Nebraska football vs Minnesota: Odds, how to watch, and a prediction

The wait has taken forever, but fear not, Nebraska football fans, game week has finally arrived.

We didn’t have to deal with the Huskers playing during Week 0 for the first time in two years and that was refreshing. Yet, Nebraska football will still be on a national stage on Thursday night as the game will be broadcast to a national audience.

In terms of how to watch Nebraska football vs. Minnesota, you need to have Fox Sports or you can stream the game on the Fox Sports App. Fubo TV is another great streaming option, and you can also listen to the game on Huskers.com if you need to.

But now, let’s break down the odds for Nebraska vs. Minnesota.

Nebraska vs. Minnesota odds

According to Draft Kings, Nebraska football is a 7.5-point underdog going into Thursday’s game. That means that the Gophers would need to win by more than a touchdown.

The line has dropped a little. It was over eight at one point. The over/under is just 43.5; the money line for Nebraska football is +250 and for Minnesota, it’s -310.

Nebraska football vs. Minnesota prediction against the spread

This is a fascinating matchup for the first game of the season for Matt Rhule. His programs have been known for starting slow and Minnesota is a big-time opponent.

The Gophers aren’t Ohio State or Michgan. But they went 9-4 last season and have a strong tradition under P.J. Fleck. Minnesota graduated its starting quarterback and running back from last season.

However, Athan Kaliakmanis got some experience last season and beat Nebraska when he played in the second half. He also threw for over 300 yards against Wisconsin but also completed fewer than 60 percent of his passes.

At running back, Minnesota added Sean Tyler, a big-time transfer from Western Michigan. He’s not Ibrahim, but he’s damn good. The offensive line is big and experienced and the defense was 8th in total defense a year ago, as well as first in the Big Ten in third-down defense, returning some key pieces in the secondary.

Yet, Nebraska’s defense is going to be good too. Jeff Sims will need to have a solid performance and the offensive and defensive lines need to hold up. I keep hearing people question the O-line. But the D-line has to stand tall in this game or Minnesota will grind out a win, as it did last season.

At the end of the day, Nebraska football will battle, but come up short. Minnesota will prove to be better in the trenches and I’ve got the Gophers winning a close game.

Game 1: Minnesota 23, Nebraska 20 

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