Nebraska (4-7, 3-5) opened as an 7.5-point underdog to Iowa (7-4, 4-4) on Sunday. It’s the seventh time this season the Huskers have opened as an underdog.
That was the case last week as Michigan State was a 2-point favorite on Sunday. By Saturday, however, the Huskers went off as a 1-point favorite. The 9-6 Nebraska win was the Huskers’ sixth-consecutive win against the spread in a Big Ten game. Overall, Nebraska is 6-5 against the spread in 2018.
Iowa moved to 7-4 this weekend by hammering Illinois 63-0, covering the over (60) all on its own. The Hawkeyes are 7-4 against the spread this season, but have lost three of the last four.
The Huskers and Hawkeyes’ annual Black Friday matchup (11 a.m., Fox) is the penultimate one before a brief hiatus beginning in 2020. That year, and the following one, Nebraska will close out the regular season against Minnesota on a Saturday.
Iowa and Nebraska will return to their traditional season-ending date in 2022.