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Penn State Football: 3 Big Ten games to watch during Week 4 bye

By Zac Voynow

GLENDALE, AZ - DECEMBER 30: Fans of the Penn State Nittany Lions sing their school alma mater after defeating the Washington Huskies in the Playstation Fiesta Bowl at University of Phoenix Stadium on December 30, 2017 in Glendale, Arizona. The Nittany Lions defeated the Huskies 35-28. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
GLENDALE, AZ - DECEMBER 30: Fans of the Penn State Nittany Lions sing their school alma mater after defeating the Washington Huskies in the Playstation Fiesta Bowl at University of Phoenix Stadium on December 30, 2017 in Glendale, Arizona. The Nittany Lions defeated the Huskies 35-28. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /
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LINCOLN, NE – NOVEMBER 10: Wide receiver JD Spielman #10 of the Nebraska Cornhuskers escapes the tackle of defensive back Jartavius Martin #21 of the Illinois Fighting Illini in the second half at Memorial Stadium on November 10, 2018 in Lincoln, Nebraska. (Photo by Steven Branscombe/Getty Images)
LINCOLN, NE – NOVEMBER 10: Wide receiver JD Spielman #10 of the Nebraska Cornhuskers escapes the tackle of defensive back Jartavius Martin #21 of the Illinois Fighting Illini in the second half at Memorial Stadium on November 10, 2018 in Lincoln, Nebraska. (Photo by Steven Branscombe/Getty Images) /

3. Nebraska at Illinois (8 p.m. ET on BTN)

The Nebraska Cornhuskers travel to Champaign to take on the Illinois Fighting Illini and the Cornhuskers are 13-point favorites.

Nebraska had high expectations coming into this season, with many people picking it to win the Big Ten West. It hasn’t been the best of starts for Nebraska, though. The Cornhuskers lost a thriller to Colorado for the second year in a row and handled South Alabama and Northern Illinois at home.

This game is a must-win for Nebraska as it looks to keep a winning record and improve to 1-0 in Big Ten play.

Illinois doesn’t have the same expectations as Nebraska, as they’re building for the future. Illinois started 2-0 after manhandling Akron and narrowly defeating UConn, but they fell 34-31 last week to Eastern Michigan. Lovie Smith has Illinois playing his old-school style of football, focused on hard-nosed defense and utilizing the running game offensively.

I predict Nebraska will win this game 38-24. The Cornhuskers need to win this game to keep their season on track. Their offensive firepower will be too much for the Illinois defense to handle.

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