Week four of the college football season is almost here. It's hard to believe that most teams across the country have already played three games and we are getting into conference play this week. The regular season is already 25% of the way done for a lot of teams. There are a lot good matchups this week, and one of the most intriguing will be taking place on Friday night. The Nebraska football team will be hosting Illinois. The Cornhuskers are ranked #22 in the country, and the Fighting Illini are ranked #24.
When the season started, not many people had this matchup being a clash between two top-25 teams, but here we are. This is definitely one of the most intriguing matchups of the weekend, but there are a lot of other good matchups as well. This is technically week four, but this is the fifth week of the college football season as there were a few games in week zero before most teams kicked off.
ESPN's College GameDay goes to the biggest game each week, and they will be heading to Norman, Oklahoma this weekend as the Sooners will be hosting Tennessee for their first ever SEC conference game. Oklahoma is ranked #15 in the country and Tennessee is ranked #6.
In terms of ranked vs. ranked matchups this week, we have that Oklahoma-Tennessee clash, Nebraska vs. Illinois on Friday night, #11 USC plays #18 Michigan in Ann Arbor, and #12 Utah will hit the road to take on #14 Oklahoma State.
There are some other good matchups this weekend featuring ranked teams as well. For example, #21 Clemson has a big one at home in ACC play as NC State is coming to town. That should be a good game, and so should Georgia Tech vs. #19 Louisville, another matchup in the ACC.
Two other good games this week will feature Miami hitting the road to take on South Florida in their final non-conference clash of the season, and also #13 Kansas State hitting the road for a tricky matchup against BYU. All in all, there a lot of good matchups this weekend.
What better way to start a college football weekend than with a top-25 appetizer on Friday night? It doesn't get much better than that. Both Nebraska and Illinois have started the season strong, and they will both be looking to remain undefeated and in the top-25 this weekend when they meet in Lincoln. Before we get into the matchup, let's take a look at where each team stands heading into this big game.
Nebraska football is in an unfamiliar spot
The Nebraska football team hasn't had this kind of hope and hype around the program for awhile. This is a team that hasn't been to a bowl game since 2016. They are now 3-0 and they are ranked in the top-25. Cornhuskers fans are absolutely loving it, and they are excited for this big matchup on Friday night.
Nebraska's season so far has been highlighted by a blowout win over rival Colorado. The Buffaloes aren't the greatest team in the world by any means, but the Cornhuskers thoroughly dominated them under the lights in front of their home crowd. The final score was 28-10, but Nebraska got up 28-0 in the first half, and it was already over at that point.
This Nebraska football team has gotten elite quarterback play from true freshman Dylan Raiola, and their defense has been outstanding so far as well. The Cornhuskers have looked like one of the best teams in the Big Ten, and we will continue to learn more about them this weekend when they welcome a talented Illinois team to Memorial Stadium.
Illinois is in a similar boat
This Illinois football team is in a very similar boat to Nebraska. The Fighting Illini are ranked! We saw Illinois crack the top-25 back in 2022 as they had a pretty solid team that year, but in general, we don't see the Fighting Illini have football success very often. Well, that's changing this year.
The big win for Illinois this year came at home against Kansas a couple weeks ago. The Fighting Illini weren't favored to win that game, but they played a terrific game and did a great job slowing down the Jayhawks' talented offense. Now, Illinois is ranked in the top-25 and they have a huge road game this weekend.
If Illinois can find a way to get another ranked win this weekend to improve to 4-0, this team is going to be feeling very good. It's going to be tough, but the Fighting Illini have a good team. Here are three predictions for the contest:
Dylan Raiola will throw two touchdown passes
Dylan Raiola is a big reason why the Nebraska football team has been able to have the turnaround season that they are having. Raiola is a very athletic quarterback and he is an elite playmaker. He is also very smart with the football. He has a tremendous amount of maturity and knowledge for a true freshman QB. He is going to have another impressive performance on the big stage this weekend.
Illinois will be held under 17 points
The Nebraska defense has been smothering this year. Colorado isn't great as an overall team, but they have some explosive weapons on offense. The Cornhuskers completely shut down that offense. It would be surprising if Illinois is able to find a lot of success on Friday. The game will be at night and Nebraska has one of the best crowds in all of college football. It will be tough sledding for the Fighting Illini.
Nebraska will win 24-10
Going with a final score prediction here. The Nebraska football defense will play another great game, and their offense will do enough to pull away for a comfortable win. The Cornhuskers will cover the spread and go on to win the game 24-10 to improve to 4-0, and they will continue to climb up the rankings.
Nebraska and Illinois will kick off from Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, Nebraska at 7:00 ET/6:00 CT on Friday night. The game will be airing on Fox, and the Cornhuskers are currently favored by eight points.
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