College football Week 0 picks: ESPN computer predicts Nebraska vs. Northwestern
Nebraska helps kick off the 2022 college football season with a Week 0 game set against Big Ten rival Northwestern on Saturday from Dublin, Ireland.
The game is the first step in a long test for the Cornhuskers and head coach Scott Frost to recover from last season's 3-9 effort and turn the program around.
What do the experts say about the matchup between the Huskers and the Wildcats? Let's look at how the ESPN computer predicted the game.
Nebraska vs. Northwestern football prediction
Football Power Index gives Nebraska the overwhelming chance at victory, with a 78.7 percent chance to beat Northwestern in the season opener.
By contrast, the computer gives Northwestern a 21.3 percent chance of victory.
The bookmakers tend to agree with the Football Power Index prediction machine, with Nebraska coming into Week 0 as a solid 11.5 point favorite.
FPI placed Nebraska at No. 32 in their preseason college football rankings, good for sixth in the Big Ten, and predicts the Huskers will win 7.8 games.
Northwestern checks in at No. 81 nationally, second to last in the Big Ten, ahead of only Rutgers. FPI projects the Wildcats to win 4.3 games.
ESPN Football Power Index (FPI) college football rankings are a measure of team strength that predicts a team’s future performance.
Rankings and scores predictions are based on 10,000 simulations of a team’s season, using a combination of analytics, including scores to date, quality of opponents, and a team’s schedule.
College football rankings
According to AP Top 25 poll
- Alabama
- Ohio State
- Georgia
- Clemson
- Notre Dame
- Texas A&M
- Utah
- Michigan
- Oklahoma
- Baylor
- Oregon
- Oklahoma State
- NC State
- USC
- Michigan State
- Miami
- Pittsburgh
- Wisconsin
- Arkansas
- Kentucky
- Ole Miss
- Wake Forest
- Cincinnati
- Houston
- BYU
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College football odds, lines for Week 0 games
Week 0 picks against the spread
College football schedule: Week 1 games you should watch
Florida State vs. Duquesne preview, prediction