in the Big Ten), including QB Adrian Martinez (27 career starts) and three along the offensive line. And ten starters are back on a defense that allowed 387 YPG last year (7th in Big Ten), so you'd think Nebraska would improve on that number this season.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, the Fighting Illini returns 18 starters this year from a team that played 2-6 last year. Illinois opened 0-3, won at Rutgers and at Nebraska but finished 0-3, losing in non-competitive fashion to Iowa, Northwestern, and Penn State, to complete its ninth-straight losing season.</p>
<p>Injuries played a part in the Illini's struggles, as four different guys started at quarterback.</p>
<p>Illinois then canned Coach Smith over the off-season and replaced him with Coach Bielema, the former Wisconsin HC.</p>
<p>Coach Bielema actually inherits a decent situation, although there are improvements to be done, for sure. Nine starters are back on an offense that averaged 349 YPG last year (12th in Big Ten), including senior QB Brandon Peters (20 career starts) and four along the line. And nine starters return on a defense that allowed 467 YPG last year. So as with Nebraska, you'd think the Illinois defense would also improve this year.</p>
<h2>Nebraska-Illinois Recent History </h2>
<p>The 'Huskers beat the Illini four times in a row from 2016-19 by an average score of 39-24, but the games kind of got closer each year. Then last year, Illinois went into Lincoln beat Nebraska 41-23. The Illini turned an early turnover into a 7-0 lead, let the Cornhuskers tie the score at 7-7, then used a 21-3 spurt to lead 28-10 at the half. Illinois let Nebraska get within 31-17 in the third quarter but hung on from there for the outright victory as a 16-point underdog.</p>
<p>The Illini racked up a season-high 490 yards of offense that day, including 285 yards on the ground, dominated time of possession by a 36:24 split, and won the turnover battle 5-0.</p>
<p>Also, that game played over a total of 62.5 when the 'Huskers scored a meaningless touchdown with two minutes left.</p>
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<span style="font-size:16px;"><b><span style="color:#008000;">Get more details:</span></b> <a class="advblue" href="https://www.sportsbettingstats.com/ncaaf/matchup/1390306">Nebraska at Illinois 8/28/21 Game Matchup Stats</a></span>
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<h2>College Football Betting Trends </h2>
<ul>
<li>Nebraska is 9-17 SU, 13-13 ATS in Big Ten play under Coach Frost.</li>
<li>Nebraska is 5-11 ATS in its last 11 games as a favorite.</li>
<li>Illinois is 6-11 SU but 10-7 ATS over its last 17 Big Ten games.</li>
<li>Illinois is 4-2 ATS over its last six games as a home dog.</li>
<li>Illinois is 4-2 ATS over the last six meetings with Nebraska.</li>
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<h2>Totals Report</h2>
<p>The Under was 7-1 in Nebraska games last season, which averaged 53 total points</p>
<p>Totals split 4-4 in Illinois games last season, which averaged 55 points.</p>
<p>Overs are 3-0 over the last three meetings between these teams, which have averaged a healthy 78 total points.</p>