Ladies and gentlemen, college football season is here. It's officially Week 0, as Week 1 won't kick off until September when just about every team is in action. There are only 22 teams taking to the field on Saturday, including Nebraska and Northwestern. They are squaring off a Big Ten battle in none other than Dublin, Ireland. Illinois, North Carolina and Vanderbilt are also in action.
Let's take at the three components of Saturday's parlay.
For this play we are going with three underdogs against the spread. Let's break down each of the three legs one by one.
Northwestern +13.5 over Nebraska
The line has been consistently giving more and more points to Northwestern. It may continue to do, so waiting for the chance to get more than two touchdowns could be a shrewd move. But even at +13.5, this is a strong play on the Wildcats. It is true that they got hammered by Nebraska 56-7 last season, but head coach Pat Fitzgerald is not about to let that happen again. Significant travel across the pond Dublin and a neutral site should level the playing field. Moreover, transfer Ryan Hilsinki will handle the offense as a transfer and that is one reason why Northwestern can expect improvement not only against Nebraska but also in general. Meanwhile, there doesn't appear to be anything special about this Cornhuskers squad. I'm anticipating a competitive contest.