Nebraska at Minnesota Preview & Prediction (CollegeFootballNews.com)

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Link: https://collegefootballnews.com/college-football/nebraska-vs-minnesota-prediction-preview-2025

Nebraska vs. Minnesota Prediction: Who Will Throw Better?
by Pete Fiutak, CollegeFootballNews.com

No one seems to be taking Nebraska seriously, but at 5-1, they're deep in the mix for the College Football Playoff.

There's still work to do, but go 5-1 over the second half of the season, and they're a mortal lock to be in.

That's a stretch, and they'll have to fight off the Matt Rhule-to-Penn State distraction, but with Penn State struggling now, and USC a home game, beating Minnesota keeps all the dreams on track.

Minnesota got over the Ohio State beating with a decent performance against Purdue, but three of the next four games are on the road, including Cockeye and Oregon.

This is a must-win to avoid any drama and concerns over the back half of the year.

Nebraska (5-1) at Minnesota (4-2)
Friday, October 17 - 8:00 PM (ET) - FOX

Why Nebraska Will Win
Minnesota might be 4-2, but it's doing this with Scotch tape, spit and a few prayers.

The running game is shockingly non-existent. There's more of an emphasis on the passing attack, but that's not really the point.

Even when the Gophers try to run, it doesn't work -- they haven't even been close in the three Big Ten games so far.

Nebraska got run over by Michigan, but it did a nice job against Michigan State and Maryland over the last few weeks. The Terps hit the midrange throws, but that will be a problem for Minnesota against the nation's No. 1 pass defense.

Why Minnesota Will Win
Let me see how I can put it........

Nebraska is 5-1 with a now-fantastic-looking win over Cincinnati, and a strong performance at Maryland last week, but outside of Dylan Raiola and the passing attack, there's not a lot of there, there.

The ground game is okay, but not great.

Yeah, the D is amazing against the pass, but statistically, that's mostly because it hasn't faced a slew of bombers, and Cincinnati and Michigan were too busy ripping off chunks of yards against the Husker run defense.

Minnesota is more of a find-a-way bunch right now. There are no penalties, the turnovers have been almost non-existent other than the two key ones against Cal, and the pass rush is just strong enough to bother Raiola. So ........

Can Nebraska Limit the Turnovers?
The Huskers got away with three turnovers in the win over Maryland. That's not going to work against a Minnesota defense that survived Purdue on four takeaways.

This will be close to the very end, with it coming down to 1) who screws up more, and 2) who's sharper through the air. These two need to do the same thing to keep the offense moving, and Nebraska does what it does way better.

Prediction
Nebraska 27, Minnesota 20

Spread
Nebraska is favored on the road by 8.5 points

 

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Other Big Ten picks for this week:

MARYLAND at UCLA (-3.5)
UCLA is the worst team in America at coming up with third down stops. That part of the equation hasn't improved since the coaching change. Maryland is a takeaway machine with 12 picks so far. Most were in the opener against Florida Atlantic, but it came up with three against Nebraska last week. Nico doesn't throw picks. UCLA 30, Maryland 26

MICHIGAN STATE at INDIANA (-27.5)
There is talent on the Spartans, and the coaching staff is better than it’s shown so far, but the lines just aren’t playing well enough right now. It might take a little bit to get up to speed, but the offense will find its way after the first few drives, and the defense will stuff just about everything the Spartans try to do on the ground. Even so, Michigan State will score enough points to push the numbers up a bit. Indiana 41, Michigan State 16

OHIO STATE (-25.5) at WISCONSIN
Really, can the Badgers do anything against the Buckeyes? No. There will be a few okay drives, and a field goal here and there will be nice, but all the stops being pulled out by Luke #2ndChoice and the coaching staff will run out midway through the second quarter. Julian Sayin and the Buckeye deep passing game will start to click after a slow start, and then the floodgates will open. Ohio State 37, Wisconsin 6

OREGON (-17.5) at RUTGERS
It's not like Oregon had to deal with life after a loss last year - it didn't drop a game until the Rose Bowl against Ohio State in the College Football Playoff. Don't expect anything fancy. The Ducks will start pounding right away against a Rutgers defensive front that's allowing close to five yards per carry, and will get hit with close to six yards per run in this. Rely on the lines, own third downs, get back home for the week off against Wisconsin. Oregon 38, Rutgers 20

PENN STATE at Cockeye (-3)
Will the fresh start for Penn State matter? It’s possible. Somehow, under Terry Smith, Penn State has to score right away and get the offense moving. ANY sort of positive momentum in the first quarter would work wonders. Make Cockeye press, get a few big defensive plays, and change the narrative. Penn State took the ball away seven times in the three wins. In the three losses? Once. Cockeye has turned it over three times in the last two weeks, but it’ll grind this game down to a nub in the second half to get out with a good, tough win. Cockeye 23, Penn State 16

PURDUE at NORTHWESTERN (-3.5)
The last time Northwestern won four games in a row was the start of the bizarre 2020 season. That team went on to play for the Big Ten Championship. The fourth win was against … Purdue. At home, the defense will hold up, the offense will play it close to the vest and avoid mistakes, and it’ll be yet another low-scoring, close game at the most beautiful setting in college football. Northwestern 24, Purdue 20

USC at NOTRE DAME (-9.5)
Be really, really disappointed if this isn't one of the best games of the weekend. Yeah, both defenses are solid, both can get into the backfield and be disruptive, and ... Whatever. Expect the Irish and Trojans to trade shots all game long as they roll up and down the field with huge momentum shifts throughout. Maiava will be terrific, the Notre Dame running backs will take over for stretches, and it'll be everything you want out of a game of this magnitude. The buzz around Carr is growing, and it's about to get even louder. After a tough first quarter - and three first half USC sacks - Carr will settle in after the running game starts to move. Just when it seems like USC is about to take control in the second half ... boom. The big plays will come from the Irish passing game. A late Irish takeaway will seal it. Notre Dame 34, USC 30

WASHINGTON at MICHIGAN (-5.5)
To hammer this home too hard, both teams are unbeaten when they run well, and all three losses between the two came when the ground attacks didn’t produce. Underwood will get all the hype and spotlight, but Washington quarterback Demond Williams will be more accurate, a bit more explosive, and a lot sharper in key situations. Washington 26, Michigan 24

 

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I think Rutgers sucks, but I would be tempted to take them + the points considering Oregon will be playing their 3rd straight game on a different coast.