The UTEP Miners and the Nebraska Cornhuskers meet Saturday in college football action from Memorial Stadium Lincoln. Here’s a Nebraska vs UTEP prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the Nebraska vs UTEP pick.
UTEP Miners Betting Preview
The Miners had a pretty rough season in 2023. UTEP went 3-9 overall and 2-6 in Conference USA play, landing the team just three spots out of the basement ahead of Sam Houston, Louisiana Tech and FIU. The Miners’ only non-conference win came versus Incarnate Word on September 2.
In 2024 the Miners will get a fresh start under head coach Scotty Walden. He’ll take over a team that hasn’t won a bowl game since way back in 1967. It should be a complete overhaul on offense, but we can expect to see Kam Thomas get a lot of touches in the running game.
Nebraska Cornhuskers Betting Preview
Over on the Nebraska side, they’re coming off a disappointing campaign themselves. The Cornhuskers went just 5-7 overall and a rough 3-6 in a difficult Big Ten Conference. Nebraska would finish ahead of only Purdue in the West Division standings.
In head coach Matt Rhule’s second season, there are some winnable games on the schedule—as well as some tough ones. Nebraska lost four close ones down the stretch last year, scoring 17 or fewer points in each outing. It was a major disappointment after a 5-1 run in the middle of the season. Nebraska will meet Colorado after this game.
Why the Nebraska Cornhuskers will win
- UTEP has lost eight of its last nine road openers.
- Nebraska has won seven of its last eight home openers.
- UTEP has failed to cover the spread in each of its last seven road openers as an underdog.
- Nebraska has covered the spread in three of its last four home openers.
Why the UTEP Miners will win
- The road team has won seven of UTEP’s last eight games.
- Nebraska has lost three of its last four season openers as a favorite.
- Nebraska has failed to cover the spread in each of its last five season openers as a favorite.
- UTEP has covered the spread in each of its last four games as an underdog against non-AP-ranked teams.
Total Points Facts
- Each of UTEP’s last four season openers have gone UNDER the total points line.
- Five of Nebraska’s last six season openers have gone UNDER the total points line.
Matchup/League Facts
- Nebraska ranked 2nd among FBS teams for Q1 points allowed per game last season (1.9).
- Nebraska ranked 4th among FBS teams for Q3 points allowed per game last season (2.3).
- UTEP was one of only 22 FBS teams with a better road winning percentage (.333) than home winning percentage (.167) last season (min. 8 games).
- UTEP ranked T23rd among FBS teams for Q4 win percentage last season (.583).
Nebraska vs UTEP Prediction
I’ll probably just stick with Nebraska. A lot of people are high on the Cornhuskers this year, and for good reason. Considering their four close finishes late last year, it’s not too bold to predict a bowl game in 2024. The good news is that the defense remains strong; the team retains nine of the 13 players who played at least 300 snaps on that side of the ball. Edge rusher Stefan Thompson and CB Blye Hill should help immensely as well.
Offensively, the team is pinning a lot of hopes on young QB Dylan Raiola, and there are a lot of reasons to be cautious here. That said, there are plenty of reasons to believe the offense will take a big step forward. That could be just enough to get the Cornhuskers a winning record once again.