ESPN SP+ ratings system predicts final score for Michigan State-Nebraska matchup

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Can Michigan State football open conference play with a notable victory against Nebraska? The SP+ model isn't predicting that to be the case, and quite frankly doesn't think it'll be a close game too.

Bill Connelly of ESPN has posted his weekly SP+ predictions for every FBS game this week, and the projected final score for the Spartans' game against Nebraska has the Cornhuskers winning with relative ease. The SP+ predicted score for this matchup is 31-21 in favor of the Cornhuskers. This is a notable difference from the current betting line that is sitting at Nebraska favored by 5.5 points, according to FanDuel.

Michigan State comes into this matchup looking to bounce back from their first loss of the season last week at Notre Dame. The Spartans are 2-1 overall on the year.

Nebraska is 3-0 on the season, with dominant wins in each of their first three games against lower-tier competition. The Cornhuskers handled North Dakota of the FCS level this past weekend.

Kickoff from Spartan Stadium is scheduled for 5 p.m. ET on Saturday. The game will be televised on the Big Ten Network.

My Thoughts on SP+ Prediction

I'm not surprised to see the predictive model picking Nebraska to win this matchup, but I was not expecting it to be less than a 10-point spread. This is ultimately going to be the first test of the season for Nebraska, so it's hard to know how good the Cornhuskers truly are through the first three weeks. So that uncertainty means I can't hold a strong opinion on this prediction because we will truly learn a lot about both teams this week.

Complete SP+ Predictions for Week 4

Click on the post below to see the complete breakdown of every Football Bowl Subdivision game that SP+ has predicted the scores for this upcoming week:

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This article originally appeared on Spartans Wire: ESPN SP+ ratings system predicts final score for Michigan State-Nebraska matchup

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