Nebraska vs Michigan State Picks and Prediction for Saturday, September 26, 2026

The Nebraska Cornhuskers visit the Michigan State Spartans on Saturday at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing, with the opening kickoff at 5:00 PM ET and televised on BTN. Nebraska is 3-0 overall and 0-0 in the Big Ten after beating North Dakota 34-7. Michigan State is 2-1 overall and 0-0 in conference play after a 27-10 road loss to Notre Dame. The Cornhuskers have scored at least 34 points in all three victories, while the Spartans won their first two games before last week’s defeat. Here is a closer look at our free NCAAF picks.

Nebraska Cornhuskers Off to an Unbeaten Start

Nebraska has opened with wins over Ohio, Bowling Green and North Dakota, scoring 139 points across those three games. Anthony Colandrea has completed 53 of 77 passes for 692 yards, eight touchdowns and one interception while averaging 9.0 yards per attempt. Jacory Barney Jr. leads the receiving corps with 210 yards and two touchdowns on 15 catches. Kwazi Gilmer has 139 yards and three touchdowns, while Mekhi Nelson has turned five receptions into 106 yards and one score.

The Cornhuskers have done plenty of damage on the ground, rushing for 789 yards and nine touchdowns on 121 attempts. Jamal Rule has 329 yards and five scores while averaging 8.7 yards per carry, with Nelson adding 166 yards at 6.1 per attempt. Nebraska has nine sacks and two interceptions defensively. Riley Van Poppel leads the team with two sacks, while Jahsear Whittington has 1.5. Jamir Conn and Dwayne McDougle III share the team lead with 16 tackles.

Injuries: No injuries to report.

Michigan State Spartans Trying to Rebound at Home

Michigan State beat Toledo 30-20 and Eastern Michigan 35-7 before falling 27-10 at Notre Dame. Alessio Milivojevic has completed 47 of 71 passes for 540 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions. Rodney Bullard Jr. has been the leading downfield option with 182 yards and one touchdown on 12 catches. Jayden Savoury has 129 yards on 11 receptions, while Chrishon McCray has caught 11 passes for 84 yards. Milivojevic has been sacked nine times.

The Spartans have rushed for 452 yards and five touchdowns on 121 attempts, averaging 3.7 yards per carry. Cam Edwards has handled much of that work with 288 yards and three touchdowns on 60 carries. Michigan State has seven sacks and one interception on defense. Eli Coenen has recorded three sacks, while Tre Bell and Kenny Soares Jr. have one each. Devin Vaught has a team-high 18 tackles, with Jordan Hall and Brady Pretzlaff recording 17 apiece.

Injuries: No injuries to report.

Key to the Game

Nebraska’s rushing production creates the biggest challenge for Michigan State. The Cornhuskers are averaging 6.5 yards per carry, with Rule, Nelson, and Isaiah Mozee all averaging at least 5.3 yards per attempt. Michigan State needs to limit those early-down gains and put Colandrea into longer passing situations. On the other side, the Spartans need better protection for Milivojevic after nine sacks through three games. Nebraska has nine defensive sacks, so Michigan State cannot afford repeated negative yardage plays against that front.

Nebraska vs Michigan State Game Pick

• Nebraska -4.5 (-110)

Nebraska -4.5 is the pick. The Cornhuskers have more balance offensively, with 773 passing yards and 789 rushing yards as a team. Colandrea has eight touchdown passes against one interception, while Rule has averaged 8.7 yards per carry and scored five times. Michigan State has relied heavily on Edwards in the running game, and Milivojevic has already taken nine sacks. Nebraska’s nine defensive sacks add another concern for the Spartans, while the Cornhuskers have won their first three games by 28, 49 and 27 points.

Nebraska vs Michigan State Over/Under Pick

• Over 49.5 (-110)

Over 49.5 is the pick. Nebraska has scored 49, 56, and 34 points, producing nine passing touchdowns and nine rushing touchdowns as a team. Michigan State scored 30 against Toledo and 35 against Eastern Michigan before Notre Dame held them to 10. The Spartans still have several ways to generate offense, with Edwards rushing for 288 yards and Bullard averaging 15.2 yards per reception. Nebraska’s scoring production creates room for this game to reach the 50s even if Michigan State finishes well below the Cornhuskers’ total.