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Nebraska Football Opens as Multi-Score Favorite Over Northern Iowa

The newly ranked Nebraska football team opens Week Three of college football as over 30-point favorites against FCS foe Northern Iowa. It is the largest spread for the Huskers this season.

Austin Jacobsen

Sep 7, 2024; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers quarterback Dylan Raiola (15) hands the ball off to running back Dante Dowdell (23) for a touchdown run against the Colorado Buffaloes during the second quarter at Memorial Stadium.
Sep 7, 2024; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers quarterback Dylan Raiola (15) hands the ball off to running back Dante Dowdell (23) for a touchdown run against the Colorado Buffaloes during the second quarter at Memorial Stadium. / Dylan Widger-Imagn Images
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Nebraska football continues to improve its stock off the field with its on-field performance.

The newly rated Huskers had early betting lines set Monday, with NU listed as a 30½-point favorite over FCS foe Northern Iowa by the FanDuel Sportsbook. The Big Red will take on UNI Saturday inMemorial Stadium.

The spread is the largest for the Huskers this season, as Nebraska originally opened as 27½-point favorites over UTEP, and was favored over Colorado by 6½. NU covered both games, winning 40-7 over the Miners and downing the Buffaloes 28-10 on Saturday.

Nebraska Cornhuskers running back Dante Dowdell (23) stiff arms
Sep 7, 2024; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers running back Dante Dowdell (23) stiff-arms Colorado Buffaloes cornerback Preston Hodge during the third quarter at Memorial Stadium. / Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

The over/under for total points scored in the Nebraska-Northern Iowa matchup is set at 48½ points. The total matches the UTEP over/under but is a touchdown less than last week's 55½.

The Cornhuskers boosted themselves back into the national conversation with their victory over Colorado in Week Two, bolting into both the USA Today Coaches Poll and the Associated Press Top 25.

The Panthers will be no slouch, however, as Northern Iowa sits at No. 21 in the latest FCS Top 25 poll after a 2-0 start. UNI downed Valparaiso in Week One 35-7 at home, and edged past St. Thomas Minnesota 17-10 on Saturday.

Northern Iowa Panthers quarterback Theo Day in 2023
Northern Iowa Panthers quarterback Theo Day throws the ball against Iowa State during the first quarter in the season-opening game at Jack Trice Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 2, 2023, in Ames, Iowa. / Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK

Nebraska has had scares with FCS schools in previous matchups, but has never lost to a lower-level opponent. Saturday's matchup is the first all-time meeting between the schools and marks the Huskers' 15th all-time game against an FCS foe. Nebraska is currently 14-0 in the contests. The most recent matchup for Nebraska against an FCS opponent is the 38-17 victory over North Dakota in 2022, Scott Frost's final season as coach.

Saturday's Kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m. CDT with television coverage provided by the Big Ten Network.

MORE: QB Grade: Dylan Raiola vs. Colorado

MORE: Predicting the College Football Playoffs: Reflections on Week 2

MORE: Doc's Diagnosis: Nebraska's Offensive Line Moves Mountains

MORE: Nebraska Football Recruiting: 2027 TE Prospect Says Husker Atmosphere 'Unlike Anything' He's Seen

MORE: Nebraska Football's Memorial Stadium 'Electric' for 2026 Elkhorn North Recruit

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Austin Jacobsen
AUSTIN JACOBSEN

Austin Jacobsen is a radio broadcaster and former Sports Director in Central Nebraska. He has seen the Cornhusker state from all corners; growing up in the Panhandle, completing his college degree in Kearney, working in the rural Sandhills, and now residing in Omaha. Austin is a statewide, regional, and national radio award winner and can usually be found at a high school football field on Friday nights and tuning in to the Huskers wherever they travel. If he is not on the road, Austin enjoys movie dates with his girlfriend and their dog, Ava.

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