Nebraska Cornhuskers at Kansas State Wildcats
Thursday, 10/7/10, 7:30 PM EDT, TV: ESPN
Opening Point Spread: Nebraska -10.5
Current Betting Line: Nebraska -11
Opening Total: 53
Current Total: 50
Current Moneyline: Nebraska -410/Kansas State +340
Odds taken from Bookmaker Sportsbook who offers online college football betting.
Nebraska opens its final season of Big 12 Conference competition with a tough test at undefeated Kansas State in Manhattan. It marks the second straight year the Cornhuskers have opened conference play with a Thursday night game on the road, as they defeated Missouri in Columbia in 2009 on its way to a Big 12 North championship. The team is coming off a bye week after picking up a listless 17-3 victory over South Dakota State in Lincoln on September 25. “They bought into all the things that were being said about them, they started believing that instead of taking a good, hard look about what we talk about each day,” said head coach Bo Pelini. “Our guys didn’t play team football.” The team is still excited about being 4-0 on the season despite losing four starters to injury before the first game and two are out for the season. Nebraska is 3-2 against the college football spreads over the last three years following a bye week and the total is 2-3 O/U.
The Cornhuskers own a dominating 77-15-2 all-time record in the series against the Wildcats, including a 34-7-2 edge in Manhattan. Nebraska has won the past five meetings and the last four by at least two touchdowns. The team has a history of great success in conference openers, winning 33 of their last 35 since 1975. Since the formation of the Big 12 Conference, the Huskers have posted an 8-6 mark in conference road openers. It’s also important to note the squad’s perfect 5-0 record in Thursday Night ESPN games since first appearing in the series in 1993. All five of those wins have been on the road, including last year’s 27-12 win at Missouri. The team is 6-2 ATS in its last eight Thursday night games and the total is 3-3 O/U in those contests.
Kansas State improved to 4-0 for the first time since the 2003 season with a 17-13 come-from-behind victory over UCF on September 25. The Wildcats have been led by a stout rushing attack that is averaging 216 yards a contest on the ground. All-America candidate Daniel Thomas ranks fourth in the nation with 628 yards, while his 157.0 yards per game average ranks fifth nationally overall. The offense must find a way to throw the ball during conference play, as teams in the Big 12 are capable of shutting down a featured rusher. Fifth-year quarterback Carson Coffman has provided marginal results, completing 61 percent of his passes and has a five-to-two touchdown-to-interception ratio. The Wildcats are 5-8 ATS in home games and the total is 7-5 O/U in that span.
The Wildcats have averaged 10.2 wins a season in their nine years of starting 4-0 as a program and the last time a K-State team opened the season 5-0 was back in 2000. Head coach Bill Snyder has been a dangerous coach when giving his Wildcats’ teams an extra week to prepare, posting an 11-4 record following 15 previous mid-season bye weeks. The squad is also a solid 45-26 versus North division opponents since 1996, which is second to only to Nebraska. Kansas State is an even 7-7 ATS as an underdog over the past three years and 34-26 ATS in the last 60 opportunities.
Bettors will take notice that the Cornhuskers are a dominating 8-1 in their last nine games as a road favorite of 10.5 points or greater, while the Wildcats are 7-3 ATS in the last 10 meetings. Maddux Sports does release free college football picks via our newsletter but also on the blog from time to time. Today we like the Over 50 as our free play. We also have a strong play on the side tonight and are currently on a 70% pick run for our members. You can get this winner by visiting our college football sports picks page of the website.
