Nebraska Cornhuskers open as 21-point favorite over Illinois Football

The Illinois Fighting Illini (1-2) are officially underdogs for their Big Ten opener. According to VegasInsider.com, the No. 15 Nebraska Cornhuskers (4-0) are an early 21-point favorite for next Saturday’s Homecoming game in Lincoln.

The Cornhuskers checked in at No. 23 in the latest S&P+ rankings; they have the nation's No. 21 offense, No. 42 defense, and No. 52 special teams. Football Study Hall hasn’t yet updated to reflect this weekend’s statistics, however Nebraska was previously given a 65% chance of beating Illinois by a projected score of 36.7-24.3.

In addition to early season blowout victories over Fresno State and Wyoming, Nebraska has already captured wins over Oregon and Northwestern. So when compared to Illinois’ lone win over a bad FCS team, it’s hard to argue with the reasoning behind this line. Still, it’ll be interesting to see how Lovie Smith’s team responds with an additional week of preparation.

Do you agree with Nebraska being favored by 20+ points? Make sure to cast your vote in the poll question, and let us know what you think in the comments!