Nathan Scheelhaase vs Nebraska defense and home crowd

Scheelhaase’s final year in Champaign is shaping up to be a career year. His 1,162 passing yards are first in the Big Ten and his 12 touchdown passes are good for second. Not only will he be looked to ignite the offense against the Big Ten’s worst defense, but also to guide the young team in many players’ first true road test against a hostile crowd.

Kenny Bell vs Illinois secondary

V’Angelo Bentley and his fellow defensive backs are going to have to accept that Nebraska’s leading receiver a year ago will get his catches and yards, but the challenge will be to limit the big plays. They might have an easier time containing Bell if starting quarterback Taylor Martinez is unable to play.

Tim Beckman vs Bo Pelini

It’s difficult to say which coach must win this game more. Beckman is at the helm of a team that still hasn’t won a conference game since October of 2011, when Ron Zook was head coach. A loss for Pelini, however, will further anger a Cornhuskers fan base with which he is already in hot water. If either of these coaches suffers a poor showing in the conference season, expect their seats to warm up.