Nebraska Football 2024 Record Prediction & Analysis

Reasonable Expectations For Nebraska's 2024 Season this is the year that Matt Rule and the Nebraska Corn Huskers go bowling finally Nebraska hasn't gone bowling since the 2016 season and for being a blue blood program the fact that I had to say that the Corn Huskers will reach a bowl game clinch a bowl game appearance as if that's some type of special achievement and I had to put energy behind that statement is honestly sad it shows how far Nebraska has fallen in 2017 they went 4-8 in 2018 they went 4-8 they went 5- seven in 2019 3 and five in 2020 in 2021 they went 3- N Scott Frost was fired early in 2022 after a 1-2 start which included losses to a 1 and 11 Northwestern and a 6- s Georgia Southern they finished the year 4-8 and last year they were 5 and three entering November and they finished you guessed it 5 and S it's Nebraska I have had an interesting relationship with Nebraska on this channel a huge part of my subscriber base has been Nebraska fans since I would say approximately 2022 when I believed that Scott Frost would get things right and I was of course wrong I should have looked at the evidence I should have better studied the fact that when you're this deep into a program like Nebraska and you can recruit at the level they recruited at and honestly got as many players drafted as they did under the frost system or players left Nebraska like Wale Robinson for Kentucky and they got drafted to the NFL and performed well at their schools that they transferred to before being drafted I should have known better but I didn't but even before then whenever I posted a Nebraska video I would get views on it I just would Nebraska is very active on YouTube but not just YouTube they're active everywhere they show up for their volleyball games they fill their Stadium despite the fact that their team sucks at least it used to we'll talk about today why I think they no longer are going to be in the suckitude tier I think they're going to more than graduate that this year but in 2023 they were frustrating to watch the Minnesota game was a classic Scott Frost loss the Colorado game was an abject embarrassment the only game that I can think of that resembled that type of performance under Frost or in years prior could be I guess whether it's a blowout loss to Illinois in the co year in 2020 the loss to Oklahoma who finished six and seven a blowout loss in 2022 or the loss to Minnesota in 2019 on the road where Tanner Morgan and Ty Johnson and PJ Fleck just completely annihilated and out physical and bullied Nebraska that year it wasn't exactly in the same style as all those games but the result of losing by multiple possessions was similar and the fact that they did it to a team that had similar or inferior talent but was just better developed or made less mistakes etc etc they were just better in some facet that caused them to dominate Nebraska we saw once again against Michigan how far Nebraska was from being a blue blood whether that was Ohio state back in 2019 or Michigan last season a blowout loss in Memorial Stadium and the 0 and4 stretch in November is really what was the icing on the cake really I mean losing to Michigan State Maryland Wisconsin and Iowa by a combin B 16 points was yeah we don't need to talk about that anymore Nebraska was 132nd in college football in turnover margin per game they could not take care of the football and their offensive line was very inconsistent quarterback was a disaster the only good part of the team was the defense the fact they looked more physical and better conditioned than ever and also that at least at some point during the season there was reasons for optimism not just the desire for optimism in 2021 for example Nebraska I think only had a winning record when they played against Oklahoma like when they faced their first opponent who was in the power level that finished with a winning record because Illinois finished with a losing record in 2021 they played Oklahoma played them tight went two and two and then after that they never had a winning record again it was the same thing although with a much worse team in 2022 in 2020 Nebraska I don't believe ever had a winning record either in 2019 they did but very briefly and everything fell apart and the team from the beginning did not look as good as advertised and in 2018 Nebraska couldn't catch a break until November last season the 5 and3 start I think was it was huge the fact that they could rebound from Minnesota and a blowout to Colorado and Michigan really just splattering them all across the walls in their own home stadium speaks to the resiliency of the team Nebraska last year never quit you didn't get the sense that they just laid down and died or even in many of the games outside of I would say the Minnesota game in the Iowa game and maybe the Wisconsin game a bit that they choked against Colorado they just couldn't get out of their own way they kept shooting themselves