The Nebraska football team is coming off what has to be considered the most heartbreaking loss of what has been a heartbreaking season. The Huskers thought they were finally going to beat the Wisconsin Badgers. Then they couldn’t finish it in the fourth quarter’s final seconds. The Huskers lost despite two touchdowns from Trey Palmer. Of course, there was one thing the Cornhuskers were able to do that many people didn’t expect, they were able to cover the spread.
The Nebraska football team was near two-touchdown dogs to Wisconsin when the game kicked off on Saturday morning. Not only did they cover, but they almost won. So that was certainly a plus.
On the other hand, this week, the Cornhuskers are starting off as nine-point favorites to an Iowa team that has turned its season around. There was a time when the Hawkeyes were considered a laughing stock of college football. There was even a time when there was some talk that it might be time for Kirk Ferentz to call it a career. At the very least, there was some heavy pressure to fire his son, the offensive coordinator.
Now, should the Hawkeyes manage to win against a Nebraska football team that doesn’t seem to have much else to play for, they could win the Big Ten West. That’s likely why Iowa starts the week as a 9-point favorite. It’s also why the spread has already increased to 10.5 in some circles.
The Huskers have played fairly well against better opponents this year. They’ve played Minnesota and Illinois, and Wisconsin close. But they’ve lost to all those teams. It doesn’t seem like it would be too hard for the Hawkeyes to cover.
It doesn’t seem like there’d be any reason to think the Cornhuskers won’t lose by double digits. At this point, it feels like the players and coaches are even ready for the season to be over so they can turn the page.
Who wins the Black Friday game doesn’t mean all that much to Nebraska football fans. And that’s why the Huskers are such massive dogs.