Nebraska currently sits at 5-2 after two disappointing losses to Indiana and Oregon. As fans, we have bickered and gone back and forth at each other about the failures and inadequacies of this football team. No need to relitigate them here.
With that said, this is a great opportunity for Nebraska as their next three games are against Washington, Illinois and Rutgers. Anything can happen in each of those games but if Nebraska continues to play like it has this season then it SHOULD be 8-2.
That is what
should be expected from this team after what we have watched over the past seven games. This is not a prediction. I am not claiming that Nebraska will win the next three games, my position is that Nebraska SHOULD win the next three games.
Sounds like a great opportunity for Matt Rhule’s program.
It will all start on Halloween when Washington comes to town for a night game at Memorial Stadium. Washington is currently 4-3 (1-3 in the Big Ten) with losses to Minnesota, USC and Iowa. They have a talented quarterback in Demon Williams Jr. who will hurt Nebraska with his legs as well as his arm but he was injured in the game against Iowa. The backup quarterback came in and actually player well against the Hawkeyes defense. So Nebraska will likely not know who is starting for the Huskies. Washington will also be coming off of a bye so they will have extra time to prepare for Nebraska. The combination of the night game at Memorial Stadium and the extra rest that this football team needs should set up for a great night. If Jamal Rule is healthy then I think Nebraska should win this game by double digits.
The following week against Illinois will be on a Friday night. Going into the season, this game was one that I picked Nebraska to lose. With Bret Bielema at the helm, Illinois has always played a brand of football that has given Nebraska fits. That apparently has not been the case this season as Illinois’ defense has struggled. They beat Michigan State by one point and lost to Purdue. This will be a quick turnaround for Nebraska but I wonder what the atmosphere will look like in Champaign. The week before playing Nebraska Illinois goes against Maryland. What if a Maryland team who just fired their coach plays loose and wins. We have seen that before.
Then this three game span ends with a trip to New Jersey to play Rutgers. Rutgers is 2-4 and 1-2 in the Big Ten. They lost to Indiana by 32 points. It may be ugly but Nebraska should walk out of their with a win. Washington, Illinois and Rutgers is a combined 9-10 overall and 3-7 in Big Ten Conference play.
For the first time in several seasons Nebraska is in a position to make a run with a team that is unquestionably better than their opponents. That doesn’t mean they will win. That is why they play the games but the Huskers should be 8-2 before Ohio State comes to Lincoln.
After we are done licking our wounds, I hope the players raise their head and see the opportunity right in front of them.
SPORTS! SPORTS! JORTS! SPORTS! SPORTS!
The 3-2-1: Nebraska’s bye-week reset, Rhule’s final push for five-star Ahmad Hudson and RB concernsNebraska uses its bye week to regroup as Matt Rhule makes a final push for five-star TE Ahmad Hudson and RB injuries raise concerns.
We hit on that and more in this week’s 3-2-1 column with the latest insights, key questions, and one bold prediction.
Fastbreak: Hoiberg recaps Nebraska’s exhibition play, previews Kansas StateWith two exhibition games in the books, Nebraska has its final preseason tuneup on Monday against Kansas State in Grand Island.
Head coach Fred Hoiberg and players Damon Wilkinson and Trevan Leonhardt met with the media following Wednesday’s practice to give the latest on the Huskers. Here’s a full recap…
Which college football coach candidates could replace Mike Locksley at Maryland?Mike Locksley became the first head coach fired this season Wednesday after Maryland decided it was time for a change.
Locksley had a solid run earlier in his tenure with the Terps and did good work around the program, but things had backslid over the past three years. The move comes on the heels of Maryland’s home loss to previously 1-4 Rutgers, squandering a double-digit halftime lead. They are 2-5 and 0-4 in the Big Ten. They dropped to 2-20 over the past three years in conference play.
Will a 24-team CFB Playoff kill the bowl system? Leaders brace for ‘significant impact’The College Football Playoff doubling from 12 to 24 teams will have a seismic impact on bowl games, particularly those with matchups just outside the current bracket.
As it stands, the Orlando-based Citrus and Pop-Tarts bowls, both of which are operated by Florida Citrus Sports, select the top Big Ten, SEC and ACC teams outside the CFP and own the No. 2 Big 12 selection. Last year, the Citrus Bowl featured No. 13 Texas vs. No. 18 Michigan, while the Pop-Tarts Bowl matched No. 12 BYU against No. 22 Georgia Tech, which replaced No. 11 Notre Dame after the Fighting Irish opted out. All five teams would have qualified for a 24-team CFP, meaning the bowls likely would have featured lower-ranked replacements.
J.J. Watt officially announced as CBS Sports’ lead NFL game analyst, replacing Tony RomoCBS Sports made it official Thursday: J.J. Watt is the network’s new lead NFL game analyst. The network confirmed Watt will continue to call games alongside Jim Nantz and Tracy Wolfson, including next season’s Super Bowl.
The promotion also comes with a new multi-year deal for Watt. CBS Sports did not unveil the financial details of that agreement.
