Nebraska football vs. Illinois preview, prediction: Huskers must win to start season

Scott Frost needs the Huskers to start the 2021 Nebraska football season with a win. Will that happen?

Nebraska football season is here and the Huskers are being given a great chance to start the year off with a win. Scott Frost and the Huskers are on the road and are getting ready to face the Illinois Fighting Illini as they break in a brand new head coach.

Frost desperately needs a win to start the season as the Huskers need momentum before getting into the most difficult parts of their schedule.

However, while many would simply write Illinois off as an easy win, the Nebraska football team doesn’t have that luxury. This is a program that needs to get going in the right direction. On top of that, the Huskers lost to Illinois a season ago, losing that game by a score of 41-23.

A win over Illinois would certainly help the Huskers get this year started off right. That said, a loss would make it clear that this year is bound to be a rough one for Frost and this team.

So, who will come out on top of this game?

Storyline to watch: A coach on the hot seat vs. a “new” coach familiar with the hot seat

While Scott Frost enters into this game on the hot seat, his contemporary at Illinois has been given a fresh start and the opportunity to reinvent himself and the Fighting Illini football program. Bret Bielema is technically a first year head coach at Illinois, but he’s more than familiar with what it’s like being a head coach at the college level and in the Big Ten.

Bielema was previously the head coach of the Wisconsin Badgers and the Arkansas Razorbacks. After things didn’t work out for him at Arkansas, he made his way to the NFL, where he spent a few seasons before getting this opportunity.

Illinois found a bit of success under Lovie Smith, but the Fighting Illini really didn’t win much. Now, Bielema is looking to take the team to new levels.

Meanwhile, on the Nebraska sideline of this game, Frost is just trying to get some pressure off his back. Bielema is certainly aware of what it’s like to be on the hot seat, so it’s interesting to see these two meet up to start the season.

A loss is something Illinois fans could live with given that they’ve got a new head coach. A loss for Nebraska likely gets Frost closer to being canned.

Nebraska football prediction: Who wins as Huskers face Illinois Fighting Illini?

Expect the Huskers to find a way to win this contest, but it seems like there’s a pretty good chance that this game will be closer than Nebraska football fans will want. Unfortunately for the Huskers, this series hasn’t exactly been a breeze over the past few seasons.

There’s the match up that Nebraska lost a season ago, which was dreadful in just about every aspect. Back in 2019, Frost and Huskers were able to escape with a four-point win, but things were uncomfortable for most of that game.

Score: Nebraska 38, Illinois 28