Bruce Thorson, USA Today Sports. Pictured: Scott Frost
It took mere hours for the first bad beat of the 2021 college football season to occur.
The Nebraska-Illinois total opened at 55 and closed at 52.5. Naturally, the game landed on 52 when the Cornhuskers scored late in the fourth to close the gap, 30-22.
Let’s check what happened on the ensuing extra point:
The total closed at 52.5 and Nebraska's kicker just missed the XP
Over bettors right now: pic.twitter.com/oPOkyA77ZY
— The Action Network (@ActionNetworkHQ) August 28, 2021
It was the second missed extra point of the day for Nebraska, which couldn’t complete the comeback.
The Cornhuskers lost outright as seven-point favorites, despite Illinois starting quarterback Brandon Peters exiting the game with a shoulder injury.
Nebraska is one of the best “under” bets in the country of late, cashing eight straight on the road dating back to 2018.
Illinois will move to the favorite role for its official Week 1 contest against UTSA, though it remains to be seen how the line holds with Peters’ injury.
Nebraska, meanwhile, will be laying chalk in its next two games before a date with star-studded Oklahoma in Week 3.
As for the sweat on the total — that didn’t take long, did it?