Nebraska football will play a heavy favorite heading into its home opener on Saturday night.
The Huskers (1-0, 0-0 B1G) are listed as multi-score favorites for the Week 2 matchup at Memorial Stadium against Akron. Nebraska opened its season at Kansas City’s Arrowhead Stadium, edging Cincinnati 20-17 with a late-game interception to seal the Huskers’ first win of 2025. Akron (0-1, 0-0 MAC) dropped its home tilt with Wyoming 10-0 Thursday night.
Nebraska is listed as a 33-point favorite by some sportsbooks, with the highest spread from the Action Network has the Big Red as 34 1/2 point favorites over Akron. Game totals range from 47 1/2 total points to 48 points for the combined total between the two programs.
Nebraska’s neutral site victory over Cincinnati failed to cover the spread, as the Huskers were originally listed as 6 1/2 point favorites over the Bearcats. The total also failed to cover at 50 1/2 points, putting Nebraska 0-1 against the spread and 0-1 in over/under totals on the season. The Huskers finished the 2024 season 7-4-2 against the spread and 4-9 in hitting the over in total points.
Akron is 0-1 against the spread this season after failing to cover the 4 1/2 point spread as an underdog to the Cowboys in Week One. The Zips are also 0-1 in over/under totals after failing to surpass the 47 1/2 point total with Wyoming. Akron finished 8-4-0 in its overall record in 2024, but finished 6-6 against the spread.
Nebraska opens the second week of the college football season as one of the largest favorites for the weekend slate. The Huskers’ nearly five-touchdown spread is the eighth-highest spread for a favorite, sitting behind Auburn (-44 v. Ball State), Penn State (-42 v. FIU), Texas (-42 v. San Jose State), LSU (-38 v. Louisiana Tech), Alabama (-37 v. UL Monroe), and Indiana (-36 v. Kenesaw State).
The Huskers are aiming to continue their improvement from a season-opening victory to a potential blowout opportunity for the home opener.
“We have to make a big jump this week,” Nebraska football coach Matt Rhule said in his postgame against Cincinnati. “I thought the fact that we were plus-two in the game (on turnovers) obviously was important for us.”
Nebraska is 1-0 in program history against Akron, dominating 59-14 on Aug. 30, 1997. Notably, the Huskers were scheduled to begin the Scott Frost era on Sept. 1, 2018, with the Zips. But that game was cancelled due to a thunderstorm that rolled through Lincoln just ahead of the game. The contest would be put on delay before being ultimately cancelled.
The Huskers will open Memorial Stadium for the first time in 2025 for the evening kickoff at 6:30 p.m. CDT on Saturday against Akron. The game can be seen on the Big Ten Network and heard across the Huskers Radio Network on its affiliate stations.
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Nebraska Football 2025 Schedule
Home games are bolded. All times central.
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