Teams that have had a lot of success in season openers meet on Thursday when the Nebraska Cornhuskers battle the Minnesota Golden Gophers. It will also be the Big Ten opener for both schools. The Cornhuskers, who were 3-6 in conference and 4-8 overall in 2022, have won more than 75% of their season openers, going 98-30-5 in their history. They are 32-5 in the first game of the season since 1986. The Golden Gophers, who were 5-4 in the Big Ten and 9-4 overall a year ago, are 97-36-6 in season openers, including 5-2 over the past seven years.
The game from Huntington Bank Stadium in Minneapolis is set to kick off at 8 p.m. ET. Nebraska's defense allowed 414.4 yards per game last year, while Minnesota's allowed 295.1. The Golden Gophers are favored by 7.5 points in the latest Nebraska vs. Minnesota odds, while the over-under for total points scored is 43. Before making any Minnesota vs. Nebraska picks, be sure to check out the college football predictions and betting advice from SportsLine's proven computer model.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every FBS college football game 10,000 times. Since its inception, the proprietary computer model has generated a stunning profit of almost $2,500 for $100 players on its top-rated college football picks against the spread. Anyone who has followed it has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on Nebraska vs. Minnesota and just revealed its picks and predictions. You can visit SportsLine now to see the model's CFB picks. Here are several college football odds and trends for Minnesota vs. Nebraska:
- Nebraska vs. Minnesota spread: Minnesota -7.5
- Nebraska vs. Minnesota over/under: 43 points
- Nebraska vs. Minnesota money line: Nebraska +233, Minnesota -293
- NEB: Seven of Nebraska's last nine games have stayed Under the total
- MIN: Eight of Minnesota's last 11 home games have stayed Under the total
- Nebraska vs. Minnesota picks: See picks at SportsLine
Why Minnesota can cover
The Golden Gophers, who won both of their Thursday games a year ago, will be led by redshirt sophomore quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis. In 11 games, including five starts a year ago, he completed 60 of 111 passes (54.1%) for 946 yards and three touchdowns. He was picked off four times and had a rating of 127.4. He also carried 34 times for 140 yards (4.1 average) and one TD.
On defense, Minnesota will return its second-leading tackler from 2022 in linebacker Cody Lindenberg. The redshirt junior finished with 71 tackles, including 46 solo, and had one sack for two yards with two pass breakups. He was a man on a mission in the Pinstripe Bowl win over Syracuse, posting 11 tackles, including nine solo. He also had eight tackles, including five solo, with one sack in the win at Nebraska. See which team to pick here.
Why Nebraska can cover
Senior Marcus Washington is the Huskers' top returning wide receiver. He finished second to Trey Palmer, a sixth-round pick of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, in receptions with 31 for 471 yards (15.2 average) and one touchdown. In four seasons at the collegiate level, including his first three at Texas, Washington has 56 receptions for 837 yards (14.9 average) and four TDs. In a season-ending 24-17 win at Iowa, he caught three passes for 52 yards and a score.
Defensively, Nebraska returns its top tackler from a year ago in senior linebacker Luke Reimer. He finished with a team-high 86 tackles in 2022, including 38 solo with one sack for four years. He also broke up for passes and intercepted another. In four seasons at Nebraska, he has recorded 227 total stops, including 125 solo, with four sacks, four forced fumbles and two interceptions. See which team to pick here.
How to make Minnesota vs. Nebraska picks
SportsLine's model is leaning Under on the point total. The model also says one side of the spread hits well over 50% of the time. You can only see the model picks at SportsLine.
So who wins Nebraska vs. Minnesota, and which side of the spread hits well over 50% of the time? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the spread you need to jump on, all from the model that has notched a profit of almost $2,500 on its top-rated college football spread picks, and find out.
