The Boston College Eagles closed the season on a 5-0 run against the spread. Head coach Bill O’Brien righted the program far quicker than anyone expected after Jeff Hafley’s belated departure at the end of January.
Today's opponent, the Nebraska Cornhuskers, slipped to end their season, losing five of six outright, turning a 5-1 start into a 6-6 struggle.
These Boston College vs. Nebraska predictions should not be entirely determined by that late-season slide, but my college football picks see these differing trend lines and will gladly side with the underdog before kickoff at 12 p.m. ET on Saturday, December 28.
Boston College vs Nebraska prediction and best bet
Who will win Boston College vs Nebraska?
There is a surprising twist here, suggesting Nebraska might have already moved beyond its first bowl game since 2016, but that is indeed the suggestion.
Head coach Matt Rhule deserves praise for getting the Cornhuskers to a bowl game in his second season, but the direness of Nebraska’s failure in the second half of the season has already kickstarted Rhule’s focus to 2025. His first priorities were retaining interim offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen and star quarterback Dylan Raiola, and once those were notched, Rhule began turning over his roster.
On the other side of the ball, Bill O’Brien is trying to build a program. He has already made the difficult choice to change starting quarterbacks, a choice that worked out for the Eagles to end the season. Turning to Grayson James in place of wildcard Thomas Castellanos sparked Boston College to two outright wins to close the season, one of which came as an underdog.
James’ steady play is not yet properly appreciated, and against a distracted ‘Huskers defense, he should find a new ceiling in an Eagles’ win.
My best bet
Boston College moneyline (+150 at BetMGM)
Picks made at time of writing may not reflect live odds.
My analysis
The Nebraska Cornhuskers offense is mostly intact, and the combination of Raiola and Holgersen has now had more than a month to work together. That should inspire some faith in the Cornhuskers,’ right?
It should. But as more and more film of Raiola was available this season, the more he struggled. In the last seven games, he threw eight interceptions to just three touchdowns. He should become a dynamic quarterback, but Raiola is still far too error-prone.
Beyond that, he averaged fewer than six yards per pass attempt in five of those last seven games, which is all to say, even if Nebraska’s offense is mostly intact, it is not inherently worrying.
Its defense, however, has lost a handful of players to the transfer portal, with at least half a dozen genuine contributors expected to bypass the Pinstripe Bowl. Obviously, that should knock the Huskers’ defense back a bit. In a more intangible thought, it also reflects what is likely the program’s intensity about this bowl game.
Nebraska is on the verge of bigger things. Rhule is turning the program around from its Scott Frost nadir. But the Pinstripe Bowl will not influence the veracity of those bigger things.
The Boston College Eagles, though, are simply on the verge of some stability. When the Eagles benched Thomas Castellanos in favor of Grayson James, they were committing to a higher floor and a lower ceiling. To be harsh, that could describe the entire premise of Bill O’Brien coaching college football in 2024.
But James’ higher floor may be all that is needed if and when Raiola turns the ball over. James doesn't make wild mistakes. In his three starts, he threw four touchdowns and just one interception on 87 pass attempts. And he still averaged 7.84 yards per pass attempt.
Boiling this game down to the quarterbacks may be unexpected when one is as highly touted as Raiola and the other only landed his starting job three games ago, but Boston College ranks No. 10 in the country with 16 interceptions this season. It should exploit Raiola’s freshman struggles.
And at that point, Nebraska’s shorthanded defense may raise James’s floor enough to enjoy this healthy moneyline upset.
Boston College vs Nebraska same-game parlay (SGP)
Boston College moneyline
Over 46.5 points
An underappreciated piece of expecting turnovers is that while they, by definition, cut drives short, they can also often set up short fields. And short fields lead to more points.
Betting on Boston College to pull off this upset is a bet against Raiola’s discipline, and betting against the young quarterback’s discipline is a bet on turnovers. Lean into that chaos with an Over.
Learn how to bet a same-game parlay with these helpful tips and strategies.
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Boston College vs Nebraska odds
Boston College vs Nebraska live odds
Boston College vs Nebraska opening odds
- Boston College vs. Nebraska spread: Nebraska -3.5
- Boston College vs. Nebraska moneyline: Boston College +135, Nebraska -165
- Boston College vs. Nebraska Over/Under: 45.5
Odds courtesy of BetMGM
Boston College vs Nebraska spread and Over/Under analysis
- Boston College opened as a 3.5-point underdog, a number that fell as short as +2.5 within a few days before bouncing up to +4.0 after Christmas.
- Trying to interpret that line move on Thursday is more difficult than it would be in the regular season. Between opt-outs and transfer portal entries, figuring out what piece moved the number by 1.5 points is an exercise in catching a falling razor blade.
- With that in mind, there is a decent chance a bounty of Nebraska money — always a more public team, certainly when in its first bowl game in nearly a decade — contributed to some of that move.
- This total opened at 45.5 and held firm for the better part of three weeks before a Friday climb to 46.5.
Boston College vs Nebraska betting trend to know
Nebraska’s inability in one-score games has reached the point of defying all comprehension. The best thing to do is focus on a pertinent time frame, like going 1-5 outright in those moments this season and 2-10 outright in two seasons under Matt Rhule. Find more college football betting trends for Boston College vs Nebraska.
How to watch Boston College vs Nebraska game info
| Location: | Yankee Stadium, Bronx, NY |
| Date: | Saturday, 12-28-2024 |
| Kickoff: | 12:00 p.m. ET |
| TV: | ABC |
Boston College vs Nebraska latest injuries
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