Nebraska will put their unbeaten 5-0 mark on the line on Saturday when they lock horns with the Michigan State Spartans in a battle of ranked-teams. The Cornhuskers have started the season on fire thanks to their impressive rushing attack but will face their toughest yet when they meet the high-scoring Spartans this coming Saturday.
Read on for a complete preview of this Big Ten showdown and don’t miss our preview of the Alabama vs. Ole Miss matchup.
[sc:NCAAFArticles ]Nebraska Cornhuskers vs. Michigan State Spartans Betting Preview
Where: Spartan Stadium, Michigan
When: Saturday, October 4, 2014, 8:00 PM ET
Line: Nebraska Cornhuskers (+7) at Michigan State Spartans (-7); total 58.0 – view all NCAA Football lines
Betting on the Nebraska Cornhuskers
Nebraska’s season just keeps getting better. They defeated Illinois 45-14 last week to extend their perfect record to 5-0.
[sc:NCAA240banner ]Running back Ameer Abdullah was the star of the show for the Cornhuskers rushing for 208 yards on 22 carries for an incredible 9.5 yard per carry mark. He is currently the nation’s best rusher, running for 833 yards and eight touchdowns in Nebraska’s first five games.
He will face his toughest test this season, however, when he meets the Michigan State Spartans this coming Saturday. The Spartans have the fourth-best rushing defense in the Football Bowl Subdivision with opponents averaging just 78.3 yards against them.
Abdullah will be brimming with confidence though, given his past success against Michigan State. In his last two meetings with the Spartans, he has gone past the 100 yard mark and scored a touchdown in each of those contests.
In the game against the Illini last Sunday, the Huskers were relentless on the ground, rushing for 458 out of their 624 total yards. They are the second-best rushing team in the nation this season averaging 354.8 yards through their first five games.
The Cornhuskers under head coach Bo Pelini have a good track record of running the football against the Spartan defenses recently. They rushed for 190 yards in a 24-3 win over Michigan State back in 2011, gained 313 yards on the ground in a tight 28-24 victory in 2012, and pounded the ball for 182 yards last year in a 41-28 defeat.
They are 4-1 ATS this season.
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Betting on the Michigan State Spartans
Michigan State’s offensive onslaught continued last Saturday as they demolished Wyoming 56-14 to improve their record to 3-1.
It is the highest-scoring start for the Spartans in their school history with Michigan State averaging a whopping 50.3 points in their first four assignments this year. The Spartans scored 50 points or more for the second consecutive game, the first time they have done so since 1978.
Their home form has been impressive so far this season going 3-0 in their first three games at Spartan Stadium.
Just like Nebraska, the Spartans have relied mainly on their running game this season. They are 19th in the FBS in the rushing yards department with the Spartans averaging 252.0 a game. Running back Jeremy Langford has been the main weapon for Michigan State, rushing for 340 yards in his first four games.
It will be their defense though, that will be in the spotlight this coming weekend against Nebraska’s deadly rushing attack. Michigan State allowed Wyoming, the 99th-ranked offensive team in the nation, to manage three plays of 40 yards or longer in their last game.
The Spartans will need to be at their best against Nebraska as running back Abdullah is just playing lights-out football at the present time. He has already recorded three 200-yard games this season and is now being regarded as one of the top Heisman Trophy candidates this season at +1,800.
Michigan State will take heart in the fact that they are one of the best teams in the nation this season with regards to total defense. They are 11th in the FBS in this department with their opponents averaging just 289.0 total yards per game against them.
The Spartans are 10-0 SU in their last 10 home games dating back to September of last season.
Writer’s Prediction
The Spartans (-7) end Nebraska’s unbeaten run while handing Abdullah his worst totals of the year.
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