In what could turn out to be a key game in the Big Ten's Legends Division 6-1 Northwestern plays host to 4-2 Nebraska Saturday afternoon in Evanston (3:30 pm ET, ESPN2/ABC).

The 'Cats, who are also 6-1 ATS this year and beat the Huskers in Lincoln last year, were early five-point home dogs for Saturday vs. Nebraska, which had last week off after losing at Ohio State.



View Nebraska vs Northwestern Odds and Stats.

Betting Line: The home team opened as 7-point underdogs in this NCAA football battle at Sportsbook. No over under line was available early in the week, but was set to posted shortly.

Power Rankings / Prediction: It's a betting matchup between the No. 98-rated Wildcats and the No. 24-ranked Cornhuskers, according to the NCAAF Power Rankings here at Odds Shark. Predictive-scoring models run on this game indicate a potential 47-40 result in favor of the Cornhuskers.



How They Match Up:
The game also pits Northwestern's No. 53-ranked offense, averaging 31.1 PPG, against a Cornhuskers defense that ranks No. 76 this week at 27.7 PPG. The Wildcats aerial game is averaging 179.4 yards per game, more than the Cornhuskers secondary allows through the air, 177.8 YPG per game.

Defensively, the Cornhuskers feature the league's No. 124-rated road run defense, allowing 357.5 yards per game. Northwestern, meanwhile, ranks No. 9 in rushing offense at home.

Nebraska was a 63-38 loser in their most recent outing on the road against Ohio State. They failed to cover the 2.5-point spread as underdogs, while the total score (101) made Sportsbooks of OVER bettors. Rex Burkhead ran through the Ohio State defense for 119 yards in Nebraska's last game, but the Cornhuskers still lost a 63-38 decision at Ohio Stadium.

In their last action, Northwestern was a 21-13 Sportsbook on the road against Minnesota. They covered the 3-point spread as favorites, while the combined score (34) was profitable news for UNDER bettors. Venric Mark tore up the turf for 182 rushing yards in the latest Wildcats game, a 21-13 win over the Golden Gophers at TCF Bank Stadium.


Nebraska Cornhuskers Trends:
When playing in October are 7-3
When playing on grass are 5-5
After being outgained are 8-2
When playing within the conference are 6-4

Northwestern Wildcats Trends:
When playing in October are 3-7
When playing on grass are 6-4
After being outgained are 3-7
When playing within the conference are 5-5

A few Cornhuskers at Wildcats trends to consider:
Nebraska is 13-6 SU in its last 19 games
Nebraska is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games on the road
Nebraska is 0-4-1 ATS in its last 5 games on the road
Northwestern is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games
Northwestern is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games at home


Next up:
Nebraska home to Michigan, Saturday, October 27
Northwestern home to Iowa, Saturday, October 27