Nebraska vs. Penn State: Spread Info, Line, BCS Impact and Predictions

The Nebraska Cornhuskers don't know what to expect when they take on the Penn State Nittany Lions this week.

Quite frankly, neither does Penn State themselves.

The scandal surrounding the State College campus is unlike anything we have seen in a long time.

With legendary coach Joe Paterno no longer in the fold, and allegations flying left and right about everyone else, it is a wonder they're even able to host the game this week.

Look for there to be as much talk about the scandal as there is about the football game.

Where: Beaver Stadium; State College, Pennsylvania

When: Saturday, November 12 at 12:00 p.m. EST

Watch: ESPN / ESPN3

Spread: Nebraska -4

This line started at -2 and moved to -4 since Paterno's firing. It will likely move again too.

The Nittany Lions haven't been tested the way other Big Ten teams have so far this year, so they were going to be the underdogs on the line regardless of the situation.

The Cornhuskers are only 3-6 against the spread this year, but Penn State is only 2-6-1.

With everything going on it is hard to believe they'll have enough to cover.

Over/Under: 43

These two teams have combined to under 12 times this season.

43, however, is a damn low number.

The two times combine to score well over 50 and it wouldn't be shocking to see them clear this total early.

Key Injuries:

Nebraska: Jared Crick, DL - Out for year

Penn State: Mike Mauti, LB - Out for year

BCS/Top 25 Poll Implications

Both these teams currently sit inside the Top 25 and still have a shot at winning the Big Ten. Nebraska will find it hard though.

Both their losses have come in conference while Penn State's only loss came at the hands of Alabama.

The Nittany Lions remain the only unbeaten team in conference play.

A loss for the Nebraska will send to the fringe of the Top 25 and possibly out. A loss for Penn State would be crippling because it is the lost home game they play this year.

Their next two games happen to be the two toughest on the schedule: At Ohio State and at Wisconsin.

Winning this game is a must for the Nittany Lions.

Keys to Nebraska Win

Balance on offense. The Cornhuskers need to find some form of balance on offense. The combination of Rex Burkhead and Taylor Martinez in the backfield is lethal, but Penn State's defense is stout.

The Nittany Lions are giving up less than two touchdowns per game. They're going to key on everything going on in the backfield and force Martinez to throw from the pocket as often as possible.

If Nebraska can find a way to make Martinez an effective thrower it will go a long toward forcing the Nittany Lions to play honest.

Keys to Penn State Win

What is there to say here?

The Nittany Lions have so much going on around them it will extremely difficult to think about football.

They're only averaging about 22 points per game, but they're only giving up about 12 points per game.

If Penn State can somehow block out everything that is going on around them and shutdown Nebraska's run game they'll have a chance in this game.

The best thing would be to get out to a lead early and run with it. If they have to play from behind it may be far too overwhelming for them to handle.

Prediction: Nebraska 31, Penn State 17