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The Big Ten is getting into action as Purdue will host Nebraska on Saturday afternoon. It is time to continue our college football odds series with a Nebraska-Purdue prediction and pick.
The Nebraska Cornhuskers are coming off their first loss of the campaign. After starting the year 3-0 and seeing themselves in the Top 25, they would lose to Illinois last Friday night at home. Now, Matt Rhule and the Cornhuskers look to bounce back against a weak Purdue opponent. Nebraska has a favorable schedule. They do play on the road at Ohio State and USC, but outside of that, they have a chance to win every other contest, giving themselves a slight chance at making the College Football Playoff. However, Nebraska must beat one of those two teams on the road to have a shot.
Purdue started the year beating Indiana State 49-0. Since then, they have been outscored 104-28. They allowed Notre Dame to come into town and beat them 66-7, and then they lost to Oregon State 38-21 last week on the road. The light does not look bright ahead for the Boilermakers. Purdue will face No. 19 Illinois, No. 8 Oregon, No. 3 Ohio State, and No. 9 Penn State this season. They will be lucky to win six games.
Here are the College Football odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
College Football Odds: Nebraska-Purdue Odds
Nebraska: -10.5 (+100)
Moneyline: -375
Purdue: +10.5 (-122)
Moneyline: +290
Over: 47.5 (-105)
Under: 47.5 (-115)
How to Watch Nebraska vs. Purdue
Time: Noon ET/9:00 am PT
TV: Peacock
Stream: fuboTV (Free Trial)
Why Nebraska Could Cover The Spread/Win
The leader of this offense, Dylan Raiola, will lead his team to victory on Saturday. The freshman is turning into a young star in front of everyone's eyes. When you are being compared to Patrick Mahomes, you know that is a good thing. Yes, they have the same hair and facial features, but the play on the field is similar as well. Raiola has the arm strength and finesse that show similarities to the 3-time NFL champion. Raiola is up to 967 passing yards with eight touchdowns and two picks through four games. He is currently 30th in the nation with a 74.0 QBR.
The freshman can also run the rock. You cannot look at QB's total rush yards anymore in college football. They have manipulated the statistic by making sacks a part of the yard's total. He has runs of 15 and 12 on the season, showing he can be a duel threat. Raiola must play mistake-free football on Saturday and if he does, the Cornhuskers will cover the spread and win comfortably.
Running back Dante Doowdell is balling out. On 51 carries, he is up to 256 yards and three touchdowns, averaging 5.0 yards per carry. Receiver Isaiah Neyor has four touchdowns already on 277 yards.
This will be Nebraska's first away game of the year. They hosted their first four games and now must showcase the same abilities on the road. The last time Purdue hosted a game they allowed 66 points.
Why Purdue Could Cover The Spread/Win
The Boilermakers offense is yet to find their identity. Building an identity starts under center and the QB play has been sub-par to begin the year. Hudson Card, a transfer from Texas who left because of the arrivals of Quinn Ewers and Arch Manning, is the starting QB for Purdue. He started last season as well, passing for 2,387 yards and 15 touchdowns. Now, he has 453 yards, six TDs, and three interceptions. The Boilermakers have yet to get into a rhythm.
One bright spot, running back Devin Mockobee is averaging 7.7 yards per carry and is up to 276 yards on the season. He needs to carry the rock more. His backup, Reggie Love III is averaging 6.1 yards per carry and has 165 yards and two touchdowns. It seems they can run the ball efficiently.
Purdue will have to showcase a new game plan if they want to beat Nebraska. They have a shot at covering the spread, but they need multiple stops defensively. Purdue won't score much, and they can not let Nebraska score more than 30 points or they won't cover. They need to make Raiola turn the ball over at least once.
Final Nebraska-Purdue Prediction & Pick
This will be an interesting opener for the conference slate for both of these teams. A big win for Nebraska could propel them to having a great season. Take the Cornhuskers to cover this spread on the road to improve to 4-1 on the season. I would also consider buying a point and taking Nebraska at -9.5 to cover if they win by 10. It's a safer bet that way.
Final Nebraska-Purdue Prediction & Pick: Nebraska -10.5 (+100)
