Game Prediction: Nebraska Cornhuskers at Illinois Fighting Illini

College football is back! The 2021 season starts on Saturday when the Nebraska Cornhuskers travel to the Land of Lincoln to take on the Illinois Fighting Illini.

The game pits a coach on the hot seat (Scott Frost) against the first-year Illinois boss (Bret Bielema). Nebraska is a 6.5-point favorite in this must-win situation for the Cornhuskers.

Irish Breakdown has gone over this matchup and is ready to make its first season predictions of the season!

BRYAN DRISKELL, PUBLISHER

Prediction: Nebraska 31, Illinois 21

This is an intriguing matchup, but it's one Nebraska absolutely has to win. Losing at home to the Illinois last season was a disaster, but I don't expect Nebraska to turn it over five times in this game like it did in last season's matchup.

Adrian Martinez will look to finish career off with a bang, and the good news is the Cornhuskers actually have some legitimate talent around him. That includes Montana transfer Samori Toure, a 6-3 wideout that hauled in 87 passes for 1,495 yards and 13 scores in 2019. The addition of USC transfer running back Markese Stepp is another big addition.

Part of my optimism about Nebraska this season is because I expect the defense, which returns nine starters, to be a lot better. Combine that with Illinois going into game one of the Bielema era, and I expect the Cornhuskers to pull away late in this matchup.

VINCE DEDARIO, FOOTBALL ANALYST

Prediction: Nebraska 31, Illinois 24

This game falls squarely on the shoulders of the Huskers quarterback Adrian Martinez. He had a breakout 2018 but has been quiet and inconsistent since. Can he lead a Scott Frost offense that has been less than explosive over the last two seasons or is this the beginning of the end for the former Nebraska standout?

Illinois is hoping for a resurgence under new head coach Bret Bielema but they are still a ways off from competing in the conference. With Illinois’s big win last year in mind, I just don’t see it this season. I think by the end of this one the Illini will wish they were still playing this game in Ireland so at least they could do some sightseeing.

SHAUN DAVIS, STAFF WRITER

Prediction: Illinois 38, Nebraska 30

Scott Frost was supposed to bring the same explosive offense from UCF to Lincoln, and the bags must have been lost for two seasons. Their biggest output last season happened to be against Illinois. The Illini had two 100-yard rushers in that same contest, and both Mike Epstein and Chase Brown return to Brett Bielema’s delight. Turnovers will be the determining factor and Illinois has home field advantage and I trust Brandon Peters more than Adrian Martinez.

GRANT DELVECCHIO, STAFF WRITER

Prediction: Nebraska 31, Illinois 21

To say the least, this is a make or break season for Scott Frost after three consecutive losing seasons at the helm of the Cornhuskers. Although the Fighting Illini got the best of Nebraska in last season’s matchup, that was in large part due to five Cornhusker turnovers.

Illinois has a brand-new coaching staff under first year head coach Brett Bielema, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see the blue and orange struggle a bit off the bat with the coaching transitions. If Nebraska plays a cleaner game than they did a season ago, which I think they will, the Cornhuskers should get their revenge and open the season with a W.

ANDREW MCDONOUGH, IB CONTRIBUTOR

Prediction: Nebraska 27, Illinois 21

A Big Ten West matchup that was moved from Dublin, Ireland back to Champaign due to Covid-19 kicks off the 2021 college football season. This is a make or break season for Nebraska coach Scott Frost as he enters his fourth year at his alma mater without a winning season. On the other sideline, Bret Bielema returns to the Big Ten, hoping to improve the physicality of the Fighting Illini after the Lovie Smith era fell far short of expectations.

Notre Dame fans will recognize a couple faces in this game, as one-time Irish commit and former USC running back Markese Stepp headlines the Nebraska backfield, while former Notre Dame RB/WR Jafar Armstrong should see the consistent playing time at Illinois that eluded him for the last two seasons of his ND career.

This game also offers a matchup of two experienced QBs, with Nebraska’s Adrian Martinez facing Brandon Peters from Illinois, who Irish fans may remember started his career at Michigan. Bielema will have his team up for the challenge, but in a game between two teams short of dynamic playmakers on either side, Martinez’s ability to use his legs will be the difference in what needs to be a tone-setting game for Scott Frost and the Huskers on the road.

JP SCOTT, IB CONTRIBUTOR

Prediction: Illinois 33, Nebraska 27

The Illini return 8 starters on offense and a talented trio of running backs. They are going to test Nebraska’s front seven early and often, as the strength of the Husker defense is in the secondary.

On the flip side, Nebraska quarterback Adrian Martinez is talented and dangerous, but he’s surrounded by a group of unproven skill players.

At the end of the day, I can’t imagine Bret Bielema losing the home opener in his return to the Big Ten to a Scott Frost-coached Nebraska team that has won 12 games in the last 3 years.

RYAN ROBERTS, RISENDRAFT

Prediction: Nebraska 34, Illinois 28

The Scott Frost era has not gone the way most Cornhusker fans have hoped. This is a make-or-break season for the Nebraska head coach and it starts out on the right foot. He one-ups new Illinois coach Bret Bielema in a semi-high-scoring affair. The once-promising Adrian Martinez starts the season on the right now, stressing the Illini with both his arm and legs. Brandon Peters and company don't have quite enough to keep pace.

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