NIU vs Nebraska Prediction - College Football Picks 9/16/23

The Northern Illinois Huskies and Nebraska Cornhuskers face off on Saturday in a Week 3 college football showdown at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln.

Can Nebraska Win Their First Game? 

Nebraska has played a tough schedule to start the season and they come into this game with an 0-2 record. In the first game of the season, Nebraska lost to Minnesota 13-10 and in the last game against Colorado they were defeated 36-14. At half time against Colorado, they were down 13-0 and they couldn’t bounce back. One of the big issues for Nebraska all season has been the quarterback play of Jeff Sims. In the first game he had three interceptions and against Colorado he threw for only 106 yards and one interception. Sims is dealing with an ankle injury and it’s unclear if he’s going to be able to go in this game. Even if Sims is healthy, Nebraska is making a big mistake starting him again. If he can’t go, backup quarterbacks Heinrich Haarberg and Chubba Purdy could start. 

Can Northern Illinois bounce back?

Northern Illinois first two games have been a bit shocking. Northern Illinois faced off against Boston College in the first game and they were able to secure the 27-24 victory. At halftime they were up 7-0 and the defense held on for the Vikings. In the last game against Southern Illinois, the defense was again good only giving up 14 points, but the offense was awful scoring only 11 points. Heading into the 4th quarter, Northern Illinois had scored only three points, and they need to find a way to get the offense going here. One issue in the last game was quarterback Rocky Lombardi who threw three interceptions.