in the foot against Michigan they had no chance and in all of the November games they were just out done they they couldn't get ahead of their opponents by any significant margin and they never truly controlled any of those games they got out to a quick start against Wisconsin and Wisconsin slowly crawled back and beat him but against Iowa they were never consistently in the lead it was the same thing with Michigan State and really what I think 2023 was was a rebuilding year that's what it was where you tear things down you try and patch up what you can but overall you're focused on the future and the 23 roster and its faults really were the epitome of how Scott Frost built the team also a little bit of you know Matt Rule and Marcus saterfield choosing Jeff Sims over I don't know better quarterbacks in the portal but mistakes happen even the best staffs and in all of college football make mistakes they do um Nebraska certainly being one of those and I don't even know if I would say they have one of college football's best staffs right now you have to you have to earn that honor you do but Nebraska last year made many steps forward they did they fell short of going bowling though and it's hard to talk about Nebraska and expectations because they're a blue blood program but then you see on the screen here 3 and N 4 and 8 5- seven I guess just looking at things from a mathematical and graphical standpoint they should expect six and six if they're going to win an additional game per year and maybe in a few years that automatically means they'll go 12 and0 but that is just I don't know football analysis and that's absolutely useless especially with the transfer portal era and with how quickly coaching staffs are changing um Trends and things like that they mean a lot in some cases but in in the case of Nebraska you don't want recent Trends to matter all that much and in the case with Nebraska or Michigan State or ruter or Illinois or I be even USC for example teams that aren't always at the top or have had changes over the past several seasons whether in head coaching or drastic staff changes um especially with the the transfer portal and the fact that rosters can change overnight Trends are just Trends to a certain degree at least when it comes to just wins and losses of course when you go deeper than that there are some things to pay attention to and we'll get into that because there are some encouraging Trends with Nebraska even in the short amount of time rule has been in Lincoln but I think the expectation for Nebraska it's hard to pinpoint because I'm tempted to say just 6 and six 7 and five it's an improvement over last year it would be going bowling it would even be a breakthrough to a large degree just settle it that but I don't think so I think the expectation reasonably for this team is a winning season going seven and five in the regular season or you get that extra win that eighth win eight and four that right there is The Sweet Spot that's the expectation meet that and I think that the team and the fan base and and the just the average of those would be pleased with the outcome of course coaches and players want to win as many games as possible but I'm talking about in the sense that you're two or three wins better than last season and with how much Nebraska brings back and the fact that their schedule is workable it's a lot like last year's schedule you have one game that looks like it's impossible to win on the schedule but depending on how the cards Preview, Analysis & Predictions For The Cornhuskers 2024 Season are played and how the conditioning and training and coaching in the preseason goes many things are possible I I just fell short of saying all things are possible because there's a game at Ohio State which is the equivalent to hosting Michigan last year where no nothing is possible in that game at least from what I can tell right now it's a lot like Iowa Nebraska's rival they're playing on the road at Ohio State too they can probably win all of their other games or at least they have the potential of beating every other opponent on their schedule except for that game at Ohio State in which I find very little if any reason to believe the Hawkeyes or in this case the Huskers can win that game but with UTEP traveling to Lincoln in week one with Colorado arrival this time traveling to Lincoln instead of hosting the Huskers and Boulder in in week two Northern Iowa comes to town in week three Illinois does as well in week four to kickoff Big 10 conference play it's a night game on Friday Purdue is the first road trip of the season in week five so Nebraska does get time to settle in at home fix some things a Colorado and I'm not even going to lie even Illinois can give the Huskers challenges really any team on this schedule short of UTEP and Northern Iowa can give Huskers problems given their recent history and performances last year's team could have performed better than five and seven so it's not unrealistic