Nebraska Football Opens as One-Score Road Favorites for Maryland Matchup

Nebraska football is back to being a regular betting favorite as the Huskers hit the road for a Big Ten battle for the first time in 2025.

Nebraska (4-1, 1-1 B1G) opened as 5 1/2-point favorites for the road matchup at Maryland on Saturday in early betting lines. The consensus line as of Sunday night remained at the opening line, as all major sportsbooks featured Nebraska at the 5 1/2-point spread. The Huskers will play as a favorite for the fifth time this season after playing the betting favorite in its home tilt against Michigan State, taking down the Spartans 38-27 Saturday.

Nebraska has only been listed as an underdog once this season, falling to Michigan 30-27 at Memorial Stadium on Sept. 20. The Huskers have been favorites in every other contest this season, including its neutral-site matchup with Cincinnati in the season-opener on Aug. 28 at Kansas City’s Arrowhead Stadium.

The opening over/under point total between Nebraska and Maryland was listed at 50 1/2 total points, as the consensus adjusted Sunday night to 47 1/2 total points. FanDuel and BetRivers listed the point total at 48 1/2 points, giving the Huskers and Terrapins an extra point, while bet365 and Caesars added a half-point to the consensus at 48 total points.

Nebraska is 2-3 this season against the spread in 2025, going 2-2 at Memorial Stadium and 1-2 as a favorite. The Huskers won the season opener over Cincinnati 20-17 but failed to cover as six-point favorites. They rebounded with blowout wins over Akron (68-0) and Houston Christian (59-7) as 34½-point favorites against the Zips and 48½-point favorites against the Huskies, and then failed to cover the final 13-point spread in Saturday’s 38-27 home win over Michigan State. Nebraska’s 30-27 loss to Michigan failed to cover the Nebraska 1½-point underdog line.

The Huskers are 4-1 on the season in their over/under history, going a perfect 4-0 at home in point totals. However, Nebraska failed to cover the point total in its season opener at Arrowhead Stadium against Cincinnati, but did hit the over against Akron (47½ points), Houston Christian (59½ points), Michigan (47½ points), and Michigan State (48 1/2 points).

Maryland is 3-2 against the spread this season, going 1-2 as a favorite and 2-0 as an underdog. The Terrapins are also 2-2 against the spread at home while going 1-0 on the road. The Terps covered in their season opener against Florida Atlantic, then rebounded after failing to cover in back-to-back weeks with a 27-10 win at Wisconsin and a 24-20 home loss to Washington as 10 1/2-point and 5 1/2-point underdogs, respectively.

Unlike Nebraska, Maryland has struggled to hit the over in its five contests through 2025, going 1-4 so far on the season. The Terrapins are 1-3 in home over/unders, going 1-2 as a favorite in the total points. Maryland has only covered its over in a 44-17 home win over Towson on Sept. 13, but failed to go over its point totals against Florida Atlantic (59 1/2 points), Northern Illinois (44 1/2 points), Wisconsin (44 1/2 points), and Washington (52 1/2 points).

Both Nebraska and Maryland are 1-1 in Big Ten Conference play, but had different results after Saturday’s contests wrapped up. The Huskers earned a 38-27 home win over Michigan State, while the Terrapins dropped their first contest of the 2025 season in a 24-20 home loss to Washington. Maryland led 20-0 during the contest, but gave up 24 unanswered points to fall to 4-1 on the season.

Maryland was a surprise to start the college football season, beginning the year 4-0, including a drubbing of Big Ten foe Wisconsin on the road in a 27-10 victory over the Badgers. Despite the success, the Terps aimed to avoid the distractions of a 4-8 season in 2024.

“Last year was tough on me as a coach,” Maryland coach Mike Locksley said during Big Ten Media Days in July. “I had to decide whether to pay a freshman or a third-year leader who took me to two bowl games.”

“Coach Locks lost his locker room. We had haves and have-nots for the first time,” Locksley said. “The landscape of college football taught me a valuable lesson. If I have to put my desk in the locker room, I will.”

Nebraska battles Maryland on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. CDT with the game televised on the Big Ten Network. The game will also be broadcast and heard across the Huskers Radio Network on its affiliate stations.

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