No. 9 Michigan vs. Nebraska picks and best bets for Week 5

The Saturday night slate will feature two cross-division Big Ten foes going at it as the No. 9 Michigan Wolverines head west to Lincoln to face the Nebraska Cornhuskers. The game will kick off at 7:30 p.m. ET on ABC.

Michigan (5-0, 2-0 Big Ten) has had a positive start to the season and stayed undefeated last week by dominating Nebraska for a 38-17 victory. Quarterback Cade McNamara did a fine job moving along the Wolverine offense but it was the defense that set the tone in Camp Randall Stadium. They forced three turnovers, limited Wisconsin to an uncharacteristic 43 total rushing yards, and held them to just 3-14 on third downs. David Ojabo led with seven tackles and 2.5 sacks on the day.

Nebraska (3-3, 1-2 Big Ten) has quietly improved since the Week 0 debacle against Illinois and they proved so by absolutely laying it on Northwestern last week with a 56-7 beatdown. This was a throwback to the Tom Osborne era as Cornhusker rushers accounted for 427 rushing yards and seven touchdowns on the ground. Quarterback Adrian Martinez had three of them to go along with the 202 yards and touchdown he threw through the air.

Here’s all the data you’ll want, and a pick for the game!

SP+ Rankings

Michigan: 8th overall, 26th offense, 8th defense
Nebraska: 22nd overall, 34th offense, 20th defense

Injury update

Michigan

WR Roman Wilson Ques Sat – Wrist

Nebraska

DL Casey Rogers Out Indefinitely – Undisclosed
S Javin Wright Out For Season – Illness
RB Gabe Ervin Jr. Out For Season – Knee

ATS/Total

Against The Spread

Michigan: 4-1 ATS
Nebraska: 5-1 ATS

Total

Michigan: Over 2-3
Nebraska: Over 2-3-1

Returning/Overall Talent from 247Sports

Michigan: 17th overall, 17th offense, 18th defense
Nebraska: 25th overall, 23rd offense, 30th defense

Current lines at DraftKings Sportsbook

Spread: Michigan -2.5
Total: 50
Moneyline: Michigan -150, Nebraska +130

Opening line: Michigan -4.5
Opening total: 53

Weather

57 degrees, 7 MPH winds SE

The Pick

Michigan -2.5

Nebraska has the home-field advantage here, but Michigan’s defense is a beast and should be able to corral Martinez. The Wolverines are cruising along into the middle of the season and would love nothing more than to head into the bye week at 6-0. The McNamara-led offense may not put up explosive numbers, but they’ll establish enough of a cushion to cover on the road.

If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER (1-800-426-2537) (IL). Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER (NJ/WV/PA/MI), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (NH/CO), 1-800-BETS OFF (IA), 1-888-532-3500 (VA) or call/text TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN). 21+ (18+ NH). CO/IL/IN/IA/NH/NJ/PA/TN/VA/WV/MI only. Eligibility restrictions apply. See draftkings.com/sportsbook for full terms and conditions.