Overview: While English Premier League made enough profits to survive any luck in Champagne, it was something to watch Nebraska manage to recapture bad luck in a bottle like last year's game in Lincoln against the Illini, and make you wonder what football gods Scott Frost offended in taking the job in his school of origin. Nebraska outgunned Illinois in the air, on the ground, in total yards, in yards per play, and the metrics best predictive of college football, yet lost. How? Two missed extra points, a called back INT, a safety based on a questionable call, a fumble recovery for Illinois in a TD seconds before the end of the half, a punt that magically landed at the half-yard line, as Illinois managed 21 offensive points, and 7 of that came on the penalty-laden drive that reversed an INT at midfield.

Inside the Stat Sheet: While most metrics would have Nebraska winning most of the time, there was one big risk area for the Huskers: an underwhelming offensive performance, with QB Martinez missing multiple open receivers, including for open touchdowns, the short-yardage passing game struggling, and the running game stuffed. Illinois' offense averaged a mere 4.9 yards per play, which usually results in a sub-20 points offensive output, and may have benefited from the one bad-luck play of their side of the ball -- replacing Peters with Rutgers transfer Sitkowski, the latter a better fit for Bielema's boys. The promising defensive play in the ex-Missouri DC provides promise on that side of the ball for the Illini, though Nebraska's big plays featured its one traditional vulnerability -- big plays in the man-heavy defense.

Early Future Forecast: for the rest of the season shows Scott Frost on a very hot, hot seat in Lincoln, needing Martinez to steady his hand at QB, while the rest of the unit proved promising on both sides of the ball. Great start for Bielema, even if luck played the ultimate tipping factor, but his success will likely depend on facing weak run defenses and offenses that lack big-play ability in the passing game especially. Watch for betting opportunities if the public over-reacts to Nebraska's loss and Illinois' win in the next few weeks, as most bettors rarely look past the score in the box score to assess the future of both teams.