The No. 20 Wisconsin Badgers (7-3, 5-2 in Big Ten) hosts the Nebraska Cornhuskers (3-7, 1-6) Saturday for a Big Ten West battle at Camp Randall Stadium. The kickoff is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. ET. Below, we look at the Nebraska vs. Wisconsin odds and lines, and make our expert college football picks, predictions and bets.
Rankings courtesy of the AFCA Coaches Poll powered by USA TODAY Sports.
Nebraska entered its bye in Week 11 with a 26-17 loss to the No. 5 Ohio State Buckeyes as 14-point home underdogs on Nov. 6.
The Cornhuskers have lost four straight and six of their last seven games, five of which were by a one-score margin.
Nebraska is 5-4-1 ATS and 4-5-1 O/U with the 15th-toughest strength of schedule, according to USA Today’s Jeff Sagarin.
Wisconsin won its sixth consecutive game Saturday by teeing off on the Northwestern Wildcats 35-7 as 25.5-point home favorites. The Badgers are 6-4 ATS and 5-5 O/U with the 12th-toughest schedule, according to Sagarin.
The Badgers have won eight of their nine meetings with the Cornhuskers (6-3 ATS) since Nebraska joined the Big Ten in 2011. Last season’s Wisconsin-Nebraska was canceled due to the Covid-altered 2020 season.
Nebraska at Wisconsin odds, spread and lines
Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Friday at 6 p.m. ET.
- Money line: Nebraska +320 (bet $100 to win $320) | Wisconsin -420 (bet $420 to win $100)
- Against the spread (ATS): Nebraska +9.5 (-105) | Wisconsin -9.5 (-120)
- Over/Under (O/U): 43.5 (O: -112 | U: -108)
PLAY: Free, daily sports pick’em contests. Play now!
Nebraska at Wisconsin odds, lines, picks and predictions
Prediction
Wisconsin 24, Nebraska 21
Money line
PASS with a slight “lean” to Nebraska (+320) because I’m taking the Cornhuskers plus the points and if I were to bet any side of this money line it would be the road team at a chunky payout.
I know Nebraska fans aren’t stoked about their 3-win season currently and had higher hopes for head coach Scott Frost’s tenure. But, Nebraska has shown up vs. some good teams this season.
Six of Nebraska’s seven losses have been by one score and the Cornhuskers are due for a big upset. Nebraska hung around with No. 4 Ohio State Buckeyes and held a fourth-quarter lead against the No. 7. Michigan Wolverines.
Against the spread
BET NEBRASKA +9,5 (-105) for 1 unit because the Cornhuskers have played tight games all season long.
Also, since Frost took over the program in 2018, Nebraska is 8-4 ATS as a road underdog and 6-5 ATS vs. ranked teams.
Furthermore, we have “reverse line movement” in Nebraska’s direction. For instance, Circa Sports in Las Vegas opened this game with Wisconsin laying 10 points.
According to Pregame.com, roughly two-thirds of the handle is on Wisconsin but the line has been lowered. I don’t know about you but I get suspicious whenever I see sportsbooks make the more popular side cheaper.
Also, I think this is a good sell-high spot for a Wisconsin team that’s pasted opponents over the past five weeks. The Badgers are a solid squad but they are due for a dogfight in Big Ten play. I think Nebraska gives Wisconsin a game on Saturday.
Over/Under
PASS since my predicted score is fairly close to the projected total and I don’t have a great read on this one either way.
For what it’s worth, Nebraska-Wisconsin opened with a 40.5-point total at Circa Sports and has been steamed up to 43.5.
At the current price, we are seeing more money come in on the Under whereas more bets have been placed on the Over.
Typically, I’d like to follow the money in this spot especially when it’s opposite of the public. But, I’m not sold on either direction of the total.
If you’re looking for more sports betting picks and tips, access all of our content at SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW. Please gamble responsibly.
Follow Geoff Clark on Twitter. SportsbookWire on Twitter and like us on Facebook.
College sports coverage from USA TODAY Sports Media Group:
Alabama / Arkansas / Auburn / Colorado / Florida / Georgia / LSU / Michigan / Michigan State / Notre Dame / Ohio State / Oklahoma / Oregon / Penn State / Rutgers / Tennessee / Texas / USC / Wisconsin / College Football News
Gannett may earn revenue from Tipico for audience referrals to betting services. Tipico has no influence over nor are any such revenues in any way dependent on or linked to the newsrooms or news coverage. See Tipico.com for Terms and Conditions. 21+ only. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER (NJ), 1-800-522-4700 (CO), 1-800-BETS-OFF (IA).
[lawrence-newsletter]
[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1622]