It's a Big 10 showdown on Saturday night as the 22nd-ranked Michigan Wolverines take to the road to play at the Nebraska Cornhuskers. The game is scheduled for an 8:00 pm start time and it will be televised nationally on ESPN2. Currently the odds for the game have Nebraska favored by 1 point.
Classic game here under the lights between two historic programs. Michigan just won its 900th game last week over their rival Michigan State. The Wolverines are just 4-2-1 all-time against Nebraska but it's only the second time they've played in the regular season since 1963. Michigan punked the Huskers last year, winning 45-17 at home.
Denard Robinson torched the Huskers in that game, scoring four touchdowns and rolling up over 260 total yards. Taylor Martinez is a legit talent for Nebraska but he has been fumble happy so far this season. Nebraska obviously has to take care of the football if they are going to beat Michigan in this one tonight.
These two clubs are battling for the top spot in the Legends Division. Michigan currently sits atop those standings, but a win today by either team would be huge and put them in sole possession of first place.
Michigan running back Fitz Toussaint needs to show up in this game as he has disappeared in several games this season, coming off a 1,000 yard season in 2011. Rex Burkhead probably isn't going to be able to play in tonight's game, has a pretty good backup in Ameer Abdullah. Nebraska averages 279 yards rushing per game this season and 6.0 yards per carry. Michigan rolls up 223 on the ground per game (5.5 per carry)/
Defensively, Michigan has been very impressive the last few weeks. Since their opening two games against Alabama and Air Force, Michigan is giving up an average of less than 10 points per game. The high-mark for an opposing team has been 13 points. If Michigan is able to hold Nebraska under 10 points in tonight's game, there's no doubt they will win the contest.
Both of these clubs are in the negatives when it comes to the turnover department. Michigan sits at -3 while Nebraska is at -9 in the turnover margin. Yuck. Nebraska does play well when they are in night games, so potentially that could have something to do with tonight's game. This will only be the third true road game for Michigan, who has lost at Notre Dame and beaten Purdue. It's going to be a tough road test for sure, but the Wolverines won't get caught looking ahead to Minnesota next week.
We expect a focused Michigan team in this one tonight and with their defense playing exceptionally well, we like them to upset the Huskers and win the game outright. Turnovers, as mentioned before, are going to play a big role and we believe Michigan's defense is going to cause a few. Robinson needs to play well in this big game, which would almost assuredly put Michigan in the Big Ten title game coming up in December.
Free Pick: Michigan 31, Nebraska 20
College Football Free Picks: Michigan at Nebraska (Best Bet)
What college football bettors need to know about Michigan Wolverines at Nebraska Cornhuskers on Saturday (10/27/12) - a best bet from Pregame.com's Scott Spreitzer with Marco D'Angelo and Tony Sinisi.
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