The bye week has got us frothing at the mouth in anticipation for more Nebraska football. While we wait, today’s exercise will involve ranking the remainder of Nebraska’s games from easiest to hardest. Nothing is easy in the Big Ten, of course. Just ask Illinois, which barely survived an overtime thriller against 1-4 Purdue. Or USC, which seems to have the talent to play with anyone and somehow has three losses. But it’s always fun to pull out the crystal ball, and hopefully the Big Red can make some noise as they head into what is most certainly the more difficult part of their schedule.
In case it’s of interest, we predicted wins and losses for the remainder of Nebraska’s schedule with Mitch Sherman on our mid-season review episode this week. Between Mitch and the three Common Fans, final predictions had the Huskers ending the year anywhere from 8-4 to 10-2. I’ll include each of our predictions below; you can find the episode here.
Ranking Nebraska’s Remaining Games, Easiest to Hardest
UCLA (November 2 in Lincoln). First time head coach DeShaun Foster has a project on his hands. He didn’t inherit the most stable program, and the Bruins have had a hard time finding their footing this season. They’re 1-5 so far, having lost every conference game and even struggled in their only win to date against Hawaii. In the offseason, before former head coach Chip Kelly left to become Ohio State’s Offensive Coordinator, this one seemed like it could be a stiff challenge for the Huskers. It looks more manageable now.
Common Fan predictions:
Mitch – W
MattyO – W
Geoff – W
TJ – W
Wisconsin (November 23 in Lincoln). Things get more difficult in a hurry, don’t they? A couple weeks ago, the Badgers looked completely lost, starting the season with less-than-impressive wins against Western Michigan and South Dakota before losing back-to-back games to Alabama and USC. Losing starting quarterback Tyler Van Dyke to a season-ending injury during the Alabama game only made things more precarious. More than one sports media type has compared 2nd year head coach Luke Fickell to Wisconsin’s version of Bill Callahan (gasp). Fast forward to now and the boys in Madison are coming off back-to-back dominant wins, having beaten Purdue 52-6 and handled Rutgers 42-7. Things are trending up for the Badgers, because of course they are. The Huskers get this one at home, and Wisconsin will have to face Penn State, Iowa, and Oregon before coming to Lincoln. I still feel good about Nebraska’s chances, but this game is looking more challenging for Nebraska than it was even a few weeks ago.
Common Fan predictions:
Mitch – W
MattyO – W
Geoff – W
TJ – W
Indiana (October 19 in Bloomington). This one is really intriguing. The Hoosiers are off to their first 6-0 start since 1967. First year head coach Curt Cignetti has infused the program with an optimism and energy that is arguably unparalleled in the history of Indiana football. His team appears to be a well-rounded, well-coached squad, coming in at #4 nationally in total offense, #6 in total defense, and in the top 25 in several other categories. It feels a bit challenging to get a handle on just how good this team is, given that their schedule has not been particularly difficult to this point. But the record is the record, and the stats are the stats. The Hoosiers are averaging more than 47 points per game, and they’ve won every game by double digits. They’ll come into the matchup against Nebraska ranked #16 in the AP poll and #18 in the coaches poll. Any way you slice it, this would be a big win for Nebraska. Not only would it most certainly get the Huskers back into the top 25, it would also secure bowl eligibility for the first time since 2016.
Common Fan predictions:
Mitch – L
MattyO – W
Geoff – W
TJ – W
USC (November 16 in Los Angeles). This might be the hardest game to get a handle on of all Nebraska’s remaining contests. The Trojans looked dominant in the 1st half against Penn State on Saturday, only to lose in overtime (not without some controversial non-calls by the officials, I might add). They’ve beaten LSU, but lost to Minnesota. Their losses have been excruciatingly close; at 3-3, they could just as easily be 6-0. Can Nebraska’s defense slow down USC’s athletic playmakers? Can the so-far-inconsistent Husker offense move the ball on the Trojan defense? What kind of shape–both mentally and physically–will this USC team be in by mid-November? It’s a fascinating matchup. The Huskers will come into the game on the wrong end of the series historically, with an 0-4-1 all time record vs. the Trojans. It would be great to break that trend starting this season.
Common Fan predictions:
Mitch – L
MattyO – L
Geoff – W
TJ – L
Iowa (November 29 in Iowa City). Admit it. This is Nebraska’s main rival in 2024. It’s OK to say it out loud. It doesn’t mean we’re abandoning our standards. It doesn’t mean Iowa is on par with what Nebraska has accomplished throughout our glorious history. But Nebraska is 1-8 vs. Iowa going back to 2015, and nothing gets the Big Red blood boiling these days like playing the Hawkeyes. You could make an argument that both Indiana and USC are better teams this season, although the Hawkeyes just dismantled Washington 40-16 and, at 4-2, have a very manageable schedule for the remainder of the season. Their offense has improved from the dormant turtle shell we’ve become accustomed to and the defense, while perhaps not quite as dominant as in recent years, is still very good. At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter. It’s Iowa on the day after Thanksgiving. This one will be under the lights, and likely freezing. The Huskers will have to be ready for a rock fight.
Common Fan predictions:
Mitch – W
MattyO – W
Geoff – L
TJ – W
Ohio State (October 26 in Columbus). The Buckeyes just lost to the Oregon Ducks by one point in an instant classic played in Eugene. They now get a bye week to ruminate on that loss before welcoming Nebraska to town. This is going to be a monumental challenge for the Huskers. I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Big Red come in ready to play, and to put up a fight in Columbus. Ultimately though, my belief is that OSU will simply have too many weapons for the Huskers to keep up with.
Common Fan predictions:
Mitch – L
MattyO – L
Geoff – W
TJ – L