College Football Season Preview: Nebraska Cornhuskers Win Total Preview, Prediction and Best Bets

The Nebraska Cornhuskers have not made a bowl game since 2016 and its fanbase is eager to finally get back to that stage.

The hiring of Matt Rhule brought high hopes for the Nebraska community, however, the Huskers finished 2023 with a 5-7 record in Rhule's first year. Entering the second year of the Matt Rhule era, Nebraska's schedule is very manageable and it is all lined up for the Huskers to finally punch their bowl game ticket.

Nebraska Cornhuskers Win Total

• OVER 7.5 (-125)

• UNDER 7.5 (+105)

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.

Nebraska Cornhuskers Offensive Preview

Nebraska’s offense will be an improved unit this season, relying on high pedigree recruits and transfers to pick up the slack from last season.

Highly touted freshman quarterback Dylan Raiola appears to be the starting quarterback this season. Raiola put together a solid spring game performance and has generated a lot of buzz from the Nebraska faithful.

Nebraska will likely have a deep committee in the backfield. With the lack of an every-down running back, expect Nebraska to utilize all three of their running backs to build a solid rush attack.

The most impactful transfer for the Nebraska Cornhuskers will be wide receiver Jahmal Banks, who transfers in from Wake Forest. Banks is a solid route runner and possesses the talent to be an impactful collegiate receiver, though he is coming off of a down season with the Demon Deacons.

Nebraska’s offensive line is solid across the board and will be a unit that the offense can depend on as the new faces at the skill position build chemistry.

Nebraska Cornhuskers Defensive Preview

The Nebraska defense built momentum to end the season in 2023 and didn't allow more than 24 points in a game during the final seven games of the season. This season, Nebraska will return eight starters from that squad to round out one of the better defenses in the Big Ten.

Nebraska’s front seven will be a solid unit and arguably the strength of this defense. In 2023 the Nebraska defensive line controlled the line of scrimmage well led by the defensive tackle Nash Hutmacher. They will lean on this front seven to set the tone and play classic Cornhusker football.

The secondary for Nebraska will have to replace a few players, but should still be a strong unit. Tommi Hill returns at cornerback for his senior season after leading the Cornhuskers with 4 interceptions in 2023. Isaac Gifford returns for his senior season at safety after leading the Huskers with 86 tackles a season ago. Gifford and Hill will be leaned upon to lead a more inexperienced group.

Nebraska Cornhuskers Outlook and Prediction

Nebraska looks to make its first bowl game since 2016. With a manageable schedule this season they have a great opportunity to do so.

Nebraska opens up this season with three non-conference home games against UTEP, Colorado, and Northern Iowa, and the Huskers should be favored in all three of those games.

Nebraska then opens their conference schedule with a home matchup against Illinois and a road matchup against the Purdue Boilermakers. After this stretch of games, there is a real chance the Nebraska Cornhuskers open the season with a 5-0 record.

The schedule then toughens up down the stretch for Nebraska as they do have a trip to Columbus to take on the Ohio State Buckeyes as well as road matchups at USC and Iowa.

Given that the team will be favored in its first five games, it's possible the Cornhuskers will start out 5-0. After that, piecing together three more wins in their next seven games to end the season shouldn’t be too difficult. Bettors should buy stock in Nebraska going OVER 7.5 wins in 2024.

Pick: Nebraska Cornhuskers OVER 7.5 Wins (-125)

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.