The highly anticipated clash between the Nebraska Cornhuskers and the Cincinnati Bearcats takes place on Thursday in Kansas City.

The Cornhuskers wrapped up their 2024 season with a 7-6 record, struggling with just one win on the road. In contrast, the Bearcats closed out their year with a disappointing 5-7 mark after losing five straight games.

Kickoff for this exciting matchup at Arrowhead Stadium is slated for 9 p.m. ET. According to the latest SportsLine consensus, Nebraska is favored by 6.5 points, with the over/under for total points set at 50.5. Before making any bets, it’s vital to consider the insights from the SportsLine projection model.

Those who followed the model’s college football betting choices found success, especially when benefiting from promotions offered by various sportsbooks.

SportsLine’s Best Bets:

• Bearcats +6.5
• Under 51.5

Nebraska showed resilience with a 7-4-2 ATS record in the previous season, while Cincinnati lagged at 4-7-1. The model suggests that the Bearcats will keep the margins tight. There’s significant excitement surrounding Nebraska as quarterback Dylan Raiola returns, along with key defensive reinforcements. The Bearcats, retaining many of their star players, were average defensively and offensively last season. Despite this, the model predicts Cincinnati will cover in over 50% of simulations.

Points Prediction:

The Bearcats struggled last season, scoring 24 points or fewer in their last seven matches. Conversely, Nebraska’s defense successfully contained opponents to below 28 points in most of their recent games. The Under hit effectively, achieving success in three of Nebraska’s last four contests.

For more insights, you should check out the expert picks for Week 1, which are based on exhaustive simulations run 10,000 times.