Nebraska vs. Iowa Betting Prediction for Week 14

Nebraska Cornhuskers (6-5 SU, 6-4-1 ATS) at Iowa Hawkeyes (7-4, 6-5), 11/29/24
When: 7:30 pm ET Friday, Nov. 29
Where: Kinnick Stadium
TV: NBC

Betting Odds

Point Spread: Neb +5.5/Iowa -5.5
Money Line: Neb +185/Iowa -225
Over/Under: 39.5

Game Preview

Coming off its biggest victory in almost a decade, Nebraska searches for more when it takes on Iowa in the regular-season finale for both teams Friday night at Kinnick Stadium.

The Cornhuskers just became bowl-eligible for the first time since 2016 with a solid win over Wisconsin last Saturday. So perhaps Nebraska won’t be looking for yet another new head coach over the off-season.

Meanwhile, the Hawkeyes are already bowl-eligible for the 12th straight season. But they’re also dealing with a quarterback situation at the moment.

The Line

This week’s CFB betting market opened Iowa at -5.5 for Friday night, with an O/U of right around 40. Both numbers were holding steady in early betting action.

According to Sagarin’s CFB ratings (Sagarin.com) the line on this game should be Iowa -8. But that doesn’t take into account the Hawkeyes’ QB situation.

Nebraska Betting Preview

The Cornhuskers just snapped a four-game losing skid by beating Wisconsin last Saturday 44-25. Nebraska drove the opening possession of the game 55 yards to a touchdown, led 24-10 at the half, then scored the first 10 points out of the locker room and eased home from there.

The ‘Huskers out-gained the Badgers 478-409, and almost half the yardage the Nebraska defense allowed came while protecting a big lead.

The Cornhuskers may have lost four in a row heading into last week, but they had chances in three of those games. Nebraska led Ohio State in Columbus in the fourth quarter before losing 21-17. The ‘Huskers then drove late into UCLA territory before an interception ended a 27-20 defeat. Then they drove late into the USC red zone before another interception finished off a 28-20 decision.

Nonetheless, at 6-5 overall, Nebraska finally got that bowl-starved monkey off its back last week. Now, the idea is to build upon that.

Iowa Betting Preview

Meanwhile, the Hawkeyes are 3-1 SU and ATS over their last four games after winning at Maryland last Saturday 29-13. Iowa, favored by 4.5 points, scored the first 16 points of the game. The Hawkeyes later allowed the Terrapins to get within 19-13 but immediately scored again to go up 13 and held on from there.

Iowa, playing with a walk-on transfer at QB, ran the ball 58 times for 268 yards and dominated time of possession by a 37:23 split.

Four games ago, the Hawkeyes ran the ball for 203 yards and beat Northwestern 40-14. Three games ago, they ran for 329 yards and beat Wisconsin 42-10. But Iowa then managed only 80 yards on the ground and lost to UCLA 20-17.

At 7-4 overall, the Hawkeyes are going bowling again this December. They’re just not quite sure where yet.

On the injury front Iowa lists its top two QB’s as questionable for Friday so it looks like sophomore Jackson Stratton – 10/14 for 76 yards last week – will make his second career start.

Common Opponents

These teams played three common opponents this season: Ohio State, UCLA, and Wisconsin. Nebraska played those foes to 1-2 both SU and ATS but +9 YPG, Iowa to 1-2 SU and ATS and -58 YPG.

Nebraska-Iowa Recent History

The Hawkeyes own the upper hand in this rivalry as of late, winning eight of the last nine meetings SU. However, Nebraska is 4-2 ATS over the last six meetings, keeping most games close while catching points.

Last year, the ‘Huskers were actually favored over Iowa by -3 at Lincoln but lost 13-10.

Each of the last six meetings between these teams was decided by one score.

Totals Report

The Under is 7-4 in ‘Huskers games this season, which are averaging 46 total points.

The Over is 9-2 in Hawkeyes games, which are averaging 47 points.

The Over is 6-2 over the last eight meetings between these teams.

Free College Football Pick

Iowa owns the better running game, but Nebraska owns the better QB situation. From there, these two defenses look very equal, so we already like the idea of taking the points. Also, the Cornhuskers own the better performance against common opponents. Also, these teams have met for six close games in a row. Normally, coming off a big win, we’d consider Nebraska a good candidate for a letdown. But not in this spot. We’ll take the ‘Huskers plus the points.

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