Nebraska Cornhuskers vs. Minnesota Golden Gophers Picks and Prediction, Friday, October 17, 2025
Use Code WWWC The Minnesota Golden Gophers (4-2, 2-1 B10) will host the Nebraska Cornhuskers (5-1, 2-1 B10) on Friday night on FOX in Big 10 action. The Cornhuskers are listed as a 7.5-point favorite, but Minnesota has won the last five head-to-head meetings. The last matchup came on Aug. 31, 2023, when Minnesota won 13-10 as a 7.5-point favorite.
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Going for Third Straight Win
The Nebraska Cornhuskers opened the season with non-conference wins over Cincinnati, Akron and Houston Christian before losing their Big Ten opener to Michigan 30-27 at home. Since the Michigan loss, the Cornhuskers have responded with a 38-27 home win over Michigan State and a 34-31 road win over Maryland this past Saturday.
Nebraska trailed the Terrapins with less than four minutes remaining on Saturday but put together a seven-play, 81-yard drive to win the game, capped by a three-yard touchdown pass from Dylan Raiola to Dane Key. Raiola threw four touchdown passes, but also had three interceptions against the Terps.
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On the season, Nebraska ranks second in the Big Ten in passing offense, averaging 310.2 yards per game. Raiola has completed 73.4% of his passes with 16 touchdowns and five interceptions. The rushing attack ranks 11th in the conference, averaging 139.8 yards per game, led by Emmett Johnson, who has 650 yards on 6.2 yards per carry and seven touchdowns.
Defensively, Nebraska leads the Big Ten in pass defense, allowing just 118 yards per game, while ranking 17th in rushing defense at 151.3 yards allowed per game.
Big Test for Minnesota
The Minnesota Golden Gophers opened the season with wins over Buffalo and Northwestern State before failing their first road test, a 27-14 loss to California a month ago. In Big Ten play, Minnesota beat Rutgers 31-28 at home, lost at No. 1 Ohio State 42-3, and then defeated Purdue 27-20.
Against Purdue, Minnesota trailed 20-13 heading into the fourth quarter. The Golden Gophers tied the game with a 14-play, 70-yard drive that ended with a Drake Lindsey touchdown pass to Jameson Geers with 7:47 remaining. On the first play of the next Purdue possession, Minnesota safety Koi Perich intercepted a pass and returned it 27 yards for a touchdown to put the Gophers ahead 27-20 for good. Linddseuy threw for 232 yards and two touchdowns against the Boilermakers after having a rough game against the Buckeyes the week before.
Offensively, Minnesota ranks 11th in the Big Ten with 228.5 passing yards per game and 16th in rushing with 112.3 yards per game. Freshman quarterback Drake Lindsey has completed 60.1% of his passes with nine touchdowns and three interceptions. The running game has been a committee effort, led by Fame Ijeboi (225 yards, 4.7 yards per carry) and Darius Taylor (205 yards, 3.7 yards per carry).
Defensively, Minnesota ranks ninth in total defense, allowing 200.3 passing yards per game, and seventh against the run, holding opponents to 108 rushing yards per contest.
Nebraska Cornhuskers vs. Minnesota Golden Gophers Predictions
Side Prediction for Nebraska vs. Minnesota:
- Nebraska -7.5 (4 units)
Although Minnesota is undefeated at home, this is a tough matchup for the Gophers. Minnesota ranks 126th nationally, averaging just 3.0 yards per carry, which will put a lot of pressure on freshman quarterback Drake Lindsey. The problem for Minnesota is that with such an ineffective rushing game, they’ll face a Nebraska defense ranked No. 1 in the country in passing yards allowed per attempt (4.6).
Given Nebraska’s five-game losing streak to Minnesota, there should be no look-ahead or letdown factor. The Cornhuskers have scored at least 27 points in each of their last five games, and Minnesota will have a hard time keeping up. Take Nebraska to cover.
Total Prediction for Nebraska vs. Minnesota:
- Under 46.5 (4 units)
When betting an over, I want to see offensive production from both sides, and I don’t expect that here. With Minnesota’s lack of a running game and Nebraska’s top-ranked pass defense, it’ll be a struggle for the Gophers to exceed 17 points.
On the other side, while Nebraska’s offense, led by Dylan Raiola, can be explosive, they’ll be playing on a short week following a road game and in rainy and cool conditions in Minnesota. These teams have played unders in two straight and four of their last five meetings.
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