Nebraska vs UCLA Prediction, Picks & Spread for Saturday Night CFB

• UCLA is a slim 1.5-point favorite to defeat Nebraska in a Big Ten battle Saturday night
• The Cornhuskers will be without QB Dylan Raiola as he nurses a broken fibula
• See below for my Nebraska vs UCLA prediction, picks and updated spread for Saturday night CFB

It’s a Big Ten showdown Saturday evening between the 6-3 Nebraska Cornhuskers (3-5-1 ATS) and the 3-5 UCLA Bruins (3-5 ATS). UCLA is a slight favorite to come out on top, with Nebraska losing quarterback Dylan Raiola to a broken fibula against USC last Saturday.

The books believe the Bruins will win their fourth game in five under interim head coach Tim Skipper over a Nebraska squad that will turn to true freshman TJ Lateef at pivot, making UCLA slight favorites in the college football odds.

Kickoff is scheduled for 9 p.m. ET from the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, with FOX providing the broadcast coverage.

Nebraska vs UCLA Prediction

• Pick: Over 44.5 (-115)

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This is a difficult game to call, with UCLA seemingly rolling since the coaching change with three straight wins, but then they were smashed in their latest outing, 56-6, by Indiana. Nebraska is also hard to fully gauge now that Raiola is out and Lateef is in, so I’m avoiding picking a side in this Nebraska vs UCLA prediction.

I like going over the 44.5-point total for this duel. In six of eight Bruins battles this season, there have been at least 45 points scored, and it’s also happened in six of the last eight outings for the Cornhuskers.

Plus, if you’re into past results indicating future occurrences, over 45 total points have been scored when these two teams compete in 10 of 11 meetings, including last year’s 27-20 UCLA triumph.

The quarterback battle features true freshman TJ Lateef for the Cornhuskers, who was a four-star recruit. In a limited sample size, he’s gone 16-for-19 for 261 yards and a pass TD, plus 50 rushing yards on 11 carries with two rushing touchdowns.

Lateef’s 84.2% completion rate is the second-best among FBS quarterbacks with no starts this season. His adversary is Nico Iamaleava, who has 14 total touchdowns and seven interceptions.

Key Offensive & Defensive Stats (Out of 18 Big Ten Conference Teams)

Nebraska has had the better offense this season, though that was before their QB Dylan Raiola went down due to injury. Both pass defenses have been pretty solid, but both clubs should be able to run all over each other.

UCLA ranks dead last in the Big Ten in rushing defense at 195.5 yards per game, and the Cornhuskers are third-worst at 161.6. Nebraska’s run defense has also been susceptible to big plays, allowing six rushing touchdowns of 25-plus yards this season—tied for third-most in the FBS.

The key to this over is Emmett Johnson, who ranks second in the FBS with 1,002 rushing yards this season. Johnson also leads all FBS running backs in receptions with 33 catches, making him a dual threat out of the backfield against UCLA’s vulnerable run defense.

Nebraska vs UCLA Recent H2H History

Given that these two squads don’t meet much, there’s no obvious lean based on recent history, apart from UCLA winning 27-20 last season. Before that, they hadn’t squared off since 2015.

Nebraska Recent Form

After winning five of their first six contests this year, the Cornhuskers have dropped two of their last three to Minnesota and USC, with a victory over Northwestern sandwiched in between.

Nebraska has struggled mightily on the road under head coach Matt Rhule, going just 3-9 in road games with losses in five of their last six away from home. The Cornhuskers are also 2-14 in November games since 2021, averaging just 17.8 points per game in that month.

UCLA Recent Form

UCLA seemingly had a massive boost following the interim coaching change, winning three straight convincing victories. But then they were pasted 56-6 in their last game by second-ranked Indiana.

The Bruins are positioned for a bounce-back performance, as Big Ten teams have the best home record among FBS conferences this season at .739. UCLA has nearly doubled its rushing output from last season, improving from 86.6 yards per game in 2024 to 160.6 this year.

For UCLA, Iamaleava is responsible for 14 of the team’s 17 scrimmage touchdowns (10 passing, four rushing), accounting for 82.4% of their scores. Top receiver Kwazi Gilmer leads the Bruins with 31 receptions and had a career-best 88 receiving yards against Nebraska last season.

Players to Watch

Emmett Johnson is the player to watch for the Cornhuskers, especially in light of the quarterback change. He’s racked up 1,002 rushing yards, second-most in the country, recording 11 total touchdowns.

Johnson also leads all FBS running backs in receptions with 33 catches, making him a dual threat out of the backfield.

As for UCLA, they have a running back by committee approach, with five runners eclipsing at least 165 yards, led by QB Iamaleava’s 388 yards and team-leading four rushing touchdowns.

Nebraska Cornhuskers vs UCLA Bruins Betting Odds

It’s a virtual pick ’em between Nebraska and UCLA on the moneyline, with UCLA at -110 and Nebraska at -106. The Bruins are a slim 1.5-point favorite on the spread for Saturday night CFB.

To win $100 straight up on either side, you’d have to wager $110 on the favorites and $106 on the underdogs.

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Odds via FanDuel Sportsbook as of 11:15 a.m. ET on Nov. 7. Read our FanDuel Review before wagering on Saturday CFB.

The total is set at 44.5 points with -115 on the over, making it the favorite. Our SBD model prediction has a 30.7-18.5 win for Nebraska, which points to them covering the spread and the over points total hitting.

The latter is exactly what I’m looking for on Saturday evening in the Nebraska vs UCLA odds.