Big 12-Pac 10 Rematch: Nebraska Cornhuskers vs Washington Huskies Holiday Bowl Predictions

Nebraska Cornhuskers vs Washington Huskies
Thursday, 12/30/10, 10:00 PM EDT, TV: ESPN
Opening Point Spread: Nebraska -13.5
Current Betting Line: Nebraska -13.5
Opening Total: 52
Current Total: 52.5

Jake Locker Washington Huskies Football — Washington Huskies QB Jake Locker is a double-digit underdog in his final collegiate game in the Holiday Bowl against the Nebraska Cornhuskers

Nebraska is set to take on Washington for the second time this season in the Holiday Bowl held in beautiful San Diego, California. The Huskers picked up a dominating 56-21 win over the Huskies in Seattle on September 18 and will be looking to bounce back from a disappointing 23-20 loss to Oklahoma in the Big 12 championship game, a contest that they led by 17 points at one point. “Our team has worked hard since the start of practice in August and are deserving of an enjoyable bowl experience and an opportunity to win an 11th game,” said head coach Bo Pelini. Playing in this particular game may be a bit of a letdown for the team, as it had much higher aspirations early in the 2010 campaign. Nebraska is 2-0 ATS against Pac-10 opponents the past three years and currently a double-digit favorite on the college football lines page.

The Huskers tallied a 533 yards of total offense in the earlier meeting this season, including an incredible 383 yards on the ground. Taylor Martinez, Roy Helu Jr. and Rex Burkhead combined for the fifth triple-100-yard game in school history and the first since 2001. Martinez has a good chance of rebounding from a difficult finish to the regular season and resemble the quarterback from early in the season in having four weeks off to prepare. Nebraska is making its third appearance in this particular bowl event, splitting the two previous meetings with Arizona, including last year’s 33-0 victory.

Washington rides a three-game winning streak into postseason play and will be looking to gain revenge from a humiliating home loss earlier in the season. “We get an opportunity to show the world how much we have changed,” said left tackle Senio Kelemente. The Huskies 35-point loss to the Huskers was one of our losses by 30 or more points for Washington this year, with all of them coming during the team’s 3-6 start. The program will be making its 31st bowl appearance and enter the contest with a 15-14-1 overall record in the postseason. Washington is also 21-21-2 all-time versus current teams playing in the Big 12 Conference. Over the past three years, the squad is 10-17 ATS as an underdog.

The Huskies will be playing against the Huskers for the ninth time in school history, trailing 3-4-1 in the series. Washington has dropped the last three meetings and been been outscored 111-28 in the last two. One important area to pay attention to when capping this contest is the red zone, as both Washington and its opponents have enjoyed a great deal of success in the area. The Huskies are 30-for-34 with 22 touchdowns, while opponents are 44-for-48 with 34 pay dirt scores.

Bettors will be interested in knowing that the Huskies are 4-1 ATS in bowl games, while the Huskers are 7-1-1 ATS in their last nine non-conference tilts.

The college football handicappers at Maddux Sports are ready to fire away at Thursday’s bowl games and can’t wait for you to be part of the action. Get a season pass today!