In its second season in the Big Ten 9-2 Nebraska can play for the conference title if it beats 4-7 Iowa Friday afternoon in Iowa City (noon ET, ABC).

The Huskers, who lead the Legends Division by a tie-breaker over Michigan, were early 14-point road favorites over the Hawkeyes, who have lost their last five games.



View Nebraska vs Iowa Odds and Stats.

Betting Line: Fans backing the Hawkeyes here saw them open at Sportsbook as 14.5-point underdogs in this college football clash. The total was 52.5 late Wednesday at Sportsbook.

Power Rankings / Prediction: The Hawkeyes - Cornhuskers odds would favor the Cornhuskers if the lines were set according to power ranks. Iowa is rated No. 86 in our latest OddsShark poll, while the Cornhuskers sit at No. 7. Math models based on recent stats and predictive formulas point to a 40-23 win for the Cornhuskers.



How They Match Up:
Offensively, the game matches up Iowa's No. 107-ranked offense (20.5 PPG) against a Cornhuskers defense that ranks No. 41 at 24 PPG. The Hawkeyes passing attack has averaged 196.1 yards per game, more than the Cornhuskers give up through the air (157.6 YPG on average).

Defensively, the Cornhuskers feature the league's No. 123-rated road run defense, allowing 283.2 yards per game. Iowa, meanwhile, ranks No. 101 in rushing offense at home.

Nebraska won its last outing, a 38-14 result against Minnesota on November 17. Nebraska covered in that game as a 21-point favorite, while the 52 combined points took the game UNDER the total. Taylor Martinez throttled the Golden Gophers defense in his team's most recent action, throwing for 308 yards as Nebraska handed Minnesota a 38-14 defeat.

In their last action, Iowa was a 42-17 loser on the road against Michigan. They failed to cover the 17-point spread as underdogs, while the combined score (59) was profitable news for OVER bettors. Iowa didn’t make much of a game of it last time out, losing to the Wolverines as Michigan blasted them 42-17 in Week 12 action.


Nebraska Cornhuskers Trends:
When playing in November are 7-3
When playing on turf are 8-2
After outgaining opponent are 6-4
When playing within the conference are 8-2

Iowa Hawkeyes Trends:
When playing in November are 2-8
When playing on turf are 2-8
After being outgained are 3-7
When playing within the conference are 3-7

A few Cornhuskers at Hawkeyes trends to consider:
Nebraska is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
Nebraska is 14-7 SU in its last 21 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Nebraska's last 6 games on the road
Nebraska is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games on the road
Iowa is 15-7 SU in its last 22 games at home
Iowa is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games at home
Iowa is 1-5-1 ATS in its last 7 games at home
Iowa is 0-5 ATS in its last 5 games