Nebraska heads into Big Ten play with the betting market clearly buying the Huskers.
Saturday afternoon’s trip to Michigan State opens conference action for Matt Rhule’s team, and DraftKings has Nebraska laying 5.5 points. That line is up a point from Sunday, a sign that the early confidence in the Huskers has only grown. The total sits at 48.5, which points toward a game oddsmakers expect to have some scoring.
The matchup gives Nebraska a chance to show that its early-season momentum can carry into league play. The Huskers have looked sharp against weaker competition, piling up touchdowns, while Rob Aurich’s rebuilt defense has settled in after allowing 21 points in the opener. Since then, Nebraska has given up no more than 7 points in each of its last two games.
Michigan State should provide a much stiffer read. The Spartans already pushed No.
3 Notre Dame and covered against the Irish despite losing by 17, and they held Notre Dame to 27 points in Week 3, the lowest output of the Irish’s season. But the Spartans also got a rough performance from quarterback Alessio Milivojevic in that game.
It was the first time he has thrown more than one touchdown in a contest, and he finished 9 of 17 for 123 yards.
One reason Nebraska is favored so strongly is the presence of a veteran quarterback who has already started three seasons, including two with different teams. Anthony Colandrea could be a difference-maker in games where the Huskers might have been underdogs with Dylan Raiola under center.
For Nebraska, the goal is simple: handle the first road game of the season, improve to 4-0, and start Big Ten play at 1-0.
In Other News...
Nebraska Suddenly Faces Another Carter Nelson Concern
Nebraska spent part of its recent game against North Dakota watching two players head for the sideline early, with Carter Nelson and Jahsear Whittington both leaving because of injuries. The more notable concern is Nelson, who had to be helped off the field and was later spotted with a knee brace and crutches, a sign the situation could be more serious than a routine in-game tweak.
Matt Rhule has not offered specifics on either injury yet, leaving the Cornhuskers waiting for a clearer picture of what comes next. That silence only adds to the unease around Nelson, whose status will be one of the first things Nebraska wants answered when Rhule meets with reporters again. [Read more 🡒]
Nebraska Has A Few Rising Names And Some Troubling Week 3 Slips
Nebraskas latest blowout win over North Dakota brought another comfortable afternoon for the Cornhuskers, but it also sharpened the conversation around which players are making the most of their chances. Quinn Clark, Dwayne McDougle III and Owen Chambliss were among the names drawing attention for their recent work, the kind of positive momentum that tends to matter early in a season when roles are still taking shape and every snap carries a little more weight.
On the other side of the ledger, Cameron Lenhardt, Rex Guthrie and Tree Babalade were labeled as fallers after a quieter showing in Week 3, whether because of limited impact or not seeing much time on the field. None of that points to any confirmed shakeup in the roster, but it does underline the way Nebraska is sorting through usage as the season settles in, with some players clearly building cases and others needing a stronger response in the weeks ahead. [Read more 🡒]
Nebraska Is Fighting To Keep An In-State Four-Star Defender Interested
A familiar in-state recruiting priority was back on campus as Grand Island Central Catholic linebacker Owen Price made his first trip to Nebraska since the Huskers extended an offer. The 2028 four-star defender has already built relationships with defensive coordinator Rob Aurich and linebackers coach Rob Dvoracek, a positive early sign for a program that always has to treat local prospects as must-get players when they start drawing wider attention.
Price is still early in his process, but he is weighing multiple schools and his fit on defense could take several shapes at the next level. He is playing EDGE in high school right now, yet he is open to different roles in college, and Nebraska will get another chance to keep pressing its case when he returns later this year. [Read more 🡒]