Michigan vs. Nebraska game time, picks, predictions: Week 5 college football odds, lines

Expert predictions for Michigan vs. Nebraska by the computer analytics model that picks college football games

This weekend finds a Big Ten cross-divisional matchup set between one playoff contender and a program in the midst of another rebuild as No. 2 Michigan squares off against Nebraska in college football's Week 5 action on Saturday.

Undefeated through four games posting over 405 yards per game, the Wolverines average 31.75 points per game as quarterback J.J. McCarthy is hitting on 80 percent of his pass attempts with eight touchdowns so far.

Nebraska sits at 2-2 behind a passing attack averaging just 125 yards per game while running for 235 yards on the ground each time out, and playing strong run defense, holding opponents to just 46 yards on average.

What do the experts think of the matchup? Let's see how the College Football Power Index computer prediction model projects the game.

Michigan vs. Nebraska picks, predictions

Michigan vs. Nebraska picks, predictions / USA Today Images

Michigan odds: The computers side with the Wolverines, who have an 87.6 percent chance to defeat Nebraska outright, according to the models that simulate games 20,000 times to pick winners (17,520 out of 20,000 sims).

Nebraska odds: Conversely, the Cornhuskers come out the winner of this game in the remaining 12.4 percent of simulations (2,480 out of 20,000 sims).

Point spread: Michigan comes into the game as 17.5 point favorites against Nebraska, according to the lines at SI Sportsbook, which set the total at 39.5 points.

Michigan predictions: Up 2 spots this week on the index 133 team rankings, the Wolverines are projected to be 18.7 points better than an average opponent, and forecasted to win 9.8 games this season.

Nebraska predictions: The index ranks the Huskers at 65th nationally by estimating the team to be a half-point worse than an average opponent, forecasted to win 4.8 games, with a 31.7 percent chance to play in a bowl game.

Michigan vs. Nebraska schedule

When: Sat., Sept. 30
Time: 3:30 p.m. ET, 2:30 p.m. CT
TV: Fox network
Stream live: fuboTV (Try for free)

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College Football Power Index

Football Power Index (FPI) college football rankings and computer prediction model are a measure of team strength that predicts a team’s future performance.

Rankings and scores predictions are based on 20,000 simulations of a team’s season and games, using a combination of key analytics, including scores to date, quality of opponents, team talent, recruiting, and a team’s schedule.

Teams are ranked not strictly in order of talent like in other rankings, but by a projected point margin per game against an average team on a neutral field.

College football rankings

According to AP top 25 poll

1. Georgia
2. Michigan
3. Texas
4. Ohio State
5. Florida State
6. Penn State
7. Washington
8. USC
9. Oregon
10. Utah
11. Notre Dame
12. Alabama
13. LSU
14. Oklahoma
15. North Carolina
16. Washington State
17. Duke
18. Miami
19. Oregon State
20. Ole Miss
21. Tennessee
22. Florida
23. Missouri
24. Kansas
25. Fresno State

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