The Ohio Bobcats take on the Nebraska Cornhuskers in Lincoln, NE. Kickoff is set for 12 p.m. ET on Fox Sports 1.
Nebraska is favored by -23.5 points on the spread with a moneyline of -3000. The total is set at 46.5 points.
Here’s my Ohio vs. Nebraska predictions and college football picks for Saturday, September 5, 2026.
Ohio vs Nebraska Prediction
- Ohio vs. Nebraska Pick: Under 46.5
My Nebraska vs. Ohio best bet is on the under. Find the best line available on our live NCAAF odds page.
Ohio vs Nebraska Odds
| Ohio Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+23.5 -110 | 46.5 -108o / -110u | +1250 |
| Nebraska Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-23.5 -110 | 46.5 -108o / -110u | -3000 |
- Ohio vs Nebraska point spread: Nebraska -23.5 (-110), Ohio +23.5 (-110)
- Ohio vs Nebraska over/under: 46.5 (-108o / -110u)
- Ohio vs Nebraska moneyline: Ohio +1250, Nebraska -3000
Ohio vs Nebraska Preview
Ohio Bobcats Betting Preview: Bobcats Search for New Offensive Identity
Ohio enters under first-year head coach John Hauser after a strong finish to last season. The Bobcats won four of their final five games, including a bowl win over UNLV, and pushed Western Michigan to the wire in their only loss during that stretch.
The Bobcats bring back one of the deepest and most physical linebacking corps in the MAC, a group built specifically to slow down power-running attacks. That's exactly the kind of identity Nebraska is expected to lean on early in Anthony Colandrea's tenure.
Ohio is breaking in its new starting quarterback — Nick Poulos — and an offensive line that's still finding its identity against a Nebraska front seven that projects as one of the stronger units in the Big Ten.
Nebraska Cornhuskers Betting Preview: Experienced Corn to Rhule
Nebraska opens Year 4 under Matt Rhule, looking to move past a rough finish to 2025. The Cornhuskers lost four of their last five games, including lopsided defeats to Penn State, Iowa and Utah by a combined margin of nearly 30 points per game.
The offseason brought real change, especially under center. Rhule handed the starting job to UNLV transfer Colandrea, a dual-threat quarterback with Mountain West experience who's expected to bring more explosiveness to an offense that struggled to find its footing late last year.
He'll be working behind a more experienced offensive line, but this is still his first start in a new system.
Ohio vs Nebraska Pick, Betting Analysis
Two brand-new starting quarterbacks making their first appearance in new systems in a season opener is exactly the kind of spot that tends to play out more slowly and conservatively.
Colandrea is a dynamic athlete, but a first game with a new receiving corps and offensive line typically comes with some rust.
Also, Rhule's track record points toward leaning on the ground game and clock control to protect a quarterback still getting his footing rather than opening things up through the air right away.
Ohio's defense is built for exactly that kind of test. The Bobcats have a deep, physical linebacking group whose entire identity is stopping the run, which should force Nebraska into longer, more methodical drives rather than quick-strike scoring.
On the other side, Ohio's offense faces a tall order behind a rebuilt line and its own first-time starter, going up against a Nebraska front seven that projects as significantly more talented and deeper.
Even in Ohio's better games last season, its offensive ceiling was modest. The Bobcats put up 31 against Buffalo and 42 against Massachusetts.
All signs point to this being a low-scoring affair.
Pick: Under 46.5
