Nebraska vs. Minnesota Best Bet: Will Minnesota Slow Down Jeff Sims, Nebraska?

Nebraska vs. Minnesota Best Bet: Will Minnesota Slow Down Jeff Sims, Nebraska?

Everyone is hopping on the Matt Rhule bandwagon this season. Tonight will be his first game as the head coach of a struggling Nebraska football program. Personally, I don’t understand the hype. Minnesota should be the team getting all the hype after a 9-4 season where they won four of their last five games. PJ Fleck doesn’t get enough respect for what he’d done for the Gophers football program. Tonight, college football fans will be put on notice: Nebraska is not back, and Minnesota is trending upward.

Nebraska vs. Minnesota Start Time, Where to Watch, and Odds

• Date: August 31, 2023
• Game Time: 8:00 pm ET
• Where to Watch: FOX

Nebraska vs. Minnesota Prediction

Coach Rhule will be rolling with a mobile quarterback under center tonight. Jeff Sims, the dual-threat transfer from Georgia Tech, has yet to prove he can win with his arm. He attempted less than 200 passes in each of his last two seasons. I’m sure Sims will break loose for a couple of big runs tonight, but Minnesota’s defense is no slouch. Expect them to limit the damage on the ground tonight, making Sims beat them through the air.

I’m higher on Athan Kaliakmanis than I am on Jeff Sims. Athan has a tough first season under center, but I expect him to make a big leap in his sophomore season. He was a highly-touted recruit when he committed to Minnesota; I’m willing to bet he looks like an entirely new quarterback in 2023 after his first offseason with the team. I feel confident backing the “Greek Rifle” and the Gophers tonight with my hard-earned money, and you should too.

Minnesota brought in Sean Tyler from Western Michigan to take over the lead running back duty. Tyler rushed for over a thousand yards in each of the last two seasons. Although he might not exceed the record-breaking numbers Mo Ibrahim set over the years, he is just as dynamic. Expect Tyler to dominate tonight in his first game with the Gophers.

Minnesota has won the last four matchups against Nebraska. Their new co-offensive coordinators both worked under coach Fleck when they went 11-2 in 2019, and they will be looking to bring back that same offensive firepower that took this program to the next level. Fade the hype around Nebraska’s program; Jeff Sims has been inconsistent in his career and this team won’t just magically figure it out in week one of their new coaching regime. Fade Coach Rule and the Huskers tonight; the Gophers are the team the public should be gassing up this season.

Nebraska vs. Minnesota Best Bet

• PICK: Minnesota -7.5 (-105) Click here to see which sportsbook has the best odds