Northern Illinois at Nebraska Week 3 College Football Matchup Northern Illinois at Nebraska Matchup - Week 3
Sat, Sep 16 2023 · Week 3 · 🏟 Memorial Stadium Lincoln, NE · Turf · 86,047 cap
Northern Illinois✈ 418 miSame TZ
11 35
Final
Home
📊 Punt & Rally Projection
Northern Illinois
17
Nebraska
25
P&R Line Nebraska -7.5
P&R Total O/U 42
Confidence 86 High
Vegas Nebraska -11.5 · O/U 42.5
Matchup Prediction
Toss-up — no clear edge
Neither metric shows a meaningful pre-game edge in this matchup.
Momentum Control
58.4%
Lean
Game Control
58.3%
Northern Illinois wins
Lean
Vegas Spread
Nebraska -11.5
O/U 42.5
William Hill (New Jersey)
Advanced Stats
PPA + Success Rate agree → Northern Illinois · 73.9% ATS historically
↓ See full breakdown
Northern Illinois 2023 Schedule
Northern Illinois's 2023 Schedule
DateMatchupSpreadTotalResultO/UCover
Sat 9/2Northern Illinois at Boston College+8.0W27–2450.0W27–24OY
Sat 9/9Northern Illinois vs Southern Illinois-6.5L11–1458.5L11–14UN
Sat 9/16Northern Illinois at Nebraska+11.5L11–3542.5L11–35ON
Sat 9/23Northern Illinois vs Tulsa-3.5L14–2254.5L14–22UN
Sat 9/30Northern Illinois at Toledo+13.0L33–3548.0L33–35OY
Sat 10/7Northern Illinois at Akron-4.0W55–1442.5W55–14OY
Sat 10/14Northern Illinois vs Ohio+5.5W23–1345.0W23–13UY
Sat 10/21Northern Illinois vs Eastern Michigan-11.5W20–1343.5W20–13UN
— Bye Week —
Tue 10/31Northern Illinois at Central Michigan-3.0L31–3748.0L31–37ON
Tue 11/7Northern Illinois vs Ball State-9.5L17–2043.5L17–20UN
Tue 11/14Northern Illinois vs Western Michigan-4.5W24–055.5W24–0UY
Sat 11/25Northern Illinois at Kent State-20.5W37–2744.5W37–27ON
Sat 12/23Northern Illinois vs Arkansas State+2.5W21–1954.0W21–19UY
Nebraska 2023 Schedule
Nebraska's 2023 Schedule
DateMatchupSpreadTotalResultO/UCover
Thu 8/31Nebraska at Minnesota+7.5L10–1343.0L10–13UY
Sat 9/9Nebraska at Colorado+2.5L14–3656.5L14–36UN
Sat 9/16Nebraska vs Northern Illinois-11.5W35–1142.5W35–11OY
Sat 9/23Nebraska vs Louisiana Tech-20.5W28–1444.5W28–14UN
Sat 9/30Nebraska vs Michigan+17.0L7–4539.5L7–45ON
Fri 10/6Nebraska at Illinois+3.5W20–743.0W20–7UY
— Bye Week —
Sat 10/21Nebraska vs Northwestern-10.5W17–940.0W17–9UN
Sat 10/28Nebraska vs Purdue+1.0W31–1439.5W31–14OY
Sat 11/4Nebraska at Michigan State-3.0L17–2034.5L17–20ON
Sat 11/11Nebraska vs Maryland+1.5L10–1341.5L10–13UN
Sat 11/18Nebraska at Wisconsin+7.5L17–2436.5L17–24OY
Fri 11/24Nebraska vs Iowa-3.0L10–1325.5L10–13UN
Advanced Stats
Advanced Analytics Matchup
Matchup-adjusted (offense vs opponent defense) · 2023 season
Northern Illinois PPA Edge
Agreement Signals — When All Metrics Agree
Elite · 83.1% ATS
PPA + PPO + SR + Havoc
Split
Metrics disagree
Elite · 82.4% ATS
PPA + PPO + Havoc
Split
Metrics disagree
Elite · 73.9% ATS
PPA + Success Rate
Both Agree
→ Northern Illinois
Individual Factors — Ranked by Predictive Strength
PPA Overall
Points added per play · Elite predictor
Northern Illinois #54
+0.315
Nebraska #105
+0.266
Northern Illinois Edge
PPA Passing
Pass efficiency edge · Strong predictor
Northern Illinois #75
+0.461
Nebraska #85
+0.410
Northern Illinois Edge
Havoc Total
Def. disruption rate · Strong predictor
Northern Illinois #120
0.130
Nebraska #12
0.195
TFLs, sacks, PBUs, forced fumbles — higher is better
Nebraska Edge
Points Per Opp
Drive-finishing edge · Strong predictor
Northern Illinois #102
+6.491
Nebraska #104
+6.729
Nebraska Edge
Success Rate
Play consistency edge · Solid predictor
Northern Illinois #62
+0.799
Nebraska #111
+0.787
Northern Illinois Edge
Field Position
Avg start (lower=better) · Solid predictor
Northern Illinois #115
72.5
Nebraska #85
71.0
Avg yards from own endzone to average start — lower is better · longer bar = better field position
Nebraska Edge
Advanced stats sourced from CFBD · 2023 season · Edges are matchup-adjusted (offense vs opponent defense)
Power Ratings
Team Power Ratings
Overall · Offense · Defense ratings · Updated as season progresses
Nebraska Rated Higher
Overall Power Rating
Northern Illinois
-17.8
Nebraska
4.8
Offense Rating
Northern Illinois
8.5
Nebraska
18.4
Defense Rating (lower = better defense)
Northern Illinois
26.3
Nebraska
13.6
Power ratings updated throughout the season as results accumulate
Momentum Control (CSS)
Consecutive Scoring Sequences Who builds scoring momentum?
Avg sequences created per game
Northern Illinois #78
0.00
Nebraska #102
0.00
Avg sequences allowed per game (lower is better)
Northern Illinois #24
0.00
Nebraska #91
3.00
Northern Illinois +0.00
CSS Edge (season-to-date)
Teams with this edge win 58.4% of games historically
Based on 2 games this season
Game Control (GC)
Win Probability Dominance Who controls games start to finish? Northern Illinois Edge
Avg GC score per game (offense)
Northern Illinois #1
32.6
Nebraska #1
25.0
Avg GC score allowed per game (lower is better)
Northern Illinois #87
51.5
Nebraska #44
53.8
Northern Illinois +7.7
GC Edge (season-to-date)
Teams with this edge win 58.3% of games historically
Based on 2 games this season
Actual Result
CSS Battle
Nebraska
2 — 0 sequences
GC Battle
Nebraska
80.9 — 8.4 GC score
✗ Predicted incorrectly
Game Result
Nebraska won by 24
Spread Context
ATS Historical Context
Based on 2021–2025 backtest · FBS vs FBS · Regular season

