Nebraska Cornhuskers Odds

Nebraska Cornhuskers 2023 Season Preview

The Nebraska Cornhuskers are entering the 2023 college football season with several changes and high hopes under the leadership of new head coach Matt Rhule. After a dismal 4-8 season, the fans in Lincoln are ready for a big change under Rhule, with the hope of returning to college football relevance.

The Cornhuskers' offense, led by offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield, aims to make strategic changes. Satterfield intends to restore the huddle as the "heart and soul" of the offense, emphasizing communication and connection. The offensive scheme prioritizes utilizing a fullback and multiple tight ends to control the line of scrimmage and enhance the running game. Georgia Tech transfer Jeff Sims is expected to be the starting quarterback, adding a running threat to the backfield. Key offensive players include running back Anthony Grant and tight end Thomas Fidone II. Nebraska was near the bottom of college football on offense last season, scoring only 21.2 points per game (101st in the nation).

Nebraska's defense, under the coordination of Tony White, is known for its dynamic and flexible approach. White employs a base 3-3-5 defense that can shift to various alignments based on the situation. The linebacker unit and secondary are expected to be strengths of the defense. Returning starters like linebacker Luke Reimer, defensive back Myles Farmer, and nickelback Isaac Gifford will play crucial roles. The defense aims to create chaos and control the line of scrimmage, led by a mix of experienced and new players. The defense in 2022 was only slightly better statistically than the offense, ranked 75th in the country with 28.5 PPG allowed.

With the arrival of new head coach Matt Rhule and the return of key players, there is optimism surrounding the Cornhuskers' 2023 season. The team aims to break a streak of six consecutive losing seasons and compete for bowl eligibility. Coach Rhule's track record of turning around programs and his commitment to restoring Nebraska's football glory contribute to the anticipation for the upcoming season.

The sportsbooks have Nebraska sitting at 8th to win the conference to start the season at +6000 consensus odds.

Nebraska Cornhuskers Point Spreads

The Cornhuskers were almost able to approach break-even for spread bettors, posting a 5-7 record. With spread bets, underdog teams (plus odds) only have to lose by less than the spread to cover and win the bet. Favored teams (minus odds) have to win by more than the spread to pay off for their backers. Here’s an example:

• Nebraska +12 (-110)
• Iowa -12 (-110)

If the Cornhuskers lose, 26-20, they still cover the spread, since they lost by only six. Of course, winning the game outright as an underdog is always a cover as well. Iowa would need to win by 13 or more to cover, and if the winning margin was exactly 12, both teams would tie against the spread.

Nebraska Cornhuskers Over/Unders

Over/unders, also known as totals, are bets on how many points are scored in a game. Unsurprisingly, Nebraska's poor offense meant that the team did not hit the Over on many of their games. The team was 4-8 on hitting the over (33.3%) in 2022.

Using the Iowa game as an example, let’s say sportsbooks set the total at 52. With the 26-20 final score, this is a win for under bets. If you bet on the over, you would need 53 or more points to be scored to win. Had the game finished at exactly 52, both the over and the under would “push,” which is a tie that sees the original bet returned.

Nebraska Cornhuskers Moneylines

Moneylines are another common college football bet. It works like a spread bet, but how much a team wins by doesn’t matter — the winner of the game is the winner of the moneyline bet.

Moneyline odds are a bit confusing, but it helps if you think of them in $100 increments. If Nebraska is a +360 underdog against Iowa, a win for Nebraska would pay $100 moneyline bettors $360. If the Cornhuskers were favored at -360 odds, that bettor would need to risk $360 to win $100.

Nebraska Cornhuskers Props

Proposition, or prop, bets are wagers on a player’s stat line at the end of the game, and they work like over/unders. There are props available for most skill position players.

Bettors may want to wait to see how Rhule's offensive scheme will work with the team's new players before getting too far into Nebraska prop bets.

Nebraska Cornhuskers Futures

The futures market isn’t kind to the Cornhuskers in 2023, giving them longshot odds to win the Big Ten title. Futures are bets on the entire season, and they're priced like moneylines or over/unders, depending on the bet. Other Cornhuskers futures include over/under team wins, odds to win the national title and player awards markets.