No. 8 Missouri heads to Lincoln on Saturday to face No. 12 Nebraska. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. for this critical Big 12 North showdown. The host Huskers are headed for the Big Ten next season so this will be the final game in what has bee one of the more unpredictable series in the history of the Big 12. Nebraska is presently a 7.5-point favorite.

Missouri is fresh off a monster upset of previously No. 1 Oklahoma last week. They are now ranked in the Top 10 and, as one of the few unbeaten teams left in a BCS conference, they are entertaining dreams of winning the Big 12 and potentially lining up for a crack at the national title.

But first things first. Nebraska was the preseason Big 12 favorite and outside of a stunning home loss to Texas they have run roughshod over all of the competition they have faced. They are outscoring their opponents by an average of 21 points per game and outgaining them by an average of 155 yards per game. The home team is 6-2 against the college football point spread in this series and I imagine that Lincoln will be rocking for the Huskers biggest game of the year. 

The biggest edge that Mizzou has in this game is a veteran quarterback. Sophomore Blaine Gabbert is one of the best quarterbacks in the nation, completing 67 percent of his passes for 1,899 yards and 11 touchdowns (to three interceptions). He has a big experience advantage over freshman Taylor Martinez. Martinez may be the better athlete but his youth was apparent in NU’s loss to the Longhorns, where he was ineffective before being benched.

For Nebraska, defense is the name of the game. The Huskers boast the No. 18 defense in the country and, thanks to a pair of stud corners (Alfonzo Dennard and Prince Amukamara), Nebraska is No. 3 against the pass. This is a physical, veteran unit that can handle anything that the visitors throw at them.

Missouri Tigers at Nebraska Cornhuskers Betting Odds
The line on this game opened briefly with Nebraska favored at -6.5. It was quickly bet up to 7.0 and is now posted at many books at 7.5. Missouri, undefeated and ranked higher, is catching nearly 60 percent of the action in this game. The total is solid at 56.0, up slightly from an open from 54.5.

Missouri Tigers at Nebraska Cornhuskers Betting Trends
Favorite is 4-0 ATS in their last 4 meetings.
Home team is 6-2 ATS in their last 8 meetings.
Tigers are 14-5 ATS in their last 19 road games.
Tigers are 7-3 ATS in their last 10 games on field turf.
Tigers are 4-10 ATS in their last 14 games following an ATS win.
Cornhuskers are 11-5 ATS vs. a team with a winning record.
Cornhuskers are 0-3-1 ATS in their last 4 home games.
Cornhuskers are 0-6-1 ATS in their last 7 games as a home favorite.

Missouri Tigers at Nebraska Cornhuskers College Football Picks and Betting Predictions
This game reminds me a bit of the Iowa-Wisconsin game last week. Wisconsin was coming of a tremendous nationally televised win over the No. 1 team in the country. They were on the road facing a rough, rugged conference opponent as a hefty underdog. They were going to get hammered in a prime letdown spot. Not so much.

I see some potential for that same situation here. Missouri has the quarterback edge and has an underrated defense. However, the difference is that Wisconsin and Iowa play similar styles and there is less of a discrepancy. But Nebraska and Missouri are two very different teams and they have opposing styles. So this game is going to be about which team can set tempo and impose its will. If you go back over the last 10 meetings none of them have been decided by less than 10 points and most of them (seven of 10) have been decided by at least 17 points. The team that wins usually wins big. And because of the home field edge and the letdown angle I think Nebraska has the inside lane. 

Robert Ferringo is a writer and a professional NFL and college football handicapper for Doc’s Sports. He has banked $6,000 in profit for his clients after four of five winning football weeks and is rolling out more predictions this week. This week’s card will include another conference Game of the Year as well as his NFL Game of the Month. He has brought in over $15,000 in overall profit in all sports over the last two-plus months. You can sign up for his college football and NFL picks and get more information here.