Fresh off a comeback victory over Wisconsin, the Nebraska Cornhuskers hit the Big Ten road for a visit with the Ohio State Buckeyes Saturday night at the Big Horseshoe (8 pm ET, ABC).
The 4-1 Huskers, who trailed the Badgers by 17 points before rallying to win, were early five-point underdogs vs. the Buckeyes, who just won at Michigan State.
[ Pickshark.com has the Huskers covering the spread here - best Huskers line +3.5 at Sportsbook Saturday morning ]
View Nebraska vs Ohio State Odds and Stats.
Betting Line: Several shops tracked by OddsShark (including Sportsbook) set the point spread at 4.5 in favor of the home side but bet down to -3. NCAA football bettors focused on totals odds saw the number at 56.5 this week.
Power Rankings / Prediction: This game matches up the No. 88 (Buckeyes) and the No. 24 (Cornhuskers) teams in the league, according to our current NCAAF Power Rankings at OddsShark. A 53-46 result in favor of the Cornhuskers is predicted by handicapping models.
How They Match Up:
Offensively, the game matches up Ohio State's No. 44-ranked offense (33.6 PPG) against a Cornhuskers defense that ranks No. 37 at 20.6 PPG. The Buckeyes passing attack has averaged 194 yards per game, more than the Cornhuskers give up through the air (188 YPG on average).
Defensively, the Cornhuskers feature the league's No. 121-rated road run defense, allowing 344 yards per game. Ohio State, meanwhile, ranks No. 32 in rushing offense at home.
Nebraska won its last outing, a 30-27 result against Wisconsin on September 29. Nebraska failed to cover in that game as a 12-point favorite, while the 57 combined points took the game OVER the total. Wisconsin was unable to contain Taylor Martinez in its last action Saturday and the result was a 30-27 Week 5 loss against the Cornhuskers.
Ohio State was a 17-16 Sportsbook in their most recent outing on the road against Michigan State. They covered the 2-point spread as underdogs, while the total score (33) made Sportsbooks of UNDER bettors. Braxton Miller ran through the Michigan State defense for 136 yards in Ohio State's last game, handing the Spartans a 17-16 setback on Saturday at Spartan Stadium.
Nebraska Cornhuskers Trends:
When playing in October are 7-3
When playing on turf are 8-2
After outgaining opponent are 6-4
When playing within the conference are 6-4
Ohio State Buckeyes Trends:
When playing in October are 7-3
When playing on turf are 7-3
After outgaining opponent are 8-2
When playing within the conference are 5-5
A few Cornhuskers at Buckeyes trends to consider:
Nebraska is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
Nebraska is 12-6 SU in its last 18 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Nebraska's last 9 games on the road
Nebraska is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games on the road
Ohio State is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
Ohio State is 22-3 SU in its last 25 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Ohio State's last 6 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Ohio State's last 6 games at home
Next up:
Nebraska at Northwestern, Saturday, October 20
Ohio State at Indiana, Saturday, October 13
