Nebraska (5-1) and No. 16 Indiana (6-0) will face off on Saturday in a matchup between two teams toward the top of the Big Ten Standings.
Kickoff is set for 12 p.m. ET at Memorial Stadium in Bloomington, Indiana on FOX.
The Hoosiers are 6.5-point home favorites with a 50.5-point over/under.
Let's dive into my Nebraska vs Indiana prediction and college football picks for this NCAAF Week 8 matchup on Saturday, October 17th.
Nebraska vs Indiana Prediction
- Nebraska vs Indiana Pick: Justice Ellison Over 50.5 Rushing Yards
My Nebraska vs Indiana best bet is on a player prop, with the best line currently available at FanDuel, according to our live NCAAF odds page.
Nebraska vs Indiana Odds
| Nebraska Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+6.5 -108 | 50.5 -110o / -110u | +180 |
| Illinois Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-6.5 -112 | 50.5 -110o / -110u | -220 |
- Nebraska vs Indiana Point Spread: Nebraska +6.5 (-110) · Indiana -6.5 (-110)
- Nebraska vs Indiana Total: Over/Under 50.5
- Nebraska vs Indiana Moneyline: Nebraska +180 · Indiana -220
Nebraska vs Indiana Preview
Nebraska Cornhuskers Betting Preview: Run the Ball & Play Defense
The season has started about as well as Nebraska could have hoped for.
The Cornhuskers are an overtime loss to Illinois away from being undefeated. Matt Rhule’s team has already matched its win total from a season ago, and with one more victory, it would qualify for its first bowl game since 2016.
Freshman quarterback Dylan Raiola has sparked the team’s offensive success. Raiola is averaging 0.19 EPA per play with 1,098 passing yards, nine touchdowns, and two interceptions. Nebraska ranks 33rd nationally in Pass Success Rate and 59th in Pass PPA but just 111th in Pass Explosiveness.
Nebraska’s offense ranks 32nd in Success Rate, 93rd in Finishing Drives, 115th in Explosiveness, and 20th in Havoc allowed. Their offensive line has been best at run blocking, ranking 25th in PFF's Run Blocking grades, leading an attack that ranks top-50 in Rush Success Rate.
Nebraska’s defense has been on fire this season, allowing ten points or less in every one of their five victories. They rank 58th in Success Rate allowed, 47th in Explosiveness allowed, 24th in Havoc generated, and 19th in Finishing Drives.
The Cornhuskers have been strong defending the pass, ranking 31st in Pass Success Rate allowed and 42nd in Pass PPA allowed. They rank 39th in PFF's Coverage grades and 10th in PFF's Pass Rushing grades.
They rank sub-100th in Rush Success Rate allowed, but the 'Huskers limit chunk rushing plays, ranking 25th in Rush Explosiveness allowed.
Indiana Hoosiers Betting Preview: Best Hoosier Team This Century
Curt Cignetti has come to Indiana and made a world of difference.
After winning four games or less in the past three seasons, the 2024 Hoosiers are undefeated and bowl-eligible. With just a couple more wins, this could be one of the best Indiana football teams in this century.
Indiana grinds its opponents into the ground, winning every matchup by multiple scores. Indiana ranks second in Success Rate, sixth in Finishing Drives, and 43rd in Havoc allowed.
The Hoosiers lead the FBS in Pass Success Rate and Pass PPA. Kurtis Rourke has tossed for 1,727 yards, 14 touchdowns, and two interceptions while completing 74% of his passes with an extraordinary 0.67 EPA per Dropback and 65% Pass Success Rate.
The Hoosiers run the ball 59% of the time, mainly due to the game scripts they have found themselves in. They rank 11th in Rush Success Rate, 26th in Rush PPA, and 54th in Rush Explosiveness. The offensive line ranks 12th in PFF's Rush Blocking grades and 22nd in PFF's Pass Blocking grades, among the Big Ten's better units.
Defensively, Indiana has been just as impressive. They rank 13th in Success Rate allowed, eighth in Explosiveness allowed, and 22nd in Havoc generated while ranking 51st in Defensive Finishing Drives.
The Hoosiers rank 18th in Pass Success Rate allowed, 14th in Pass PPA allowed, and 21st in Pass Explosiveness allowed. They also rank 31st in PFF's Coverage grades and seventh in PFF's Pass Rush grades — the front seven has gotten to the quarterback.
Indiana's rushing defense has also been well above average, ranking 26th in Success Rate allowed, 27th in Rush PPA allowed, and seventh in Rush Explosiveness allowed.
Nebraska vs Indiana
Matchup Analysis
Toggle the dropdowns below to hide or show how Nebraska and Indiana match up statistically:
Nebraska Offense vs. Indiana Defense
 | Offense | Defense |  Edge |
| Rush Success | 49 | 23 | |
| Line Yards | 53 | 20 | |
| Pass Success | 33 | 14 | |
| Havoc | 39 | 17 | |
| Finishing Drives | 118 | 94 | |
| Quality Drives | 48 | 13 | |
Indiana Offense vs. Nebraska Defense
| Offense | Defense | Edge |
| Rush Success | 6 | 58 | |
| Line Yards | 35 | 65 | |
| Pass Success | 1 | 15 | |
| Havoc | 7 | 12 | |
| Finishing Drives | 4 | 6 |  |
| Quality Drives | 9 | 5 | |
Pace of Play / Other
| | |
| PFF Tackling | 46 | 34 |
| PFF Coverage | 39 | 33 |
| Special Teams SP+ | 129 | 1 |
| Middle 8 | 18 | 28 |
| Seconds per Play | 28.7 (97) | 28.4 (91) |
| Rush Rate | 54% (58) | 58% (38) |
Nebraska vs Indiana Pick & Prediction
Indiana has played like one of the best teams in the country to this point, dominating on both sides of the ball. The Hoosiers haven’t shown many weaknesses, which isn’t something that can often be said about Indiana football.
The one place I may question their success is the strength of their schedule to this point. According to CFB Reference, Indiana ranks 106th in SOS, with its toughest battles coming in the past couple of weeks against Maryland and Northwestern.
Nebraska will provide a class up in competition, which Indiana very well may be able to handle, but it’s hard to know beforehand based on who they have played to this point.
Indiana has been great on the ground this year, and Nebraska’s defense has struggled in this area. The Hoosiers' offensive line has been playing well, and I think they can hold up against this Cornhusker defense, both on the ground and when Nebraska is sending its great pass rush.
On the other hand, I’m not quite sure what to expect from Nebraska’s offense, and this line has already moved in favor of Indiana, so I’m not looking to take the full game spread on this.
Instead, I like looking at player props, as I believe Indiana will try to attack this Nebraska defense on the ground.
Both Justice Ellison and Ty Son Lawton have gotten plenty of run this season with Ellison being the more explosive back.
I like taking Ellison to go over 50.5 rushing yards in this matchup.
Pick: Justice Ellison Over 50.5 Rushing Yards (Play to Over 50.5)
Nebraska vs Indiana Start Time, Channel, Streaming, How to Watch
| Location: | Memorial Stadium, Bloomington, Indiana |
| Date: | Saturday, Oct. 19 |
| Kickoff Time: | 12 p.m. ET |
| TV / Streaming: | FOX |
Nebraska vs Indiana will be played at Memorial Stadium in Bloomington, Indiana, on Saturday, Oct. 19 at 12 p.m. ET. You can stream the game live on FOX.
