After starting 3-0 and landing in the Top 25 of the AP Poll, the Illinois Fighting Illini and Nebraska Cornhuskers battle it out in a thrilling Big Ten matchup on Friday looking to keep their unbeaten streak intact.

Last season, the Huskers defeated Illinois 20-7 in Champaign.

Can true freshman Dylan Raiola lead the Cornhuskers to a stunning 4-0 start or will the Fighting Illini spoil the party in Lincoln?

Read on for my Illinois vs. Nebraska tip.

Illinois vs. Nebraska Odds

Illinois vs. Nebraska Prediction

Depending on the bookmaker, the spread in the Illinois vs. Nebraska game is currently between 7.5 and 8.5 points in favor of the Cornhuskers.

Despite a 3-0 start, including a home win over the Kansas Jayhawks and a climb to No. 24 in the AP Poll, the Fighting Illini enter this game as significant underdogs.

How come?

First, the Jayhawks’ struggles, including a Week 3 home loss to an unranked UNLV team, made Illinois’ one-score win look a lot less impressive.

Additionally, the Fighting Illini’s most recent win against Central Michigan was unconvincing (30-9), especially after the Chippewas lost 52-16 to FIU the week before.

The Cornhuskers, on the other hand, have looked anything but dominant in their first three games, holding a strong Colorado team to just 10 points and beating their other two opponents.

Raiola has been fantastic, throwing for 670 yards and five touchdowns with just one interception. He has also completed just under 74 percent of his passes, the eighth-best mark in college football this season.

The true freshman has played at his own level and on offense, limiting mistakes and choosing his chances on the ball well, which will be crucial for the future of this Cornhuskers team.

Fortunately, there won’t be too many games this season where they’ll have to rely on Raiola to put up monstrous stats to win, and this game won’t be one of them.

Nebraska’s defense is one of the best in college football and will be the difference between two strong, defensive-minded Big Ten teams on Friday night.

This season, Nebraska has the 20th-highest-rated defense, according to PFF. The Cornhuskers have also limited opponents to the fewest rushing yards per game, the 10th-fewest total yards per game and the ninth-fewest points per game.

Betting on American football?

Sure, the Cornhuskers have faced some terrible rushing attacks thus far, including a Buffs team that refuses to give up the ball. However, their defensive line, featuring Ty Robinson and Nash Hutmacher, is still one of the best units in the country.

Expect Illinois to struggle on offense in its first real road test of the season.

Pick: Nebraska -7.5 (-105, BetRivers)

Why You Can Trust New York Post Betting

Andrew Norton handicaps the NBA, WNBA, NFL, college basketball and football, UFC, and golf. During the 2022-23 NBA season, he achieved an excellent ROI of 14.1%, converting on 60% of his NBA spread picks and leading Tallysight in his SportsIQ metric.