UTEP at Nebraska Best Bet, Odds & Preview – 8/31/2024

On August 31, 2024, the UTEP Miners will go head-to-head against the Nebraska Cornhuskers at 3:30 pm ET. The opening betting odds show the UTEP Miners as 27.5 point underdogs according to DraftKings Sportsbook. Early betting action shows that 82% of spread bets are in favor of the UTEP Miners, while the Nebraska Cornhuskers are receiving 18% of the bets. The opening total of 48.5 has led to 33% of bets on the under and 67% of bets on the over in this non-conference matchup from Lincoln.

UTEP Welcomes Scotty Walden With Tough Opener

Scotty Walden has never held a full-on head coaching job in FBS college football, until now, that is. Before taking the head coaching job at UTEP, he was the head coach at Austin Peay in FCS competition, and was previously an interim head coach at Southern Miss. Here, he will look to impress in his first game as the head man at UTEP, though is team is a big underdog on the road in this game.

One thing that could work in the favor of Walden and UTEP in this contest is their defense, which wasn't bad last year, even if the team struggled as a whole. Against power conference opponents, the Miners held Northwestern and Arizona under the 40-point mark. And with Nebraska in the midst of a transition at quarterback, the UTEP defense could do enough to make this a game if they come out sharp.

Nebraska Seeks Rare Opening Day Win

The Nebraska Cornhuskers have not won a game to open their season since the 2019 campaign. That is expected to change this weekend when they face UTEP. And there is some excitement for more than just a result for the Cornhuskers this week, thanks to the debut of freshman quarterback Dylan Raiola. Raiola had previously committed to Ohio State and Georgia before ultimately selecting Nebraska, a decision he hopes pays off, starting with this UTEP vs Nebraska contest.

Along with the buzz surrounding Raiola, Nebraska should be able to lean on its defensive physicality to get a win in this contest. The Cornhuskers are bigger up front and they have the depth needed at the linebacker spots to slow down what should be a better UTEP offense than we saw a season ago. But a fast start will be key for the Huskers in this game, as a slow start could allow doubt to seep in, especially for a crowd that has had a hard time for a long time cheering for this team.

UTEP vs Nebraska Best Bet

Our expectation is for Nebraska to be aggressive offensively throughout this game, as they look to get their freshman quarterback acclimated before tougher games come down the road. We will take the over in this non-conference contest, as Nebraska should come out firing and not let up until this one is in the books.

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