CSS and GC disagree on this matchup. When the metrics split, historical cover rates are essentially random — treat this as a coin flip against the spread.

ATS data is informational only. Past cover rates do not guarantee future results.

Coaching Matchup
Northern Illinois
Thomas Hammock #1
18–29 (38%) · Yr 5 at school
OC Eric Eidsness Yr 3 #1
DC Nick Benedetto Yr 2 #1
Staff Rating
0.00 #1
Nebraska
Matt Rhule #1
1–2 (33%) · Yr 1 at school
OC Marcus Satterfield Yr 1 #1
DC Tony White Yr 1 #1
Staff Rating
0.00 #1
About these metrics
Advanced Stats shows matchup-adjusted factor edges (offense vs opponent defense). Combination signals — when PPA, PPO, Success Rate, and Havoc all point the same direction — have historically predicted the SU winner in 95–97% of games and the ATS winner in 82–83% of games (2021–2025, FBS vs FBS, regular season).
Impact: Advanced Stats are the best performance based metric used to predict the outcome of games.

Momentum Control (CSS) measures consecutive scoring sequences — when a team scores, holds the opponent scoreless, then scores again. Teams entering a game with a CSS edge of +1.0 or more have won 71–78% of games historically (2021–2025, FBS vs FBS).
Impact: CSS is not a predictive ATS advantage, data shows this is already considered when lines are set.

Game Control (GC) measures win probability dominance — how thoroughly a team controlled the game from start to finish. Teams with a GC edge of +12 or more have won 67–76% of games historically. When both metrics agree, combined confidence is higher. When they split, treat as a lean at best.
Impact: GS is not a predictive ATS advantage, data shows this is already considered when lines are set.

Power Ratings are a custom-built composite of a Teams Talent, Experience & Production, Coaching & Performance Metrics. These are updated constantly with roster changes, performance once the games start for the 2026 season, injuries the team is dealing with and scheduling situations.
Impact: There are a wide range of power ratings available, we think ours is the best, you can decide for yourself