The Nebraska football team is 3-0 after a non-conference session that was far from a big test. Games against Ohio, Bowling Green, and North Dakota were more about getting guys like Anthony Colandrea and Owen Chambliss used to the program in Lincoln. Saturday at 4 pm is the real first test. The Huskers open at Michigan State, and Oddsmakers believe the Spartans will suffer another painful defeat in Pat Fitzgerald’s first campaign in East Lansing.
The good news for the Huskers is that when they face Michigan State, they likely won’t have to face linebacker Brady Pretzlaff, a starter and one of the team's leaders in total tackles so far this year. The bad news is that running back Cam Edwards, who got hurt early in the Notre Dame game last week, doesn’t appear to be hurt too badly. He wasn’t listed on the availability reports, so it appears he’s “full go” this afternoon.
Final Nebraska football vs. Michigan State: odds, spread and total
Nebraska opened the week as 5.5-point favorites, and it looks like oddsmakers haven’t been convinced to change those predictions. As of Saturday morning, Nebraska remains 5.5-point favorites, according to DraftKings.
As for points, DraftKings doesn’t see this game as a shootout, but it also isn't supposed to be a low-scoring contest like some later-season Big Ten games.
The total on Saturday morning sits at 49.5, the kind of total that looks high until you really start figuring out how Nebraska might cover both.
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
Nebraska football vs. Michigan State prediction
The Nebraska football team’s defense has been very, very good since the first couple of plays against Ohio. The question Saturday is whether it was very good because of the opponents it faced, or because it’s very good.
Defensive coordinator Rob Aurich has looked every bit the part of one of the best coordinators in the country so far this year. If he can shut down the Spartans on Saturday, it will also be a big test for the Huskers, who need to show everyone, including their fans, that this team is the real deal.
On that note, the offense has also been explosive on a level few Nebraska teams have reached in recent years. The Huskers look like a squad that can hurt opponents with its stable of running backs, with the cannon arm of its quarterback, or with that same quarterback tucking and running.
The big question is how this group responds to playing on the road for the first time all year while also facing its first Power 4 opponent. Anthony Colandrea could be the X-factor here, as he’s more of a veteran signal caller. In his fourth season as a starting quarterback after stops with Virginia and UNLV, he’s seen plenty.
Prediction: Nebraska 30, Michigan State 17
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