In what should be a good Big Ten battle, the Nebraska Cornhuskers host the Penn State Nittany Lions Saturday afternoon in Lincoln (3:30 pm ET, ABC/ESPN2).

The Huskers, who are tied for the lead in the Legends Division with Michigan and own the tie-breaker over the Wolverines, were early nine-point favorites over the Lions.



View Penn State vs Nebraska Odds and Stats.

Betting Line: Fans backing the Cornhuskers here saw them open at Sportsbook as 8.5-point favorites in this college football clash. (Check back shortly for Sportsbook totals at sportsbooks tracked by Odds Shark as none was available at the time this preview was written.)

Power Rankings / Prediction: The Cornhuskers - Nittany Lions odds would favor the Nittany Lions if the lines were set according to power ranks. Nebraska is rated No. 15 in our latest OddsShark poll, while the Nittany Lions sit at No. 12. Math models based on recent stats and predictive formulas point to a 40-39 win for the Cornhuskers.



How They Match Up:
Offensively, the game matches up Nebraska's No. 20-ranked offense (38 PPG) against a Nittany Lions defense that ranks No. 14 at 17.1 PPG. The Cornhuskers passing attack has averaged 217.8 yards per game, more than the Nittany Lions give up through the air (209.3 YPG on average).

In comparing defenses, the Nittany Lions own the league's No. 1-rated front 7 in terms of stopping the run, allowing 53.2 yards per game when on the road. Nebraska, on the other hand, rates No. 6 this week in generating rushing yards at home.

Penn State was a 34-9 Sportsbook in their most recent outing on the road against Purdue. They covered the 3.5-point spread as favorites, while the total score (43) made Sportsbooks of UNDER bettors. Matt McGloin throttled the Boilermakers defense in his team's most recent action, throwing for 321 yards as Penn State handed Purdue a 34-9 defeat.

Nebraska won its last outing, a 28-24 result against Michigan State on November 3. Nebraska covered in that game as a 1-point underdog, while the 52 combined points took the game OVER the total. Taylor Martinez ran through the Michigan State defense for 205 yards in Nebraska's last game, handing the Spartans a 28-24 setback on Saturday at Spartan Stadium.


Penn State Nittany Lions Trends:
When playing in November are 6-4
When playing on turf are 7-3
After outgaining opponent are 8-2
When playing within the conference are 7-3

Nebraska Cornhuskers Trends:
When playing in November are 7-3
When playing on turf are 7-3
After outgaining opponent are 6-4
When playing within the conference are 7-3

A few Nittany Lions at Cornhuskers trends to consider:
Penn State is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Penn State's last 5 games
Penn State is 7-3 SU in its last 10 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 14 of Penn State's last 21 games
Nebraska is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home
Nebraska is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games


Next up:
Penn State home to Indiana, Saturday, November 17
Nebraska home to Minnesota, Saturday, November 17