Illinois vs. Nebraska: Are the Illini and the Huskers serious? Friday night's game will tell us

A 3-0 record. A turnover differential of over eight. A great Scotts duo – defensive backs Xavier and Miles (no relation) – with a total of five interceptions already. A wide receiver, Pat Bryant, with four touchdown catches. Overall, a much better atmosphere than the entire last season.

Yes, No. 24 Illinois has some reasons to puff out its chest before Friday's game at No. 22 Nebraska (7 p.m., Fox 32, 890-AM).

On the other hand, the Illini athletic department this week boasted that Bret Bielema was the school's first coach to “achieve top-25 rankings in two of his first four seasons since Ron Zook [in] 2007 and 2008.” Considering that in an average season, about 50 teams break into the top 25 at some point, is that really something to brag about? If anything, it reads more like a tearful confession.

Showing up in the polls doesn't mean much. Staying there is the most important thing.

The winner of this game – in which the Illini are 7.5-point underdogs – will be able to do just that.

“This is a great opportunity for our program,” Bielema said.

It's also an unusual occasion. Not only are the Illini back in the rankings for the first time since 2022, when they got as high as No. 14 before running out of steam, but it's their first game between ranked teams since 2008. Take a moment to realize how long ago that was. Barack Obama was the Democratic presidential nominee. Governor Rod Blagojevich was on the court. The Cubs and White Sox won both divisions. The Big Ten, even before Nebraska, had only 11 members. We're talking ancient history here.

But most college football observers would say this game means even more to the Cornhuskers (3-0). One of the sport's great brands has been dragged through the mud for years but may finally be reinventing itself.

Hard to believe: The Huskers are ranked for the first time since 2019, and that lasted just a week. Even harder to believe: They haven't done a ranking-versus-ranking thing themselves since 2016. And even harder: They've lost 24 straight games to top-25 opponents. But Big Red fans — who will sell out Memorial Stadium for the 400th consecutive season — smell, taste and see the change. The Huskers have never trailed this season. A defense that sacked Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders six times has allowed a total of 20 points in three games. Looking back at last season, Coach Matt Rhule's first, the defense held nine straight teams to 24 points or fewer and allowed just one first-quarter touchdown in the last 10 games. And there's even more excitement surrounding true freshman quarterback Dylan Raiola, a mega-recruit who seemed worth all the hype from the moment he took his first snap. Raiola is the first true freshman QB since Oregon's Marcus Mariota in 2012 to complete at least 70% of his passes in each of his first three games.

Illinois' passing game has also come alive, with Luke Altmyer pairing impressively with Bryant and transfer Zakhari Franklin, who came to Illinois as the college game's active leader in pass catches, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns. Bielema's defense is much closer to its superior 2022 form than the doormat version of last year.

“This will be a four-quarter war,” Rhule said.

It's a top-notch atmosphere for college football, especially at night. The scene in Lincoln is always spectacular.

“I want the world to see,” Rhule said.

The Illini will have to get used to it, as their next game is at Penn State and then a handful more against ranked teams. If the Illini can't handle that, it will be a short-lived, meaningless stay in the rankings. Or maybe the excitement, the noise and some relatively high stakes will bring out the best in them?

“Football is played between the white lines,” said Bielema.

There's an enchilada in there somewhere too.