Time: 3:30 PM EST, Sat
Spread: NEB -5
Total: 62.5
Odds from Bookmaker
The Nebraska Cornhuskers got spanked by Ohio State last week, losing a game by 25 that college football oddsmakers set the spread less than a TD for. They gave up 127 passing yards and 186 rushing yards to OSU QB Braxton Miller.
The Cornhuskers were able to generate offense (437 total yards) but couldn’t convert at crucial times. They were just 5-of-14 on third down conversions and gave up four of the game’s final five touchdowns, as OSU doubled Nebraska’s point total in the second half. Urban Meyer had no qualms about going for the score when the game was out of reach either, as the Cornhuskers were embarrassed on national TV.
Nebraska hasn’t fared well against ranked opponents, but fortunately they will only face one more in the remainder of the season (Oct 27th vs Michigan). This week against Northwestern should be a good chance for them to get back on track, too, as college football oddsmakers set the line 5 points in favor of the 4-2 Cornhuskers.
Nebraska’s offense has been great, 43.7 points per game, but their defense has been pretty horrid, ranking in the bottom quarter of NCAA D-1 teams, giving up 27.7 points per game.
The offense has been dominated by the rush. They are 5th in the nation with 292 yards per game, and the leading rusher, Ameer Abdullah, has been nothing sort of spectacular. The diminutive 5’9″ sophomore has rushed for 514 yards on the season with seven TDs, and he’s been especially impressive on his returns.
Despite being the primary ball carrier for the Cornhuskers, Abdullah likes the challenge of returning the ball and he’s also been a good dual-threat back, with 108 reception yards on 10 receptions, including a touchdown.
Look for Abdullah to try to maximize the somewhat weak Northwestern defense. The Wildcats give up 22.1 points per game. Their 6-1 record is somewhat deceiving since they haven’t faced any ranked opponents, and they lost to the only really good team they played when they dropped a contest 39-28 against Penn State two weeks ago.
Last week they rebounded with a victory over Minnesota, and they’ll face Iowa next week before taking on Denard Robinson and the Wolverines on November 10th. This game will serve as a stepping stone for the Wildcats, who can still contend for a Big Ten championship, as they’ve won 2 of their 3 conference games so far.
Nebraska Betting Trends:
Cornhuskers are 3-0-1 ATS in their last 4 after giving up 200+ rushing yards in the previous game, 6-1 ATS in their last 7 after allowing 40 points in the previous game, 3-1-1 ATS in their last 5 after an ATS loss, 0-4 ATS vs team with winning records last 4.
Northwestern Betting Trends:
Wildcats are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 at home, 6-1 ATS in their last 7 overall, 4-1 ATS in their last 5 following an SU win, and 4-1 ATS following an ATS win. They are 9-19 ATs in their last 28 after allowing 170 yards or less in the previous game, and they are 3-10 ATS in their last 13 games in OCT.
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