Nebraska finds itself in an unusual role today as it is, according to the latest College Football Odds from offshore bookmaker 5Dimes, a +6 against the spread home underdog to the 16th ranked Michigan State Spartans. The Huskers will look to prove their detractors wrong when they take the field at 3:30pm ET. This afternoon's meeting between Nebraska and Michigan State can be seen live on ABC.

Nebraska is not having a bad season, but it has failed to live up to preseason expectations to some extent. Most pundits felt the Huskers would be in the driver's seat in the Big Ten Legends Division at this juncture, but a 23-34 loss at Minnesota on October 26th has them looking up at Michigan State in the conference standings.

Nebraska can draw even with the Spartans with a win this afternoon; however, defeating Mark Dantonio's squad may be easier said than done.

The Spartans bring an 8-1 overall record and 5-0 Big Ten mark in today's game and they have won five straight since falling 13-17 at Notre Dame.

Nonetheless, Michigan State has not faced an especially difficult conference slate to this point in the season with in-state rival Michigan representing its most challenging league foe to date.

The Spartans have done what good teams do to bad/mediocre ones, though, as they took out Iowa, Indiana, Purdue, Illinois, and Michigan by an average of 20.6 points per game.

So while Nebraska has its work cut out for it, Michigan State does as well. The Huskers, who also defeated Illinois, Purdue, and Michigan, will provide the Spartans a test they have not faced to this point.

Still, Nebraska's Jekyll and Hyde nature makes it difficult to back, home or otherwise, especially against a defense as tough as the one Michigan State brings into today's game.

Notable Trends: Michigan State is 5-0 straight up and 4-0-1 against the spread in its last five games as a road favorite in the month of November. Michigan State is 8-0 straight up and 6-1-1 against the spread in its last eight games as a road favorite against Big Ten competition.

College Football Odds Michigan State vs Nebraska:

Michigan State Spartans -6 (-110), Over 41.5 (-110), -240 (Moneyline)

Nebraska Cornhuskers +6 (-110), Under 41.5 (-110), +200 (Moneyline)

 College Football Free Picks: Stanford Cardinal at USC Trojans Betting
What college football bettors need to know about betting Stanford Cardinal at USC Trojans on Saturday (11/16/13) -- a free pick from Pregame.com's Bryan Leonard with Ken Thomson and host Marco D'Angelo.

-$25 of picks FREE! No Obligation - No Credit Card Required - Becoming a member is Fast and Free!