to think that Matt Rule and Nebraska could honestly underperform a bit like they did last year or drop the ball at times but it's a nice segue into the Rutgers game in week six or the road trip to Purdue in week five because a road game in the Big 10 has to be taken seriously then there's a nicely placed Buy in week seven that helps the Huskers prepare for back-to-back Road games at Indiana and then the big one at Nebraska at Ohio State in weeks 8 and nine UCLA comes to town to play in Memorial Stadium in week 10 Nebraska has a Buy in week 11 they play at USC in week 12 host Wisconsin in week 13 and play at Iowa in week 14 I think seven and five and 8 and four is very realistic with this schedule I would even be tempted to say that if you say that anything worse than 8 and4 is a disappointment I can buy into that because Nebraska in my mind from a power rankings angle is better than utap Colorado Northern Iowa Illinois Purdue better than Rutgers who's a team that I'm very high on as I already discussed in my most recent Big 10 team preview before talking about the Huskers they're power rated in my mind better than Indiana already seven teams Nebraska is playing I view them as better than in a power rankings angle and even when you adjust for home field advantage I'd favor Nebraska over all of these teams in the environments they'll be playing in at Ohio State I would view the Buckeyes as much superior to the Huskers I think anyone would who's done their research but I'd also think Nebraska is superior to UCLA that's eight teams I think Nebraska almost controversially will be superior to USC in a power rankings angle um Wisconsin and Iowa that gets a little iffy I think they're very close to those teams but Iowa right now I would play slightly head of Nebraska from that angle Wisconsin's even closer but they do have slightly better talent I do think fickle is from a resume standpoint absolutely a better head coach and just from my own angle and feelings and Analysis I think he's a better head coach as well one of the best in the business by the way and I think Wisconsin has a better staff so I lean Wisconson there but if you want to make the argument to me that with it being a home game and with Nebraska potentially having the better quarterback bringing back a better defense from last year than what Wisconsin had last year I can see the argument that Nebraska will be favored in 10 games on their schedule or because I don't think they'll be favored at USC on the road by Vegas they'd at least be power rated from my perspective over 10 games over 10 teams that are on their 12 game schedule so I hope that all made sense I think it does but s and five 8 and4 just for me neutral angle from an angle where Nebraska is just improving from last year improving substantially but not necessarily becoming a top 25 team like I think they will or even top 20 because I have them 20th in my top 25 Power Rankings I think seven and five and 8 and four is very realistic the most likely losses here are obviously Ohio State and I would say the final three game stretch of USC Wisconsin and Iowa those are also tough games and then throwing either Colorado or ruter there as the fifth most likely loss those are five potential losses that could happen and if Nebraska wins an additional one of those games they get eight and four and I think given Nebraska's recent history seven seven and five or eight and four that would be the bar a seven and5 team that looks way better on the field and is competitive in their losses and you know beats one of ruter or Colorado USC Wisconsin or Iowa would be Improvement 8 and4 I'd be closer to saying that 8-4 is is is like The Sweet Spot seven and five could be a disappointment depending on how things go 14 starters are back for Nebraska 71% of their production is back and I am willing to bet that quarterback who the starter at quarterback will be freshman Dylan riola will be a strength of this team he was very good at taking care of the football and not throwing interceptions in high school he has a cannon of an arm he's strong he has awareness in the pocket I think he'll be a top 25 quarterback this year at running back EMT Johnson Gabe bvin Jr ramir Johnson and Dante dowle they highlight one of the the deeper running back rooms in the Big 10 they could run a fourman rotation and be successful if the offensive line is just average or above average and Nebraska particularly on the interior I think looks to profile at that level this year I do view the offensive line overall as a weak link but I don't view any part of Nebraska's team as bad per se um I think special teams could also be a weak link that I didn't necessarily put up on the screen and linebacker Javin Wright is a player that I very much like um I listed linebacker as an area of concern before he was even injured he's out right now with an undisclosed health condition he's previously had surgery to help with blood clots so maybe it's something with that