Nebraska (3-4, 2-2 Big Ten West) takes on a resurgent Illinois Fighting Illini team at home on Saturday at 2:30 PM as they vie to stay in the hunt near the top of the Big Ten West.
The Fighting Illini are having a better season than anyone could have expected in 2022 with a record of 6-1 (3-1 Big Ten West) and come into the game ranked No. 17 in the AP Top 25 and No. 18 in the USA Today Coaches Poll. Illinois leads Purdue by half a game and Nebraska by one game for the lead in the West division.
Bret Bielema’s group started the season 1-1 after a heartbreaking 23-20 defeat to Indiana, in which the Hoosiers were beneficiaries of a controversial no-touchdown call on a catch by Brian Hightower. Convincing wins over Virginia, Chattanooga and Wisconsin followed, with Badgers head coach Paul Chryst getting fired after the loss.
Illinois grinded out a 9-6 win over Iowa in Week 6 and continued their win streak with a 26-14 victory against Minnesota before their bye week last Saturday. The Fighting Illini are bowl eligible for just the second time since 2014 and have their best record since 2011, where they started the season 6-0 before losing their last six games of the regular season.
Senior running back Chase Brown and the defensive unit have been the catalysts for Illinois this season. Brown’s name is being discussed for Heisman contention and the Fighting Illini have the country’s leading scoring defense by allowing more than 14 points on just one occasion.