Three Reasons Why Nebraska Will Win; Three Reasons Why Nebraska Will Lose vs. Michigan

After two laughers, Nebraska takes a serious dive into the deep end of the Big Ten football pool Saturday. No getting just the toes wet with Purdue or UCLA. Nope.

Michigan, the 2023 national champions, comes to Memorial Stadium Saturday afternoon. The Wolverines are a 2½-point favorite at most sportsbooks.

“Nebraska, watched all their tape, and I think they’re really good,” Michigan interim coach Biff Poggi told the Michigan media. “They have a really good football team.”

In 1990, Gary Danielson called his very first national TV game in Lincoln, Nebraska.

This Saturday, he returns as @HuskerFootball hosts No. 21 Michigan. 🎤

“If you love college football, you gotta go watch a Nebraska game.” pic.twitter.com/U437cuDqTE
— CBS Sports College Football 🏈 (@CBSSportsCFB) September 18, 2025

For every game, we will give you three reasons the Huskers will win and three reasons they won’t. So far, each Nebraska game has been easy to predict. This one? Not so much. Nebraska has lost five consecutive Big Ten openers.

Why Nebraska will win

The game means more to Nebraska

Nebraska has an opportunity to not only take a huge step toward a successful 2025, but to mentally and emotionally put the program on a serious path.

Beat Michigan and the Huskers can say, at least for now: Nebraska is back. Michigan (2-1) is ranked 21st in the AP poll. Nebraska (3-0) hasn’t beaten a ranked team since 2016, when the Huskers defeated 16th-ranked Oregon, 35-32. Check out where the Huskers stand in the national rankings.

Motivation might be the X-factor. Both teams, of course, will feel it but the Huskers believe they are playing for more. Advantage: Huskers.

We recently wrote that Huskers coach Matt Rhule needs a signature victory for his program. He has his chance on Saturday.

Where’s Sherrone Moore?

The Michigan coach will serve the second game of a three-game suspension Saturday related to the Connor Stalions advanced scouting scandal.

Curious that the decision would be made to sit out the Wolverines’ first Big Ten game. Anyway, the Huskers should use Moore’s action as a slap in the face, saying a head coach skipping the Huskers’ game is a major sign of disrespect.

Michigan coach Sherrone Moore will miss the Nebraska game. He is sitting out the second game of a two-game suspension. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Quirky fact: Michigan has won seven consecutive games under an interim head coach since the start of the 2023 season.

Huskers’ defense

Michigan is going to come out and try to establish a running game. It’s what the Wolverines do, it’s what they’re always done. That is a major challenge for Nebraska. Pay attention to the first two or three series. If Michigan is moving the ball on the ground and maintaining drives, that is trouble for the Huskers.

The Huskers rank sixth in the nation in total defense. But Michigan isn’t a pushover like Akron or Houston Christian. But Nebraska ranked 18th nationally last year. The Huskers have an attacking defensive scheme that might cause problems for Michigan true freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood.

☠️☠️☠️ pic.twitter.com/D1xYoKJpie
— Nebraska Football (@HuskerFootball) September 15, 2025

Nebraska ranks seventh nationally in scoring defense, allowing only eight points per game.

Nebraska ranks first in pass defense, allowing a measly 66 yards per game, 19 yards better than the second-best team, Oklahoma. Only two other teams allow fewer than 100 yards passing: UFC and BYU.

Michigan ranks 39th in total offense, averaging 452 yards per game. The Wolverines average 36.7 points per game, 45th in the nation.

If the Huskers win, their defense likely will be the main reason why. Perhaps it will be a timely interception against the inexperienced Underwood, or a rock-hard hit that coughs up a fumble. Or just stifling the Michigan run game and forcing Underwood to pass.

Why Michigan will win

Bryce Underwood

The heralded freshman quarterback, the consensus No. 1 recruit last season, endured rough patches in his first two games but broke out against Central Michigan on Saturday.

Underwood, finally, showed off his running ability and it added a new and dangerous dimension to the Wolverines’ offense. He gained 114 yards on nine rushes and scored two touchdowns on the ground.

Yes, Underwood is inexperienced, but his potential should frighten any Husker fan. Should Underwood have another dynamic game, as he did in a 63-3 win against overmatched Central Michigan, Michigan would be in excellent shape to win.

Wolverines’ defense

Historically, Michigan’s defense is one of the nation’s best. The Wolverines are ranked 33rd in the nation in total defense (271.3 yards per game) and also 33rd in scoring defense (14.6 points per game).

Michigan hopes to put pressure on Nebraska quarterback Dylan Raiola. | Kenny Larabee, KLIN

Expect Michigan to put enormous heat on Dylan Raiola. To win, the Wolverines better harass Raiola, who has calmly completed 76.6 percent of his passes in 2025. Michigan wants to see how effective he is when facing a big pass rush. Expect to see pressure from destructive Michigan linebacker Jaishawn Barham.

History

Michigan has won the last four meetings, outscoring the Huskers by 167-49, an average of 41.7 to 12.2 points. No way should the margins between two college football powerhouses be that large, even accepting Nebraska's issues the past bunch of years. Overall, Michigan is 8-4-1 vs. Nebraska.

These four games were played in 2018, 2021, 2022 and 2023. Only the 2023 game was on Matt Rhule’s watch. You can make a strong case that past performances should have little bearing on current results, especially in modern college football with so much roster turnover.

Michigan will arrive with confidence and there’s no telling what that’s worth on the scoreboard. But it likely will mean something in what should be a close game.

The winner:

Michigan played a terrible game against Oklahoma but it was still a one-score game halfway through the fourth quarter. The final score was OU 24, Michigan 13.

Michigan brought its “C-minus” game against Oklahoma. If the Wolverines play better, that could mean trouble for Nebraska.

Michigan 24, Nebraska 20. Season record: 3-0.

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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