One of the biggest spreads in college football this Saturday is when Sun Belt Conference team South Alabama visits No. 24 Nebraska. The Cornhuskers, legitimate Big Ten contenders, have zero chance of losing but might they be looking past the Jaguars and fail to cover the NCAA Football Spread?
How to Bet South Alabama vs Nebraska College Football Week 1 Lines & Game Info
- When: Saturday, Noon ET
- Where: Memorial Stadium, Lincoln
- TV: ESPN
- Live Stream: WatchESPN
- Radio: SiriusXM
- College Football Week 1: Nebraska Huskers -36 (Total 65)
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Weather Forecast
- AM Thunderstorms: 20°C/68°F
- Humidity: 85%
- Precipitation: 50%
- Cloud Cover: 90%
- Wind: 10 moh ENE
- Stadium Type: Open
Why Bet on South Alabama?
The Jaguars finished 3-9 last year and 2-6 in the Sun Belt. The Jaguars only have offensive six starters returning after averaging just 355 yards and 24 points per game, scoring 17 points or fewer six times. Senior Tra Minter led the team with 801 yards and six scores, and do-it-all receiver Kawaan Baker led the way with nine touchdowns and was second with 251 yards.
As a redshirt freshman last year, QB Cephus Johnson played in eight games. He completed 7-of-19 attempts for 120 yards and three scores, adding 62 yards on the ground. This spring, he was 10-of-19 passing for 180 yards and a score, hitting Jalen Tolbert for a 39-yard touchdown less than minute into the annual Red-Blue spring game.
The Jaguars will open the season on the road against an opponent from a Power Five conference for the third time in the last four years. This is just the fourth time since the program’s inception in 2009 that South will take on a nationally-ranked opponent. USA is 1-2 all-time against top-25 foes. It beat No. 19 San Diego State in 2016.
The Cornhuskers are the only team the Jags have faced from the Big Ten Conference, with the two schools previously meeting in Lincoln during the 2015 season. Nebraska won 48-9. South managed just 19 yards on the ground, the third-lowest total in program history. The 313 yards passing for the Jags that day is the most ever recorded against a Power Five conference opponent.
Nebraska’s 561 yards of total offense set an opponent game record at the time and remain the sixth-highest total surrendered by the Jaguars in the team’s 10 years of competition. Only two current members of the Jaguar program — Jalen Thompson and Tyree Turner — played in the previous match-up with the Cornhuskers. Thompson was credited with five stops and a pass defensed. Turner is coming off a year that saw him set career highs for tackles (51), stops for loss (10) and sacks (four) as he was a second-team all-league selection.
The Jaguars are 6-4 in season openers overall, which includes a 2-1 mark when starting the year on the road. South has a 4-5 record in their first road game of the season (the Jags played all seven contests at home their inaugural year).
Team Stats
Offense- Points per Game: 24.17
- Passing Yards: 203.25
- Rushing Yards: 152.92
- Yards per Play: 5.28
- Points per Game: 38.75
- Passing Yards: 245.67
- Rushing Yards: 203.00
- Yards per Play: 6.69
Why Bet on Nebraska?
Mabey believe that Nebraska will win the Big Ten West Division. The Huskers star ted 0-6 but won four of their final eight, including a near-upset of No. 10 Ohio State. Nebraska head coach Scott Frost inherited a pass-happy offense and players had to learn a new offense with new blocking schemes. In the first six games, the Huskers scored just 23.3 PPG and were 0-6; over the final six games, they put up 36.6 PPG and the two losses were by a combined eight points.
The Huskers have a legit Heisman contender in sophomore quarterback Adrian Martinez. The 6-foot-2, 225-pounder set 11 school records in 2018 after becoming the first true freshman quarterback to start an opener in school history. On the season, Martinez completed 224-of-347 passes for 2,617 yards and 17 touchdowns, while also rushing for 629 yards and eight scores en route to All-Big Ten and Freshman All-America honors.
Nebraska’s two leading returning rushers from 2018, its leading passer, its leading scorer, its leading kickoff returner and two of its top four returning receivers were all freshmen in 2018.
Martinez ranked 12th nationally and led all freshmen nationally in total offense per game (295.1 ypg) while also setting school marks for 300-yard total offense (seven) and 400-yard total offense (three) games in 2018. Martinez set freshman records for completions, completion percentage, passing yards, passing touchdowns, total offense and total touchdowns (25), and he was fourth nationally among all freshmen in passing yards per game at 237.9 yards per game.
The Huskers have won 97 of their 129 season openers, winning their first game more than 77 percent of the time while posting a 97-27-5 record. When opening the season in Lincoln, Nebraska has a of 84-14-3 (.847). Nebraska is 32-2 in its first game of the season dating back to 1986, with the two defeats coming in the past four seasons by identical 33-28 scores.
Nebraska is 9-1 all-time against current members of the Sun Belt Conference. The Huskers had been 9-0 against Sun Belt teams before suffering a 24-19 loss to Troy on Sept. 15 last year.
Team Stats
Offense- Points per Game: 30.00
- Passing Yards: 247.17
- Rushing Yards: 209.00
- Turnovers: 6.31
- Points per Game: 31.25
- Passing Yards: 237.75
- Rushing Yards: 195.75
- Turnovers: 5.81
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South Alabama vs Nebraska College Football Week 1 Betting Trends
- Jaguars are 0-9 SU in their last 9 games on the road
- Jaguars are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games when playing as the underdog
- The total has gone OVER in 4 of South Alabama’s last 6 games played in week 1
- Cornhuskers are 4-1 SU in their last 5 games at home
- Cornhuskers are 6-1 ATS in their last 7 games played on a Saturday
- The total has gone OVER in 7 of Nebraska’s last 10 games
Expert Final Score Prediction for South Alabama vs Nebraska
South Alabama 19 – Nebraska 45