but Luke Rymer and Nick Henrich left after last season and with Wright being out for an unknown amount of time someone has to step up in that room and that I think is an area of concern along with offensive tackle where sadly Teddy prohaska went down with an injury a season ending injury Torres ACL so those areas are the weak lengths of the team but let's get back to the strengths I like Nash hutmacher on the defensive line I absolutely love him and also Ty Robinson the two interior players and at defensive back there's DeShaun Singleton there's blly Hill there's Isaac gford Tommy Hill who I saw someone projected him to be a first round pick in the 2025 NFL draft and that's somewhat surprising but also not because I do think that Tommy Hill is a player with allamerican potential this year he's going to be a very good quarterback I think he had four passes defended four interceptions was very good in coverage and he's just he's an athlete period amen his ceiling is Limitless and having him with a great Supporting Cast in the secondary and all of them working together in that unit they could have one of the better secondaries in all of college football and in the Big 10 a conference that has Michigan with Will Johnson Ohio state with Denzel Burke and Caleb DS and Jordan Hancock Iowa with basan Castro Quinn schy Xavier naapa and don't don't even forget about Wisconsin with Ricardo hullman and Hunter Waller and there are other secondary units in the Big 10 that are really really good when I look at Nebraska the question is all about Dylan riola and if he lives up to his potential and what I think he can do or not because Nebraska was 18 e in quarterback efficiency last season and they definitely need to improve on that I think the Huskers beat UTEP Colorado Northern Iowa Illinois Purdue Rutgers Indiana UCLA and USC I think they dropped the game at Ohio State and also finish the year with a two- game losing streak against Wisconsin who I think matches up very well with the Huskers and Iowa on the road it's a road game a rivalry game I think Iowa is better than Nebraska in every facet of the game when it comes to defense and I think Iowa may have the better offensive line that combined with HomeField Advantage I think results in Iowa Hawkeye win but I think the Corn Huskers with taking their first Bowl appearance since the Obama presidency very seriously I think they'll beat Oklahoma in the Music City Bowl capping off a 10 and3 record 6 and3 record in Big 10 conference play their ceiling I think is 10-2 I think they're guaranteed to lose an additional game outside of at Ohio State the roster while good I don't think has as many xfactor players as some teams that are at the same level or perhaps worse I'll give you an example like USC USC's entire skill position could be xfactor players like all of their receivers their quarterback they brought in several good defensive back players from the portal and they do have enough defensive lineman like Nate Clifton incoming transfer from Vanderbilt and bear Alexander DW if everything went right for USC they could have X-Factor players across the board and even with a tough schedule they could you know go 10 and two maybe 11- one though I'd say 10- two is probably best case scenario for the Trojans get into the playoff with their tough schedule at a lower seed and make a run for Nebraska they have a lot of good players great players but I think rule needs more time as in another year of strength and conditioning and doing things his way and bringing in another good recruiting class to see more xfactor players Blossom which means whether it's again Colorado ruter Ohio State USC Wisconsin Iowa heck maybe at Indiana as a trap game spot or at Purdue in the first road game of the season in one of those games I think Nebraska will be whether it's ups set or there are just two good teams on the schedule that are too good for Nebraska I think their ceiling is 10 and two their floor is six and six in my mind before we resume I want to remind you all to hit that like button subscribe to the channel click the notification Bell and comment your thoughts on my video down in the comment section below I should be doing this at the beginning of these videos and I just forget to do so because I'm so excited to talk about these teams but I wanted to get that reminder out there because it's better late than never to remind you all to join the best college football channel on YouTube We're aspiring to be that this year I believe we can and I believe in multiple aspects we are you're going to get analysis you're going to get the truth you're going to get my opinion and when I'm wrong you're going to get my correction of my previous opinion and my admission that I was wrong you're going to get the full package here on college football with Sam and the simplest way to support the channel is to hit the like button subscribe to the channel click the notification Bell and also share this video around because the