As Big Ten play heats up, Week 8 of the college football season presents a pivotal matchup between No. 25 Nebraska and Minnesota.
The Friday night battle (8:00 p.m. ET on FOX) has the Cornhuskers hitting the road to square off against the Golden Gophers in a contrast of strengths. Each team has some firepower, albeit on opposite sides of the ball.
Get in on the action with PrizePicks’ real-money CFB game as you make Week 8 predictions. Nebraska vs. Minnesota picks top the list — especially those for QBs Dylan Raiola and Drake Lindsey.
Nebraska vs. Minnesota Prediction, Preview for Week 8
Minnesota comes into this bout boasting a five-game winning streak over Nebraska. The most recent meeting was in 2023, when head coach P.J. Fleck’s crew played a role in spoiling coach Matt Rhule’s welcome back to the collegiate ranks.
Nebraska Cornhuskers Preview
- The Cornhuskers have steadily improved under Rhule’s leadership, going from 5-7 in 2023 to 7-6 last year with a Pinstripe Bowl win.
- This marks the second consecutive year Nebraska has started 5-1. Last season, they lost their ensuing four games.
- Aside from a tough 30-27 loss to No. 21 Michigan, Big Red is producing excellent results. Their 10.7 SRS (simple rating system) score from Sports-Reference, accounting for point differential and strength of schedule, is their best since 2010.
- Raiola’s development has Nebraska soaring. Their offense ranks 24th in pass EPA/play, per Game on Paper.
- Nebraska’s glaring red flag remains run defense, where they rank 125th in success rate.
Minnesota Golden Gophers Preview
- Between 2021-2024, Fleck led Minnesota to a 32-20 record with a bowl win in each campaign.
- Friday could serve as a key measuring stick for this year’s program. It has solid wins like a 31-28 outcome against Rutgers, but losing 27-14 to Cal and being lifeless in a 42-3 drubbing by No. 1 Ohio State are bad looks.
- Despite Nebraska’s run defense shortcomings, Minnesota’s own ground attack is just as bad, per Game on Paper. It ranks 124th in EPA/game.
- The Golden Gophers’ defense limits explosive plays (87th percentile) and forces opponents into long third-down situations (75th percentile average distance).
Nebraska vs. Minnesota Picks for CFB DFS & PrizePicks
Below are three prime Nebraska vs. Minnesota picks to target for Week 8. PrizePicks player projections for Friday night include Nebraska’s QB-RB duo of Dylan Raiola and Emmett Johnson, in addition to Minnesota QB Drake Lindsey.
Nebraska QB Dylan Raiola Projection: 248.5 Pass Yards
- Raiola has made several year-over-year statistical jumps, namely in completion percentage (6.3% increase), TD rate (5.3%), and yards per attempt (1.6).
- The true sophomore is averaging 254 passing yards per game in 2025 conference play.
- Per Pro Football Focus, Raiola’s passer rating when kept clean (125.6) is 18th among 145 FBS QBs with 25-plus dropbacks.
- Minnesota’s pass defense is quite sound, ranking 25th in EPA/play allowed.
- One stylistic trend to monitor: Raiola is tenth among all QBs in success rate at 51.5%. The Golden Gophers’ pass defense falls in the 51st percentile in the same category.
Nebraska RB Emmett Johnson Projection: 96.5 Rush Yards
- Johnson played in 2023’s meeting with Minnesota, bringing back a kickoff for 15 yards.
- The junior RB leads the Big Ten in rush attempts (109) and touches from scrimmage (129) in 2025, averaging 6 yards per play.
- Week 7 saw Johnson bring his best. He detonated on Maryland to the tune of 196 all-purpose yards, the second-highest total of his career.
- Johnson has more runs of 10 or more yards (19) than any Big Ten RB, per PFF. Conversely, Minnesota’s run defense is in the 96th percentile in explosive plays.
Minnesota QB Drake Lindsey Projection: 214.5 Pass Yards
- Lindsey averages 214 passing yards per game. He responded to a 94-yard showing against Ohio State by posting 232 yards and 2 TDs in a 27-20 win over Purdue.
- Out of 102 QBs with 150 or more dropbacks, Lindsey’s PFF “turnover-worthy play” rate of 1.9% is the 16th-lowest.
- Nebraska’s pass defense ranks 13th in success rate and owns a 98th-percentile yards-per-dropback mark.
- Lindsey’s 6.8 yards per attempt sits 15th out of 19 registered Big Ten QBs.
- Minnesota’s offense is at its best in a grind-it-out style of game; its non-explosive EPA/play mark ranks in the 74th percentile.
Make Nebraska vs. Minnesota Picks on PrizePicks
On top of Nebraska vs. Minnesota picks and projections, several other Week 8 games are formidable options with PrizePicks.
Get in on some real-money CFB action for Week 8. Doing so is simple, and PrizePicks CFB DFS is the best avenue to football fun all year long. Just select players, predict More or Less for their stats, and win rewards when you’re right.
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