Nebraska vs. Utah Picks and Prediction for Wednesday, December 31, 2025
Use Code WWWC Nebraska Cornhuskers (7-5) vs. Utah Utes (10-2)
The college football betting action continues Wednesday, December 31, 2025, with a five-game card, including the SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, NV, so we’ve prepared the Nebraska vs. Utah prediction to get you covered.
The Cornhuskers meet the Utes for the first time since 1992. Nebraska is undefeated in four encounters with Utah, but the Cornhuskers are 14-point underdogs for the upcoming Las Vegas Bowl.
The total sits at 50.5 points, so let’s take a closer look at this Nebraska vs. Utah prediction, one of our NCAAF picks for Wednesday’s slate. The tip-off at Allegiant Stadium is set at 3:30 PM ET.
Nebraska needs more from its freshman QB
On the first day of November, sophomore QB Dylan Raiola suffered a season-ending injury in Nebraska’s 21-17 home loss against USC. Since then, the Cornhuskers (7-5; 4-7-1 ATS; 9-3 O/U) have gone 1-2 SU and ATS, starting freshman TJ Lateef under center.
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After a 28-21 road victory over UCLA, in which Lateef threw for 205 yards and three touchdowns, the Cornhuskers finished the regular season with consecutive defeats against Penn State 37-10 on the road and Iowa 40-16 at home. Lateef hasn’t thrown a TD pass over his last two games.
Across three starts and three relief appearances, Lateef has tossed for 722 yards and four touchdowns while rushing 27 times for 98 yards and three touchdowns. Junior RB Emmett Johnson led the way for Nebraska with 1,821 yards from scrimmage and 15 touchdowns.
Johnson led the Big Ten Conference in carries (251) and rushing yards (1,451) in 2025. However, Johnson won’t play against Utah on Wednesday, as he decided to declare for the 2026 NFL Draft. No other Cornhusker had more than 119 rushing yards, so Nebraska’s ground game is a big mystery at the moment.
The Cornhuskers score 29.3 points per game (tied for 53rd in the nation) on 144.7 rushing yards (81st) and 228.2 passing yards (65th). They surrender 23.0 points in return (tied for 52nd) on 171.3 rushing yards (97th) and 141.1 passing yards (2nd).
Nebraska has made a few changes to its coaching staff over the last few weeks. The Cornhuskers have a new defensive coordinator in Rob Aurich, who spent the last two seasons with San Diego State.
A new era starts in Utah
After spending 21 years as the Utah Utes head coach, the 66-year-old Kyle Whittingham decided to step down and move his talents to Michigan at the end of the 2025 regular season. Defensive coordinator Morgan Scalley, who’s been with the Utes since 2007, was named Utah’s next head coach.
The Utes (10-2; 8-4 ATS; 8-4 O/U) finished the regular season with a five-game winning streak. During that stretch, Utah has beaten Colorado 53-7, Cincinnati 45-14, Baylor 55-28, Kansas State 51-47, and Kansas 31-21.
Junior QB Devon Dampier has thrown for 2,180 yards, 22 touchdowns, and just five interceptions across 11 games during the regular season. He’s rushed 127 times for 687 yards and seven touchdowns, while freshman QB Byrd Ficklin has amassed 503 rushing yards and 10 rushing touchdowns on 56 carries.
The Utes score 41.1 points per game (5th in the nation) on 269.8 rushing yards (2nd) and 208.8 passing yards (90th). Sophomore RB Wayshawn Parker has accounted for 1,063 yards from scrimmage and nine touchdowns, while senior RB NaQuari Rogers has recorded 376 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns.
On the other side of the ball, Utah allows 18.7 points per game (tied for 17th) on 182.8 rushing yards (113th) and 177.5 passing yards (17th). Sophomore DE John Henry Daley had a wonderful season, notching 11.5 sacks and 17.5 tackles for loss in 11 games, but he won’t play against Nebraska due to an injury.
DE Logan Fano, left tackle Caleb Lomu, and right tackle Spencer Fano all declared for the 2026 NFL Draft and will miss the Las Vegas Bowl.
Nebraska vs. Utah Pick
Spread Pick for Nebraska vs. Utah
- Utah -14.0 (5 units)
The Utes miss some key pieces, but I think they have enough weapons to establish their ground game and dominate the Cornhuskers by the line of scrimmage. On the other side, Nebraska is without its best offensive playmaker. Emmett Johnson was the Cornhuskers’ go-to guy on the ground and through the air, as he led the team in receptions this past regular season.
As I said, Nebraska’s ground game is a mystery. With TJ Lateef under center, I’m not sure the Cornhuskers will be able to hurt the Utes’ secondary, so I will lay 14 points with Utah.
The Utes are 10-4 ATS in their last 14 games overall. The Cornhuskers are 2-6-1 ATS in their previous nine outings at any location.
Over/Under Pick for Nebraska vs. Utah
- Over 50.5 (5 units)
The Cornhuskers have a new defensive coordinator, but it’s hard to expect miracles from Rob Aurich in his first game with the team. Nebraska could easily struggle to cope with Utah’s rushing. Devon Dampier is a serious dual threat, and the Utes can use Bird Ficklin in the red zone.
Nebraska’s red-zone defense has been hideous all season. The Cornhuskers rank 133rd in the country in this category, while the Utes are 34th. Utah will pound the rock and eat the clock, but the Utes should move the chains frequently and score a lot against this Nebraska team.
Hereof, give me the over. Hopefully, the Cornhuskers will find a way to add to the scoreboard. Utah allows 4.9 yards per carry (tied for 117th). The over is 4-1 in Utah’s last five games overall and 9-2 in Nebraska’s previous 11.
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