more subs and likes we get the closer we get to my two giveaways that I'll be doing one for 20,000 subscribers and another for the first video that reaches a th000 likes but let's dive back into Nebraska football I want to talk about the reasons why I'm right on this team because I think there are many number one is the fact that Nebraska was 132nd in turnovers per game and also turnover margin um per game which is it's just just not good it absolutely is not they were an outlier in that category when you were that extreme you are an outlier it's like with Penn State last year although I wonder if Penn State's going to take that much of a step back in terms of gaining turnovers because Drew Aller whether it was because of his inaccuracy or the fact that he threw a lot of safe passes he consistently didn't turn over the football and Penn State has consistently forced turnovers on defense for quite a while now it's it's one of those Trends where you look at the coaching whether it's Brent pry or Manny Diaz or their assistance and you look at how the roster has been built and who comes back I think Penn State's defense should be still very efficient at forcing turnovers getting to the quarterback being one of the best defenses in all of college football but that's actually the same case for Nebraska too the Huskers bring back most of their defense that was top 20 last year was a top 20 defense for sure um some would argue it was better or worse than that but it was a much improved defense compared to the average Eric chinander defense that combined with an offense that likely will produce less turnovers just given what Dylan Rola did in high school and the fact that they were such an extreme outlier it's crazy plus Jeff Sims is Arizona State's backup quarterback and Hinrich harberg is probably going to be used as a Swiss army knife on offense so the two biggest contributors to the turnover problem are either one not on the team or two in a different role that will limit their proclivity to mess up the success of the team in fact I would be willing to bet that harberg this year will contribute to the team's success perhaps in a major way as he's much Superior at scrambling the football and I would say more willing and should be more willing to take a hit than Dylan riola it's nice that Nebraska has quarterback depth and depth at multiple positions particularly on defense but even on offense too and what's helped that is Matt rule has been aggressive when he needs to be in the portal but he also brought in a top 25 recruiting class in 2024 with several key contributors mainly like Dylan riola but maybe Carter Nelson can get some action maybe some of the offensive linemen can get action there on defense there may be fewer opportunities because of how good the unit was and how much they're um how much they brought back but I wouldn't be shocked if there are some younger players who really step up this season as rule continues to break in his guys because the Scott Frost players the the few that are left in some areas they've either taken off but the ones who haven't taken off under this new staff are going to get For Better or For Worse probably left behind because Frost did not do a good job of assessing talent and putting talent in a position to win so those are the reasons why I think Nebraska will succeed this year of the even better news like if Nebraska exceeds my 9 and3 prediction is the defense does have a top five ceiling this defense could if hutmacher Robinson bulock at linebacker Stefan Thompson at linebacker the secondary if they all step up at once and are consistently good and injuries for the remainder of the year are at a minimum they still happen because it's a part of the game but not anything drastic this defense could be one of the best in America and not just one of the best as it relates to a team that's in the top 25 to 10 range the bad is riol is a freshman he could be worse than what I and many others think and the offensive Line's also banged up and a banged up offensive line especially one that still has a lot of work to do like Nebraska's could easily get overwhelmed in the Big 10 where uh let's face it Purdue Purdue is phys up front on both the o line and dline they're big they're fast they're athletic they're strong Colorado has brought in defensive ends who I think are going to be very productive this year and ruter Iowa Wisconsin and Ohio State are all going to have anywhere from great to Elite defenses and and Indiana too Kurt Signet is bringing in many James Madison transfers and offense and defense to this Indiana team uh James Madison's defense was really good last year and if there was any substance to it outside of just dominating group of five competition they could be a challenge for an offensive line like Nebraska so it's imperative that the o line plays to its ceiling that someone steps up there that the defense steps up but I think that with the top 25 recruiting class with the fact that