Just one week ago, Nebraska was the favorite in the Big Ten West. The Huskers were even inching toward consideration for a top New Year’s Day bowl. But now, among the other contenders in the division — Wisconsin, Iowa and Minnesota — Nebraska has the toughest road to make it to Indianapolis, and they have two potentially difficult games remaining against Minnesota at home and at Iowa.
How to watch Minnesota vs. Nebraska: Game guide, TV/streaming, odds
Can Nebraska bounce back after and embarrassing loss in Madison?
Losing to Wisconsin in demoralizing fashion will do that to you, and after 2014 looked like a bounce-back season for coach Bo Pelini, he’s once again feeling the heat. Now he has to rebound against a Minnesota team that is (somewhat inexplicably) still ranked in the top 25.
The Gophers are having a very solid year, but they have tough games against Nebraska and Wisconsin to end the season, and could very easily end up 7-5. While the defense has been very impressive, the offense has been somewhat anemic, save for a blowout win over Iowa. Can running back David Cobb lead the Gophers to an even bigger surprise season? We'll find out on Saturday.
How to watch, listen, and stream
Game time: Noon ET
TV: ESPN
Online streaming: WatchESPN
The numbers
Rankings and records: Minnesota is 7-3 and ranked 25th by the College Football Playoff selection committee. Nebraska is 8-2 and ranked 23rd by the committee.
Vegas: Nebraska opened as a 10-point favorite. They're now 10.5-point favorites with an over/under of 56.5, per OddsShark.
Weather forecast: Cloudy with a high of 48 and a low of 35.
Two things at stake
Both teams needs to win to realistically stay in the Big Ten race. Nebraska needs a win to stay in, period.
There’s no trophy at stake. That just feels wrong.
One big matchup
Nebraska rush defense vs. Minnesota rush offense: Considering that Melvin Gordon broke the single-game rushing record against Nebraska last week, all eyes will be on the Huskers' run defense. While Minnesota running back David Cobb is a trendy pick as an underrated player, he's not extraordinarily efficient by any means.
Quarterback Mitch Leidner can run a little bit, but he’s not going to run circles around any defenses. Simply put, Minnesota has a pretty average running game, and this is going to be a good chance for the Huskers to bounce back. But if they defend the run like they did against Wisconsin, Minnesota is going to be able to take advantage, and the Gophers could pull off the upset in Lincoln.
Further reading
Read Corn Nation for more on Nebraska and The Daily Gopher for more on Minnesota.
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