Nebraska at Michigan State: Another Ugly Football Game?

One stat will be key for the outcome.

National rankings can often tell us how well (or bad) a team is going to perform in any given game.

So what do the stats tell us about Saturday's game? Michigan State comes into the contest as a three point dog and is 2-6 overall and 0-5 in conference play.

Nebraska on the other hand, comes into the game on a three game win streak, at 5-3 and 3-2 tied for first place in the conference.

Here's how the two teams stack up nationally, according to cfbstats.com:

Offense:

Scoring: MSU (91st), NU (102nd)

Rush: MSU (115), NU (26)

Pass: MSU (87), NU (130)

Total: MSU (113), NU (112)

Defense:

Scoring: MSU (84), NU (21)

Rush: MSU (44), NU (6)

Pass: MSU (76), NU (59)

Total: MSU (55), NU (13)

Time of Possession:

MSU (110th , NU (40th)

Based on the above rankings, fans can expect a low-scoring game. Nebraska has the advantage in rush defense, rush offense, total defense and time of possession. But there's one ranking that might tell more about how the game is going to look Saturday.

Turnover Margins. Yup.

How do the two teams stack up in that department? Michigan State is ranked 124th (-.88 turnovers per game). And Nebraska? The Huskers come in at an even worse ranking: 129th (-1.13 per game).

Based on that information, Saturday's contest has all the markings of another ugly Husker football game. Don't get upset. Don't be angry. It's just business as usual for this year's young Husker football team.

Weather for the Michigan State game is going to be cloudy with temps in the 40s at kickoff time. Or as Matt Rhule would say, "It's a perfect day for a football game!"

How Bout Them Huskers

Grandson Will and I review the Husker 31-14 win over Purdue, check the Big Ten standings and go over last weekend's BT games. We also preview this week's matchup with Michigan State.

Related: HuskerMax Michigan State game page. 

For Nebraska, There Can Be No Overlooking the Spartans