Northwestern Wildcats vs Nebraska Cornhuskers Prediction, Odds and Picks for Saturday, 10/25/25

The Nebraska Cornhuskers are coming off a poorly played loss against Minnesota last weekend. Nebraska lost 24-6 on the road, and the Cornhuskers allowed their starting quarterback Dylan Raiola to get sacked nine times. Nebraska has the number one ranked defense in the FBS against the pass, and they held up in this game, but Nebraska could not stop Minnesota’s rushing attack, allowing 186 yards on the ground. Nebraska will try to bounce back this weekend when they face off against the Northwestern Wildcats. Northwestern has gotten off to a surprising 5-2 start this season. They have won their last four games, including wins against UCLA, Penn State, and Purdue. The Wildcats played Purdue last weekend and they shutout the Boilermakers 19-0. Northwestern’s defense currently ranks 22nd in the FBS in total defense. They have allowed on average 305 yards per game this season.

An early telltale sign of determined success for Nebraska is if they can keep their quarterback upright. In Nebraska’s two losses this season, they allowed seven sacks against Michigan, and nine sacks against Minnesota. Head coach Matt Rhule addressed the protection issue after the loss against Minnesota. He inferred that the problem is not only on the offensive linemen, but their running backs are also not picking up opposing blitzes well enough. He finished by stating “We have all the tools to handle that and we just didn’t do it.” Saturday’s game against Northwestern should be a good bounce back spot for Nebraska’s protection unit. Although Northwestern has excelled on defense this season, they have not frequently gotten to opposing quarterbacks.  In seven games this season, Northwestern has only sacked their opponents 11 times. Their current sack leader is defensive lineman Anto Saka with three sacks. With a week to prepare and focus on the problem, I believe coach Rhule will bring a solid gameplan to keep Raiola upright, allowing Nebraska’s talent to guide them to victory on their home field.

Nebraska -7 is available at the time of publishing. Playable at that number.