Mike Riley is as good as gone. The Nebraska Cornhuskers coach is probably going to post his second losing season in three years in Lincoln and with the AD that hired him gone, his days as the head coach of Nebraska are numbered. New AD Bill Moos has not even given him a vote of confidence, only saying that Riley “deserved to finish the season”. Even with wins this week against the Penn State Nittany Lions and next week against the Iowa Hawkeyes, the Cornhuskers would only be 6-6 and that would still spell the end of his tenure.
This matchup in Week 12 of the regular season will take place on Saturday, November 18, 2017, at 4 p.m. ET at Beaver Stadium in University Park, Pennsylvania. This game will be broadcast on FOX Sports 1.
College Football Opening Odds at BookMaker.eu
Nebraska +26
Penn State -26
Over/Under 57
Odds Analysis
After losses to Ohio State and Michigan State in two of the last three weeks, Penn State’s Big Ten and national title aspirations are out the window, but this team still has a great chance to finish at 10-2. The Nittany Lions covered six of their first eight games this season, but failed to cover each of the last two.
Getting blown out in a game that Vegas considered a toss-up sealed Riley’s fate. Nebraska was never close against a 5-5 Minnesota team, losing 54-21 as the Cornhuskers defense got totally gashed. The Cornhuskers are 3-7 ATS this season.
Bettors have jumped all over Penn State here. The Nittany Lions opened as a 23-point favorite, but that has already risen three points and may go up even further.
Key Stat
Minnesota barely even bothered to throw the ball last week against Nebraska considering how much success it had on the ground. The Golden Gophers ran the ball 45 times for 409 yards and six touchdowns against this defense as quarterback Demry Croft set a school record for rushing yards from a quarterback in a game.
This was the game where the dam broke for the Huskers. Nebraska has been bad at stopping the run all year long, but even this was stunning. On the year, Nebraska is giving up 5.4 yards per carry, a number that puts them outside the top 100 in that category nationwide.
Saquon Barkley must be excited to go up against this defense. Barkley has been one of the best running backs in the country this season and should be able to put up big numbers against a porous defense like Nebraska’s. He has probably lost out on his chance to win the Heisman because of his performances since the Iowa game, but he is going to explode and pass the 1,000-yard mark for the year here.
Injury to Watch
As of Tuesday, we’re unsure who Nebraska’s quarterback will be on Saturday. The Cornhuskers have used Tulane transfer Tanner Lee for much of the season, but Lee suffered a concussion in the loss to Minnesota and was replaced by freshman Patrick O’Brien. Lee is in the concussion protocol and it’s unclear whether or not he will be cleared to play.
O’Brien wasn’t that bad in the loss to Minnesota. He went 12-18 for 137 yards, but was doing it against a defense that had already eased up in the blowout win. If he ends up getting the start, take a hard look at Penn State laying the points.
Free ATS Pick
Penn State faces an injury depleted Maryland team next week so there should not be a look-ahead factor to worry about in this game. James Franklin has shown he isn’t afraid to blow teams out and offensive coordinator Joe Moorhead isn’t afraid to keep taking shots late in the game. That will lead to a huge win for the Nittany Lions.
College Football Odds: Penn State 48, Nebraska 17s
BookMaker offers play-by-play betting odds for live sporting events every day! The user-friendly wagering interface on your smartphone provides an easy way to place bets on the go. Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute, so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker Sportsbook!
