Nebraska football will not take the field for several more weeks. But that doesn't mean we can't get in on the action this weekend.
As we await to hear the Huskers' bowl game destination, opponent and date, the Inside Nebraska crew – publisher Zack Carpenter, staff writer Steve Marik, recruiting analyst Tim Verghese and digital producer Jansen Coburn – dishes out predictions with our staff picks against the spread for college football's Championship Week.
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Oregon-Penn State: Big Ten Championship Game Score Predictions
Spread: ORE -3.5
Total: 50.5
>> Spread and total per BetMGM as of 12 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 6
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ZACK: Oregon 27, Penn State 24
STEVE: Oregon 34, Penn State 31
TIM: Oregon 24, Penn State 16
JANSEN: Oregon 28, Penn State 21
College Football Championship Week
Important notes:
>>> Our 10 picks in the table above are made "Against the Spread." For example: If one of our staff members predicts Nebraska to beat Colorado, 35-31, they may still have Colorado listed on the chart because they are predicting a Nebraska win but do not believe the Huskers will cover the spread. For those unfamiliar with how ATS picks work, head to this link for a full rundown!
>>> The spreads are locked in ever week at 12 p.m. on Wednesday, at the latest. Each staff member has the same spread to consider for each respective game.
>>> Scoring System: 1 point awarded in the season standings for each correct pick, 1 bonus point awarded for correctly picking an upset straight up, 1 bonus point awarded for predicting the exact score + winner of Nebraska's game. Tiebreaker is the best W-L record. End-of-season tiebreaker is W-L record ATS in Nebraska games.
SEASON STANDINGS
1 – Zack: 63-67-1 (74 pts)
2 – Tim: 66-63-1 (72 pts)
3 – Steve: 58-71-1 (68 pts)
4 – Jansen: 55-74-1 (66 pts)
Record in straight-up upset picks:
Tim: 7-6
Steve: 10-12
Jansen: 13-16
Zack: 12-17
Guess the Score Contest: Roundup of regular-season winners
All year, we have been running a weekly Guess the Score Contest on our Insider's Board for a chance to win a free Inside Nebraska subscription.
Free year = Pick the correct winner AND the exact final score
Free month = Pick the correct winner AND the closest to each team's score without going over each team's final point total
You may only enter one score prediction each week, and predictions lock one hour before kickoff. Maximum subscription prize per person is one year.
Here is a rundown of the regular-season winners for the 2024 season ahead of the Huskers' bowl game.
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THIS YEAR'S WINNERS:
vs. UTEP – @Huskerpanther
>> Prediction: Nebraska 34, UTEP 7
>> Actual score: Nebraska 40, UTEP 7
vs. Colorado – NONE
>> Actual score: Nebraska 28, Colorado 10
vs. Northern Iowa – @TX Huskr
>> Prediction: Nebraska 34, Northern Iowa 3 – ***EXACT SCORE***
>> Actual final score: Nebraska 34, Northern Iowa 3
vs. Illinois – @GusGus1
>> Prediction: Illinois 24, Nebraska 21
>> Actual final score: Illinois 31, Nebraska 24 (OT)
at Purdue – @Husker Dreme
>> Prediction: Nebraska 28, Purdue 7
>> Actual final score: Nebraska 28, Purdue 10
vs. Rutgers – NONE
>> Actual final score: Nebraska 14, Rutgers 7
at Indiana – @sureray
>> Prediction: Indiana 18, Nebraska 7
>> Actual final score: Indiana 56, Nebraska 7
at Ohio State – NONE
>> Actual final score: Ohio State 21, Nebraska 17
vs. UCLA – @whiteshoes97
>> Prediction: UCLA 27, Nebraska 20 – ***EXACT SCORE***
>> Actual final score: UCLA 27, Nebraska 20
at USC – @jamina5
>> Prediction: USC 27, Nebraska 20
>> Actual final score: USC 28, Nebraska 20
vs. Wisconsin – @jables38
>> Prediction: Nebraska 35, Wisconsin 24
>> Actual final score: Nebraska 44, Wisconsin 25
at Iowa – @HuntingHusker
>> Prediction: Iowa 3, Nebraska 0
>> Actual final score: Iowa 13, Nebraska 0