The last time Nebraska took the field against conference foe Northwestern, a beat down commenced to the tune of a 49-point blowout of the Wildcats.
That’s likely what’s informing the line for Saturday’s opener between the teams, as Nebraska opened as a double-digit favorite and currently sits at -10.5 at Tipico Sportsbook.
However, the sharp action coming in on the matchup, taking place in Dublin, Ireland, suggests it’ll be a lot more interesting than last season’s. While one bettor at Hard Rock Sportsbook threw $33,000 on the favored Cornhuskers to come away with a win, SuperBook was among the sportsbooks to see sharp action for the other side. Northwestern’s line has since dropped from 13.5 to 11 points there.
The @SuperBookSports was among the sportsbooks that saw sharp action come in on Northwestern over the last 24 hours.
The Wildcats had been as much as 13.5-point underdogs to Nebraska. The line is down to Cornhuskers -11.
— David Payne Purdum (@DavidPurdum) August 26, 2022
A bettor has placed a $33,000 bet at @HardRockSB for Nebraska to beat Northwestern tomorrow.
Would net $6,933 if Huskers win.
— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) August 26, 2022
According to Action Network data, the public is split 50-50 on bets against the spread, while 54% of the moneyline bets have been in favor of Northwestern. And Nebraska has seen a larger share of the money wagered.
It probably shouldn’t be so surprising to see conflicting bets on a neutral-site season opener between conference and division foes who finished the previous season with the same exact record.
That’s also probably a good reason to avoid the spread altogether and go with the wiser bet … for this game to fall under 51.5 points, as our Blake Schuster already advised and 77% of the public has backed.