Northwestern vs Nebraska Analysis, Odds, Spread, Date & Start Time for College Football Week 5 Game
It finally happened folks! For the first time all season, Northwestern managed to cover the spread. Not only did they cover the spread of -14.5, they did so in blowout fashion, covering comfortably as they beat Ohio 35-6.
Looking ahead to this week, it will be harder for the Wildcats to cover the spread. Look no further than here for all the analysis you need on your betting options for the game against Nebraska.
Date: Saturday, Oct. 2, 2021
Time: 6:30 pm CT
Location: Memorial Stadium; Lincoln, Neb.
Betting Overview:
Spread:
To summarize the spread, it is how much the favorite is favored to win by. If a spread is -5, if the favored team wins by five or more they cover the spread. However if they win by four or less, or lose, the underdog covers the spread. As they say, good teams win but great teams cover.
Over/under:
The over/under, or as it is sometimes referred to as the total, is most often a bet regarding the total number of points. So if the over/under is 50 points, if the two teams combine for 51 points the over hit but if they combine for 49 the under hit. On the occasion the total is an exact 50, this is what is referred to as a push.
Moneyline:
The moneyline requires you to simply pick a winner straight up. If the moneyline is +155, a bet of $100 on that team would get you your $100 back and see you win $155 as well. For odds of -155, you would have to bet $155 just to win $100.
Northwestern at Nebraska Analysis:
Odds courtesy of SI Sportsbook.
Spread: Northwestern +11.5
This week will be the first game in which Northwestern is not the favorite as they enter their matchup with Nebraska as nearly two touchdown underdogs. Looking at the two teams, I don't know if I expect Northwestern to win this game. Despite having a 2-3 record, Nebraska has shown flashes of being a good team this year, coming close to upset wins over both Oklahoma and Michigan State. I do think Nebraska will end up winning this game but I expect Northwestern to cover the spread.
Moneyline: Northwestern +360, Nebraska -500
With that being said, while I do think Nebraska wins this game, I would not be opposed to putting some money on the Northwestern moneyline. With the odds being at +360, putting money on the Wildcats is a tempting proposition knowing Nebraska's propensity under Scott Frost to lose in a seemingly new way every week. It is not out of the realm of possibility for Northwestern to keep this game close and make it an ugly, defensive battle and pull out the win.
Over/under: 51.5
I don't think this game will hit the over. While Nebraska does boast an offense capable of putting up big yards and a lot of points on the board, averaging, 27.6 points per game to go with 473.4 yards per game, I don't see this game turning into a high scoring shootout. Also, I don't fully trust the Northwestern offense to keep up if the Nebraska offense starts moving the ball with ease. Look for this game to hit around 45-48 total points but not quite hit the over.
Last Week’s Picks:
Last week, I picked Northwestern to win and cover the -14.5 spread and you know what they say, the third time is the charm! Northwestern finally covered the spread when I picked them to do so. This week I think they do so again, keeping it closer than the -11.5 spread while ultimately losing the game.
Season to date: 2-2
This week’s pick: Nebraska wins but Northwestern covers
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Connor Zimmerlee is a writer and reporter for Wildcats Daily. Zimmerlee received his Bachelor's of Journalism from the University of Texas at Austin as part of the class of 2021 and now attends the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern.