Nebraska Football Opens as One-Score Road Favorites for Friday Night Minnesota Matchup

For back-to-back weeks, the Huskers are favored heading into a Big Ten road tilt as Nebraska opened as a 5½-point favorite at Minnesota.

Nebraska players celebrate with wide receiver Dane Key after Key's 3-yard touchdown catch put the Huskers up 19-10 against Cincinnati. | Kenny Larabee, KLIN

Nebraska football continues to gain the support of oddsmakers in true Big Ten road environments.

For the second time in as many weeks, the Huskers (5-1, 2-1 B1G) opened as 5½-point favorites for a road test, this one at Minnesota on Friday in early betting lines. The consensus line as of Sunday morning adjusted slightly, as Minnesota gained a half-point back, resetting the line with Nebraska as five-point favorites.

DraftKings set Nebraska's line at the 5½-point consensus open, while FanDuel placed the Huskers as a 4½-point favorite. Nebraska will play as a favorite for the sixth time this season, and returns as a road favorite after taking down Maryland 34-31 on Saturday in College Park.

Nebraska has been listed as an underdog just once this season, falling to Michigan 30-27 at Memorial Stadium on Sept. 20. The Huskers have been favorites in every other contest, including its neutral-site matchup with Cincinnati in the season opener on Aug. 28 at Kansas City's Arrowhead Stadium.

Dylan Raiola takes a snap from Justin Evans during Nebraska's 2025 game vs. Cincinnati at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City | Kenny Larabee, KLIN

The opening over/under total for Nebraska and Minnesota was set at 47½ total points and remained at that line entering Sunday morning. The total is slightly lower than the Huskers' previous road matchup, as Nebraska and Maryland's total was originally listed at 50½ points.

Nebraska is 2-4 this season against the spread in 2025, going 2-2 at Memorial Stadium, 0-2 on the road, and 1-3 as a favorite. The Huskers won the season opener over Cincinnati 20-17 but failed to cover as six-point favorites, but rebounded with blowout wins over Akron (68-0) and Houston Christian (59-7) as 34½-point favorites against the Zips and 48½-point favorites against the Huskies. Nebraska's 30-27 loss to Michigan failed to cover the Nebraska 1½-point underdog line, as the Huskers then failed to cover the final 13-point spread in a 38-27 home win over Michigan State and the seven-point spread in the 34-31 road victory at Maryland Saturday.

The Huskers are 5-1 on the season in their over/under history, going a perfect 4-0 at home in point totals. However, Nebraska failed to cover the point total in its season opener at Arrowhead Stadium against Cincinnati, but did hit the over against Akron (47½ points), Houston Christian (59½ points), Michigan (47½ points), and Michigan State (48½ points). Nebraska is now 1-0 in road over/unders, notching 65 total points in the Huskers' road win Saturday and covering the 47½ total points.

Minnesota Golden Gophers defensive back Koi Perich makes a pick-six for the winning score Saturday night against the Purdue Boilermakers. | Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

Minnesota (4-2, 2-1 B1G) is 1-4-1 against the spread this season, going 1-2-1 at home, 0-2 on the road, 0-3-1 as a favorite, and 0-1 as an underdog. In its last five matchups, Minnesota covered against the spread once, winning 66-0 over Northwestern State as a 43-point favorite. The Gophers had lost three straight against the spread, failing to cover in road losses to California 27-14 as a 2½-point favorite and at 42-3 at Ohio State as a 23½-point underdog. The Gophers have split their covers in Big Ten play, as Minnesota failed to cover a 3½-point spread in their 31-28 win over Rutgers but met the seven-point spread in Saturday's 27-20 home win over Purdue.

The Golden Gophers are 3-3 in over/under totals this season, going 2-2 at home, 1-1 on the road, and 1-3 as an over/under favorite. In Minnesota's last five games, the Gophers are 2-3, hitting the over against Northwestern State (50½ total points), Rutgers (51½ points), and Ohio State (42½ points). Minnesota has been close in its two over/under losses, totaling 41 points, but failing to cover the 41½ total points in the 27-14 road loss at California, while coming up three points shy (49½ points) from Saturday's win over Purdue.

Nebraska and Minnesota are both 2-1 in Big Ten Conference play through three games this season, as both are coming off Saturday wins. The Huskers rallied to outscore Maryland 10-0 in the fourth quarter of their 34-31 road win, while Minnesota played a strong final 15 minutes to overcome Purdue 27-20 while outscoring the Boilermakers 14-0 in the final frame.

Oct 11, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers head coach P.J. Fleck and defensive back Koi Perich (3) are interviewed after the game against the Purdue Boilermakers at Huntington Bank Stadium. | Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

"The goal was to be 1-0. Especially coming off that hard loss against Ohio State. Those are really tough, tough losses, and the way a team responds to that says a lot about the character of a football team. I was so proud of our preparation," Minnesota coach P.J. Fleck said after the Gophers' win over Purdue. "Again, tonight was not perfect. I do not live in a perfect or idealistic world. I live in a realistic world. I know we're dealing with young people and dealing with a lot of people that are young at a lot of major positions, and we grew tonight, and we will be better."

Nebraska's players and coaching staff are also looking to the next game, and not focused on looking too far ahead in conference play.

"It's just about playing the next game, playing the next play ... as corny as that sounds," Nebraska coach Matt Rhule said during his Maryland postgame press conference. "I can tell just tell you my nerves inside are going 100 miles a minute, and I just go, 'Play the next play.'"

Nebraska Cornhuskers head coach Matt Rhule reacts during the first half against the Maryland Terrapins. | Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

Nebraska faces Minnesota on a quick turnaround from Saturday's East Coast trip to take on the Golden Gophers on Friday night in Minneapolis. The game will be televised on FOX with kickoff set for 7 p.m. CDT. The contest can also be heard across the Husker Radio Network's affiliate stations.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.

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