Illinois is 3-1 with a loss to Washington through nonconference play. Sounds a lot like last year.

But where is this team really at heading into its first Big Ten contest this weekend against Nebraska? This 3-1 doesn’t feel like last year’s 3-1. Maybe it’s because of the odd beating they gave to Cincinnati a year ago, 45-17.

It’s odd because no one really expected it, and as the Bearcats went on to finish 9-4, in retrospect, it’s hard to believe it happened.

Illinois doesn’t have a win like that this year. Instead, it has three meager wins over Youngstown State, Western Kentucky and Texas State.

Illinois’ first conference game last year, oddly enough, was a trip to Lincoln, Neb. With Rutgers and Maryland joining the fun this year, the Big Ten remade its schedule. It gives Illinois a chance (maybe unfortunately for the Illini), to take another swing at the Cornhuskers in their home stadium.

I remember when I picked Illinois to beat Nebraska in their Memorial Stadium on a Lincoln-area radio show. I will not fall into that trap again. You could make the argument that Nebraska looked like garbage against McNeese State. But I’d argue the Huskers looked pretty good against everyone else they’ve faced.

They have looked better than Illinois, anyway.

The Illini have not passed the eye test so far this season. Quarterback Wes Lunt has had two great games and two mediocre games. And yet, his 1,237 passing yards rank ninth in the country.

There have been plenty of times through four games that he hasn’t looked like the ninth best passer in the country. But then again, we here in Champaign haven’t seen a top passer in quite some time.

It hurt last week that Lunt didn’t have Geronimo Allison, his largest target. At 6-foot-4, no other Illini receiver matches Allison’s size, and as a result, he has quickly become one of Lunt’s favorite targets.

Allison has been out with an apparent knee injury, and the team won’t announce his status for Saturday’s game until Thursday evening.

Josh Ferguson was pretty quiet until last week’s 190-yard rushing performance. If he is back on track, things are looking up for Illinois offensively. The Illini will probably be able to put some points on the board in Lincoln.

The question is, can the Illini stop Ameer Abdullah? The Huskers’ back ranks second in the nation in rushing yards, and the Illini rank 12th in the Big Ten in rush defense. If I were Bo Pelini, I would hand the ball off to Abdullah every chance I get.

Abdullah only rushed for 54 yards against McNeese State, and yet he still made up for it enough in the Huskers’ other three games to sit just 74 yards behind the national leader (Pitt’s James Conner, for anyone curious).

Against Miami last week — the only Power Five conference team the Huskers have played — Abdullah was handed the ball 35 times, and it resulted in 229 yards and two touchdowns.

Give this man the ball, and stand out of his way.

Unless you’re the Illinois defense: Then try to stop him. But good luck.

Sean is a senior in Media. He can be reached at [email protected] and on Twitter @sean_hammond.