Point Spreads For All Big Ten Games in Week 0

The 2021 college football season kicks off in earnest, and there's a Big Ten game on the early "Week 0'' schedule. Nebraska travels to Illinois for a Saturday game that was originally meant to be played in Ireland but was moved because of COVID-19 concerns.

For most college football teams across the country, the 2021 season starts in earnest next week, but there are a handful of games on Saturday as part of "Week 0.'' That includes a Big Ten game featuring Nebraska and Illinois.

The game, to be played in Champaign, Ill., was originally scheduled to kick off the season in Dublin, Ireland, but because of COVID-19 concerns, both teams decided to stay state-side. 

"We are disappointed that we will not be able to travel to Ireland to open the 2021 football season in Dublin," retiring Nebraska athletic director Bill Moos said in February. "The trip would have been a memorable experience for the young men in our football program, so I feel badly they won't have this opportunity. 

"There was also a high level of excitement and interest in the game among our great fan base, and I know many of them were looking forward to making the trip to cheer on the Huskers. Anthony Travel and Irish American Events have been a great partner throughout this process, and we will continue to explore the possibility of taking Nebraska Football to Dublin in the future."

Nebraska is now going to open the 2022 season in Ireland against Northwestern on Aug. 27. Saturday's game with Ilinois is one of five games nationally in Week 0, with Connecticut playing Fresno State, Hawaii is at UCLA, Texas El-Paso is at New Mexico State and Southern Utah is at San Jose State.

Nebraska coach Scott Frost is entering his fourth year at his alma mater, and thus far he's just 12-20 as head coach of the Cornhuskers. (Bryon Houlgrave/USA TODAY Sports)

Here are the details on Saturday's Nebraska-Illinois game

Week 0: Nebraska at Illinois

• Who: Nebraska Cornhuskers at Illinois Fighting Illini.
• What: The college football season opener for both teams.
• When: Saturday, Aug. 28, 1 p.m. ET
• Where: Memorial Stadium, Champaign, Ill.
• TV: FOX
• Point Spread: Nebraska is a 6.5-point favorite, according to the sports gambling website FanDuel.com. The over/under is 54.5.
• Last year: Nebraska finished 3-5 during the COVID-shortened 2020 season, its third under head coach Scott Frost. Illinois went 2-6, prompting the school to fire Lovie Smith and replace him with former Wisconsin and Arkansas coach Bret Bielema. The two teams played on Saturday, Nov. 21, a year ago, and Illinois won 41-23 in Lincoln, Neb. Nebraska had five turnovers in the game, including three interceptions from backup quarterback Luke McCaffery.
• The skinny: The importance of this season opener cannot be overstated for two programs that have really struggled of late. The five-year Lovie Smith era never panned out at Illinois, and he went just 17-39 and Illinois, and was just 10-33 in Big Ten games. Enter Bret Bielema, who had great success at Wisconsin but struggled at Arkansas. At Nebraska, Scott Frost is still very much on the hot seat after starting his career with a 12-20 mark, and losing last year to a really bad Illinois team really got the wolves howling.

Adrian Martinez is a dual-threat quarterback who has had some big games in Nebraska, and the Cornhuskers need a big season out of him in 2021. (USA TODAY/Sports)

Looking ahead to Week 1

Here is the Big Ten schedule for Week 1, with games being played on Thursday through Saturday, Sept. 2-4. The list includes matchups, national rankings, game times, TV and point spreads as of Tuesday courtesy of FanDuel.com.

Thursday, Sept. 2

• TEMPLE at RUTGERS: 6:30 p.m. ET at Piscataway, N.J.  TV: Big Ten Network. Rutgers is a 13.5-point favorite.
• NO. 4 OHIO STATE at MINNESOTA: 8 p.m. ET at Minneapolis, MInn. TV: Big Ten Network. Ohio State is a 13.5-point favorite.

Friday, Sept. 3

• MICHIGAN STATE at NORTHWESTERN: 9 p.m. ET, at Evanston, Ill. TV: ESPN. Northwestern is a 3.5-point favorite. 

Saturday, Sept. 4

• NO. 19 PENN STATE at NO. 12 WISCONSIN: Noon ET at Madison, Wisc. TV: FOX. Wisconsin is a 4.5-point favorite. 
• WESTERN MICHIGAN at MICHIGAN: Noon ET at Ann Arbor, Mich. TV: ESPN. Michigan is a 17.5-point favorite.
• FORDHAM at NEBRASKA: Noon ET at Lincoln, Neb. TV: Big Ten Network. There is no line on the game yet.
• NO. 17 INDIANA at NO. 18 IOWA: 3:30 p.m. ET at Iowa City, Iowa. TV: Big Ten Network. Iowa is a 3.5-point favorite. 
• WEST VIRGINIA at MARYLAND: 3:30 p.m. ET at College Park, Md. TV: ESPN. West Virginia is a 3.5-point favorite.
• OREGON STATE at PURDUE: 7 p.m. ET at West Lafayette, Ind. TV: FOX Sports 1. Purdue is a 7.5-point favorite. 
• TEXAS-SAN ANTONIO at ILLINOIS: 7:30 p.m. ET at Champaign, Ill. TV: Big Ten Network. There is no line on the game yet.

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