A berth in the Big Ten championship game might be on the line when Michigan State, who hasn't lost yet in conference play, battles Nebraska Saturday afternoon in Lincoln (3:30 pm ET, ABC).
The Spartans lead the Big Ten's Legends Division by a game over the 'Huskers. Sparty is also 5-3-1 ATS this season, 2-0-1 ATS on the road.
Nebraska, meanwhile, just pulled a key upset, beating Michigan at the Big House last Saturday 17-13 to stay alive in its quest for a second-consecutive division title.
The 'Huskers have never lost in five meeting with MSU; last year they rallied from down 10 points in the fourth quarter to win in East Lansing 28-24.
The Sportsbook line for this game listed Michigan State at -6.5 points over Big Red.
The Cornhuskers sport a record of 7-2 and 5-4 ATS heading into this matchup, while the Spartans sit at 8-1 and 5-3-1 ATS on the season. The over under records are 4-5 for the Cornhuskers and 3-6 for the Spartans.
View Michigan State Spartans vs Nebraska Cornhuskers Odds and Stats.
Several shops tracked by OddsShark (including Sportsbook) set the point spread at 3.5 in favor of the home side, but it was bet up to -6 as of late Friday. NCAA football bettors could bet the over-under at 41.5 over at [custom;Sportsbook-link].
The game pits the Cornhuskers, currently No. 59 in our OddsShark NCAAF Power Rankings, against the Spartans, who rate No. 19 in the latest survey. Meanwhile, math and handicapping models run on this game predict a 40-35 victory for the Spartans.
Ameer Abdullah tore up the turf for 105 rushing yards in the latest Cornhuskers game, a 17-13 win over the Wolverines at Michigan Stadium.
How They Match Up:
Offensively, the game matches up Nebraska's No. 29-ranked offense (35.89 PPG) against a Spartans defense that ranks No. 3 at 11.56 PPG. The Cornhuskers passing attack has averaged 199.22 yards per game, more than the Spartans give up through the air (166.78 YPG on average).
In comparing defenses, the Spartans own the league's No. 1-rated front 7 in terms of stopping the run, allowing 42 yards per game when on the road. Nebraska, on the other hand, rates No. 16 this week in generating rushing yards at home.
A few Spartans at Cornhuskers trends to consider:
Michigan State is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games
Michigan State is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 9 of Michigan State's last 12 games
Michigan State is 5-0-1 ATS in its last 6 games on the road
Nebraska is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games
Nebraska is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Nebraska's last 5 games
Nebraska is 13-1 SU in its last 14 games at home
Next up:
Michigan State at Northwestern, Saturday, November 23rd
Nebraska at Penn State, Saturday, November 23rd
