Iowa vs Nebraska Prediction, Odds Against Spread and Over/Under for College Football Week 13

Memorial Stadium in Lincoln is the scene for No. 17 Iowa vs. Nebraska on Friday under the lights.

The Iowa Hawkeyes improved to 9-2 overall and 6-2 in conference play with a 33-23 win over the Illinois Fighting Illini in Week 12. It was Iowa’s third straight win since dropping back-to-back games to Purdue and Wisconsin. 

The team was led in victory by RB Tyler Goodson with 132 yards on 27 carries and added one catch for six yards. QB Alex Padilla struggled mightily going 6-for-17 with 83 yards and an interception. The Hawkeyes won despite this thanks to a pick-six, and a kick returned for a touchdown. They also made four of five field goals with the longest being 51 yards. For a team ranked as high as Iowa, this was a close call and a lucky break after such a poor offensive showing. 

Nebraska meanwhile fell to 3-8 after getting beat 35-28 by Wisconsin in a game that was a lot closer than it should have been. The loss dropped them to 1-7 in conference pay and was the team’s fifth loss in a row and seventh in their last eight games. 

Here are the odds for this Big Ten matchup, courtesy of WynnBET Sportsbook.

Iowa vs Nebraska Spread and Over/Under

Spread:

• Iowa: +3.5 (-110) 

• Nebraska: -3.5  (-110) 

Moneyline:

• Iowa: +140

• Nebraska: -160

Total:

• 45.5 (Over -110/Under -110)

Iowa vs Nebraska Betting Trends

• The Hawkeyes are 1-4 against the spread (ATS) in their last five games. 
• The UNDER is 8-4 in the Hawkeyes’ last 12 games. 
• Iowa is 6-0 straight up (SU) in their last six games against the Cornhuskers. 
• The Hawkeyes are 1-4 ATS in their last five games against the Big Ten.
• The Cornhuskers are 7-3 ATS in their last 10 games. 
• The Cornhuskers are 0-5 SU in their last five games. 
• The Cornhuskers are 4-2 ATS in their last six home games. 
• The OVER s 4-1 in the last five games between these two teams. 

Iowa vs Nebraska Prediction and Pick

Looking over Iowa’s offensive statistics, it’s amazing to me how they manage to continue winning. QB Alex Padilla started last week over Spencer Petras despite having just 522 total yards passing and a TD/INT ratio of 2/1. Petras, meanwhile,  has 1,430 yards passing this season with a TD/INT ratio of 9/6 and a QBR of 44.7. While the two usually split work, Petras hasn’t seen the field sin he went 2-for-4 with 4 yards against Northwestern on Nov. 6.  

On the flipside, despite a bad record and not being ranked, the Cornhuskers have a dual-threat QB instead of two non-threatening ones like Iowa. Adrian Martinez has 2,863 yards with 14 but has added 10 interceptions to the mix. Martinez has talent but must cut down on the turnovers. 

Despite their 3-8 overall record, Nebraska has done well against the spread and covered seven of their last 10 games and have lost by nine point or less in all five games during their losing streak. So, they are getting beat but not bad enough for an ATS loss.

This feels like a great game for Nebraska to end the season with a victory over their conference rivals.  Iowa is tied for the lead in the Big Ten West and could play in the title game if they win and Wisconsin loses. But, I think Nebraska puts a halt to that plan and hands the Cornhuskers their third loss of the year while the Badgers head to the Big Ten Championship. 

Pick. Nebraska -3.5 (-110)