How to win $5,000 on Nebraska vs. Illinois for free
By Kevin Cooney
Special to FOX Sports
You’ve waited a long time. But it’s finally here and fully back.
The bands, fight songs, cheerleaders, traditions and action of college football return Saturday afternoon. Perhaps more importantly — after a year of relative silence — the crowds will be back, too.
Nebraska and Illinois will play the first college football game of the 2021 season — and it will be on FOX (1 p.m. ET Saturday) from Memorial Stadium in Champaign, Illinois. The two Big Ten West teams will start right out of the gate with a conference matchup that both need to win to get a foothold as they rebuild their programs.
For Nebraska, embattled head coach Scott Frost will lean on fourth-year starter Adrian Martinez to help the Cornhuskers take a step forward. Meanwhile, Illinois will play its first game under new head coach Bret Bielema, who won two outright Big Ten titles and shared in a third during seven years at Wisconsin.
The first college football game of the year is the beginning of a season-long chance to win some cash with FOX’s Super 6. Just answer all six questions on the free FOX Super 6 app on your mobile phone or tablet device, and you could win $5,000. It’s fun, exciting and free.
Here are the questions for Saturday’s game.
How will the first points of the game be scored?
The options: Nebraska TD, Nebraska FG, Illinois TD, Illinois FG, any other score
Because there is no preseason in college football, it is sometimes tough to get a read on how things are going to go. But it is important to know that both teams were in the bottom three in the Big Ten last year in scoring: Nebraska averaged 23.1 points and Illinois 20.1 in eight games. (Only Michigan State was lower than either school, at 18.0.) It’s important to know, for this question, that Nebraska was fourth in total offensive yardage in the conference, at 391, meaning the Huskers settled for field goals. A Cornhusker field goal could be the strong play here.
Who will have the most points at the half, and how many will they have scored?
The options: Nebraska, Illinois, tie, with a scoring scale going from 2 to 22-plus
As mentioned above, offense was at a premium for both teams a year ago. It will be interesting to see if Bielema’s arrival changes that. The Illini have a number of senior starters projected to return on the offensive side of the ball, including Brandon Peters at quarterback. But there’s usually a growing pain element to coaching changes, so Nebraska could have things better with some continuity in the first half.
Who will have the most rushing yards, and how many will they have?
The options: Nebraska, Illinois, tie, with a scale of 0 to 276-plus rushing yards
The Cornhuskers' leading rusher in 2020 was Martinez, who rushed for 521 yards. Nebraska finished second in the Big Ten in rushing yards (201.4) behind Ohio State’s ridiculous 275.7 per game. The third-place team? Illinois, at 196.1. Chase Brown should be the main workhorse back for the Illini.
Who will have the most total offense yards, and how many will they have?
The options: Nebraska, Illinois, tie, with a scale of 0 to 480-plus offense yards
Again, Nebraska’s total yardage number last year was not bad, at 391.5 per game. Meanwhile, Illinois struggled to get traction, at 349.0 — fourth-worst in the Big Ten. This is where Frost and Martinez’s cohesion could pay out big in this game. They are on the same page offensively, whereas Illinois could struggle.
Who will have the most passing yards, and how many will they have?
The options: Nebraska, Illinois, tie, with a scale of 0 to 351-plus offense yards
As you can imagine, neither team had a good passing game last season. Nebraska threw for 190.1 yards per game — fourth-worst in the 14-team Big Ten — and the Illini were dead last at 152.9. Both teams will have their starting quarterbacks back, but they need the composite pieces around Martinez and Peters to click. And that’s a big if. This will probably be a low number.
Who will win, and by how many points?
The options: Nebraska or Illinois, with margin-of-victory ranges
The list of coaches on the hot seat in college football begins with Frost, who has gone 12-20 since returning to coach the Cornhuskers from UCF. He has a chance, however, at a fresh start on the field, with a team that has some weapons. The Huskers win this one by 11-13 points.
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