FiveDimes recently released over/under regular season win totals for college football teams.
Here is an early-season look at the Nebraksa Cornhuskers in the Big 10.
Over/under
FiveDimes has Nebraska at eight regular season wins. Last year, the Cornhuskers went 9-3 in the regular season. The line features an equal over/under for bettors at -120.
The upside
It’s a new day at Nebraska with new head coach Mike Riley.
And the offense will look much different.
Tommy Armstrong Jr. will return as quarterback, but he will be in a far different role. In Riley’s offense, Armstrong Jr. will be a pocket passer, instead of the dual threat nature he spent last year at the position.
He was the second-leading rusher on last year’s team, behind Ameer Abdullah, who is now in the NFL. Despite the changes, the Big 10 conference schedule should be much of the same from years past.
The Huskers will be easily favored in four conference games and two non-conference games, featuring at home against South Alabama, Southern Mississippi and Northwestern, and road games against Purdue, Rutgers and Illinois.
That gives the Huskers quite a start to reach nine wins with six victories that should be expected. Unfortunately for the Huskers, it’s the other three wins that may be difficult to attain.
The downside
Riley recorded nine wins once in his career at Oregon State. Former Nebraska head coach Bo Pelini won nine or more games in each of his seven seasons.
The system will be far changed from when Pelini was there and the players that were recruited for Pelini’s system may not adjust well to Riley’s. Armstrong Jr.’s development will be the key factor in what happens with Nebraska this year, especially with Riley’s insistence on him being a pocket passer.
Last season, Armstrong Jr. completed 53 percent of his passes.
The questions on offense also exist on defense, where there will be youth mixed in with veterans. Last year’s defense wasn’t necessarily a calling card anyway, so adjusting to a new scheme, along with breaking in freshmen and sophomores, should be problematic for bettors.
The hits keep coming for the over, too, with the rest of the schedule. Nebraska must host BYU in the season’s opening game, and then will turn around in week three to travel to Miami. The Huskers also will host Wisconsin, Iowa and Michigan State, while traveling to Minnesota.
The verdict
It just doesn’t add up for Nebraska. In one of the oddest coaching changes in the offseason, the Huskers went with Riley, and with it, decided to start from scratch this year with Pelini’s players who are accustomed to playing a different style.
The schedule also doesn’t bring with it much confidence, especially with two non-conference games that will be toss-ups at best for the Huskers.
Nebraska isn’t used to winning less than eight games, but this year could be different. Oddsmakers set a solid number as the over/under, but go with the under as the most likely option.