Nebraska will improve at turning over the football I think that they're going to improve and a big part of the reason why in addition if we want to zoom in with the microscope is their X Factor and that's their defensive tackles Ty Robinson and Nash Hut mocker Nebraska's defense last Drew was 12th in opponent offensive points per game allowed they were 10th in opponent points per play only allowing 0.267 points per play they were seventh top 10 in both rushing yards a lot per game only allowing 92.9 they were sixth in opponent yards per carry only allowing three is also top 10 and they were 38th in sack percentage they got to opposing quarterback 7.62% of the time that they dropped back and that's a very impressive number Nash hutmacher barely missed out on my All-American team if if there was a fifth team for example I have four teams for the four power four conferences and I even include you know backups to the main players just to make sure I can get all of the nation's Elite and n elite players along with you know including group of five players who deserve to be up there and players from all the conferences hutmacher barely and I mean barely missed out on this list he's up there he could be an All-American this year he has that Talent ceiling and Tommy Hill he's on my All-American team he's also on my second Team all big 10 and then others on the all big 10 team list besides hutmacher and Hill are Dylan riola Bryce benhard Thomas fedoni thei blly Hill EMT Johnson mic mzca Jamal Banks Javin Wright and Isaac gford notice how Nebraska doesn't as I said earlier they don't have any First Team all big 10 players Tommy Hill could be Nash hutmacher could be um Dylan riola probably not just because Miller moss and Dillan Gabriel exist but as I said earlier Nebraska has a lot of good great players even some near Elite and I'd say elite players with Hill and hutmacher but it's not to the same degree that Iowa Oregon Michigan Penn State Ohio State and I would say even like Wisconsin and Rutgers have but I think that's because in comparison to all those teams none of those teams if they have newer recent coaching staffs or obviously if their coaching staff staffs have been there for a long time like Ryan day or or Kirk fence Nebraska's having to go a complet undergo a complete restructuring of their program none of those other teams that I've mentioned have had to do that they've already overcame that massive barrier in some way or another they they've already started the rebuilding process or finished it rather outside of Wisconsin and Wisconsin was in a better place when Paul Christ was fired than Nebraska when Scott Frost was fired by a mile even though there were some issues there riola is a player who will make or break the season I think that's obvious I think that's also obvious in regards to the offensive line but look on defense and I would say that the Corn Huskers 32 sacks is great but if they can get more closer to 40 that would be even more helpful it's not just because they face some high octane offenses it's also because when it was whether it was Patreon Shoutout Michigan last season or other teams throughout the year nebrasca was able to be worn down up front at times and that might be mean nitpicking but the offense is not going to be a top 10 unit so in order to maximize the potential for wins the defense playing at a top 10 level maybe even to a top five level would be would be optimal Jamari Butler had five and a half sacks Hut mocker had four and a half Cameron lenhardt a young player had three Luke ryr had five and he's gone Nick Henrich had two he is gone and Javin Wright had a half sack he's out right now briefly uh Ty Robinson only had asack despite 29 uh total tackles so the more players can get pressure the better and as for the secondary a allowing less big pass plays being a little tighter in coverage more discipline in coverage would also be a gamebreaker and in a good way thank you all so much for watching my analysis and record prediction for Nebraska football remember to like the video subscribe to the channel click the notification Bell and comment your thoughts down below thanks to crash 2488 and bras Gasco for being Heisman members thanks to Chris Lane Conor o and ismar for being all American members thanks to John Lynn roaming gome Matthew sale Austin Christmas and Janai Shak kakro for being all conference members and if you want to support the channel sign up as a patreon member through the link in the description or down below in the pin comment if you are a Heisman member after 6 months of membership you do get signed college football with Sam merchandise if you want merchandise without having to sign up as a Heisman member and paying for 6 months you can just visit my merchandise store and purchase what you want from there it's very comfortable able high quality and it'll be shipped directly to you in a very efficient order of time have a great day guys and I will see you all around bye-bye