CFB odds: After defying the University of Nebraska administration and challenging them to fire him, head coach Bo Pelini returns for his seventh season as head coach of a team that has not been able to win a conference championship since 1999. The Huskers have gone from a national power status down to a solid bowl team but lacking their past elite marquee. Nebraska enters the 2014 season with a shot at the Big Ten West Division title but with a schedule that will be a challenge. Nebraska opened at BetDSI as a +9000 choice to win the BCS national championship. The Huskers opened with an over under win total of eight at even money over and -120 under.
Different Era with Different Challenges
In the days of glory with head coaches Bob Devaney and Tom Osborne Nebraska was one of the few nationally power elite teams and was able to get concessions on admission for academically questionable players. That ended in the late 1990’s and the tougher standards have combined with a far more competitive landscape in which all major schools are investing heavily into football, which was not the case a generation ago. Beyond that every team is now on TV for virtually every game, which is another advantage that Nebraska used to have over most programs.
Handicapper’s Notebook
Nebraska has been a subpar 28-32 against the spread as a home favorite and just 7-11 ATS as an away dog. Last year the Huskers were 7-6 ATS which was their first winning season on the board since 2009.
Our Prognosis
Nebraska returns just five starters on offense and six on defense while having lost 30 lettermen. The must play on the road at defending Big Ten champion Michigan State and face road games against the top two contenders in the Big Ten West Division with trips to Wisconsin and Iowa. A road game at Northwestern will also be tricky. Since 2008 Pelini and the Big Red have won no less than nine games but no more than ten. The program seems to have reached a plateau in a new era that is vastly different from its historic past. Nebraska should clear eight wins but anything more than that will be a challenge.
