Nebraska’s first Big Ten road test of the season comes with a familiar backdrop: a conference opener, a trip to Spartan Stadium and a Michigan State team that has made the Huskers sweat in close games before. The Daily Nebraskan’s senior staff is leaning Nebraska, but not by much.
Alex Berry sees a 21-17 Huskers win, while Eli Rodriguez projects a 28-17 Nebraska victory. Matthew Malloy has it 24-14, and Kyler Cox goes with 27-17. Across the board, the message is the same: Nebraska’s non-conference run is over, and the real measuring stick starts now.
Berry pointed to Michigan State’s ground game as the biggest obstacle. The Spartans have senior running back Cam Edwards, a 5-foot-11, 206-pound back who flashed explosiveness with 152 rushing yards against Eastern Michigan in Week 2.
He was held to 38 yards on 12 carries against No. 3 Notre Dame last week, but Berry noted Edwards’ big junior season at UCONN, when he posted 1,240 total rushing yards and 15 touchdowns while averaging 5.9 yards per carry.
That matchup, Berry wrote, will put the Blackshirts to work, even if Nebraska’s offense is facing what he called an average defense on paper.
Berry’s extra calls: Luke Lindenmeyer scores his first touchdown of the season on a dump-off in the flat near the goal line, and Aurich’s defense comes away with two or more sacks and two or more turnovers.
Rodriguez framed the game as Nebraska’s first real Big Ten challenge after the Huskers finished the non-conference slate undefeated for a third straight season. He also pointed out that Nebraska’s last two trips to Spartan Stadium ended in three-point losses.
Still, he likes what he’s seen from Matt Rhule’s team through three games, even against Ohio, Bowling Green and North Dakota. In his view, Nebraska’s offensive talent is the separator, especially with freshman star Jamal Rule, Jacory Barney Jr. and Kwazi Gilmer in the mix.
Rodriguez’s extra picks: Anthony Colandrea throws for 200-plus yards, Jamal Rule scores two touchdowns, Nyziah Hunter gets his first touchdown of the season and Andrew Marshall picks off his first pass of the year.
Malloy also expects the game to turn on the ground. He noted that five of the last six meetings between Nebraska and Michigan State were decided by five points or less, with last year’s 38-27 Nebraska win in Lincoln as the exception. Michigan State’s new starting quarterback, Alessio Milivojevic, could lean on the run game, and Malloy thinks Cam Edwards will bounce back after being bottled up by Notre Dame.
He also highlighted senior linebacker Jordan Hall, who has stayed with Michigan State through two head coaching changes. Even so, Malloy picked Nebraska to get the road win behind Colandrea and Dana Holgerson’s offense.
Malloy’s extra calls: Jamal Rule rushes for two touchdowns and 100-plus yards for the third time this season, the Blackshirts record three sacks and Jordan Hall forces a turnover.
Cox sees a tougher challenge than Nebraska has faced so far, but still likes the Huskers to keep rolling. He said the offense is what has sold him on Nebraska’s potential in 2026, though he flagged two questions: whether Jamal Rule takes over the lead back role and whether Nyziah Hunter gets more involved. Cox expects Hunter to be more active after leading the team in targets last week, and he thinks the Rule-Mekhi Nelson pairing will continue to give Nebraska a dangerous one-two punch.
Cox’s extra picks: Rule and Nelson combine for more than 200 rushing yards, and Owen Chambliss records his first interception of the season.
The standings after three games show Berry, Malloy and Cox all at 3-0. Berry holds a plus-48 margin, Malloy is at plus-51 and Cox sits at plus-55.
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Nebraskas Big Ten Opener Puts Its Fast Start Under Real Pressure
Nebraskas fast start is about to get a different kind of test as Big Ten play opens against Michigan State, with the Huskers installed as 5.5-point favorites. The matchup brings a sharper edge than the early-season schedule, especially for a Nebraska team that has leaned on its rushing offense, gotten key work from special teams and needs its quarterback to keep operating behind solid protection.
Michigan State has also shown signs of improvement under coach Pat Fitzgerald, which makes this less of a routine conference opener than the record might suggest. The numbers point to a game Nebraska should be able to control if it keeps winning in the trenches and avoids self-inflicted trouble, but the gap between a promising start and a real Big Ten statement is exactly what this weekend is about. [Read more 🡒]