Nebraska vs. Cincinnati: Odds, Predictions, and Best Bet for Thursday, August 28

Well, football lovers, we’ve made it to the end of August. You all know what that means. It’s time to dig into some college football matchups for Week 1.

One of the more intriguing matchups on the Week 1 card pits the Nebraska Cornhuskers against the Cincinnati Bearcats, which will take place on August 28 at 9:00 PM EDT on ESPN. You can bet that lots of hardcore college football fans will be tuned in for this one, which will take place on a neutral site in Kansas City.

I’ve done a deep dive into this game and came up with an early best bet for your wagering pleasures. Good luck and enjoy the action!

Betting Odds for Nebraska vs. Cincinnati

Online sportsbooks opened this line at Nebraska -7 back in the latter part of spring. A touch of money has come in on Cincy, so much so that the line is now Nebraska -6.5 at most sportsbooks in the country. Other bookmakers like BetMGM and ESPN Bet are still offering Nebraska -7 with -105 juice.

As for the game total, there has been a little bit of an appetite for the Over. The line opened at 50.5, but it’s now sitting at 51.5 on most sports betting apps. One outlier is FanDuel, which is hanging 53.5. That’s a shocker, especially since both of these teams stayed under their respective totals quite often last season.

Will Cincinnati Bounce Back After a Rough 2024?

The Bearcats endured a rough 5-7 season in 2024, but things could have and probably should have turned out a little better for them. Cincy was just 1-4 in one-score games last year, so they very easily could have become bowl-eligible with a little bit more luck. Losses to Pitt by 1 and Texas Tech by 3 were especially disheartening for the Boys in Black.

Cincinnati lived up to its full potential a few times last season, and that’s why I’m pretty bullish on them in 2025. Wins at UCF and at home over Arizona State showed that they had the talent on the roster to perform at a much higher level.

Despite the overall underachievement of last year, Cincy does bring back QB Brendan Sorsby. The former Indiana Hoosier didn’t get a lot of pub, but he had a solid season, nonetheless. The veteran signal-caller ended up throwing for 2,813 yards and 18 touchdowns in 2024. He also found the end zone 9 times on the ground.

Will Nebraska Take Another Step Forward?

Nebraska made it to a bowl last season, but most diehard Husker fans were more than a bit disappointed with their 7-6 record. After starting 5-1, the Cornhuskers proceeded to drop five out of their last six regular-season games. They redeemed themselves slightly with a bowl victory over BC, but don’t think for a minute this fan base is satisfied.

Everyone in Lincoln is excited about sophomore QB Dylan Raiola, and rightfully so. The young gunslinger showed flashes of brilliance last year on his way to throwing for 2,819 yards and 13 TDs. Those nice numbers are good reasons for optimism for this once storied program.

The main bugaboo for Raiola though, was his 11 interceptions. If he can clean those up, this offense could fare much better in 2025.

Best Bet: Cincinnati +7 (-110) (BetMGM)

Cincy head coach Scott Satterfield did an excellent job of raiding the transfer portal, especially in the wideout department, where he brought in five new faces. Three of those guys have the talent to start right away for the Bearcats.

Sorsby’s main target will continue to be tight end Joe Royer, who has ideal NFL size at 6’5″ and 240 pounds. He hauled in 50 receptions for 521 yards and 3 TDs a year ago, and I expect him to play a much larger role in the offense in 2025.

The Bearcats’ running game could also improve, especially since they lured Tawee Walker away from Wisconsin. Walker ran for 864 yards and 10 TDs for the Badgers in 2024. This kid should help take some of the pressure off of Sorsby.

In the end, I think this is too many points for the Children of the Corn to be laying in Week 1, especially on a neutral field. Give me Cincy plus the points in this one.

Prediction: Nebraska 27 – Cincinnati 24