Does NU have a chance in the B1G West?

[NsideScoop]

20 minutes ago, Head Coach Scott Frost said:

Why do we even want to win the West? So we can get curb stomped by Michigan again?  I want a bowl game.  I want to play a team we have a chance at beating and actually get better from playing.  

 

Why not get both?!!!

[Mavric]

1 hour ago, Head Coach Scott Frost said:

Why do we even want to win the West? So we can get curb stomped by Michigan again?  I want a bowl game.  I want to play a team we have a chance at beating and actually get better from playing.  

 

Because that means that we won several games over teams I'd like to beat.  

[Enhance]

1 hour ago, Head Coach Scott Frost said:

Why do we even want to win the West? So we can get curb stomped by Michigan again?  I want a bowl game.  I want to play a team we have a chance at beating and actually get better from playing.  

That's exactly the kind of thinking that got you fired, Scott.

[Lorewarn]

1 hour ago, Mavric said:

 

Because that means that we won several games over teams I'd like to beat.  

 

 

also means there will be no shortage of overly-hasty expectations to be in top form in year 2

 

don't get me wrong i want the team to maximize their potential at every step of the way i can just see the annoyance in my temples now of how stupid our fanbase will get if we win the west this year and then go only 7-5 next year.

[lo country]

1 hour ago, Mavric said:

 

Because that means that we won several games over teams I'd like to beat.  

I'd love to win the West.  Even if it meant getting smashed by Michigan again.  As you mentioned, it means we get Ioa agains and finally beat Whisky. I'd take it in a heart beat.

[Mavric]

35 minutes ago, Lorewarn said:

also means there will be no shortage of overly-hasty expectations to be in top form in year 2

 

don't get me wrong i want the team to maximize their potential at every step of the way i can just see the annoyance in my temples now of how stupid our fanbase will get if we win the west this year and then go only 7-5 next year.

 

It will be a nice change when we have people being stupid about how 7 wins is a down year.

[ECisGod]

13 hours ago, Head Coach Scott Frost said:

Why do we even want to win the West? So we can get curb stomped by Michigan again?  I want a bowl game.  I want to play a team we have a chance at beating and actually get better from playing.  

It's not like winning the West means they will go to a high level bowl against another Michigan level team.  The winner of the West will be (at best) the fourth best team in the conference.  Whichever team wins the West will go to a lower tier bowl to play a team of similar ability.  Winning the West means a slightly better bowl and a few more days of practice that the team clearly needs.

[Undone]

We want to win it because winning things is good.

 

 

[commando]

i highly doubt we win the west..would be great if it happens but it is a very long shot IMO.     but if we do win it i expect to get blown out in the championship game and then i will wait to see what bowl game we get.

[BigRedBuster]

19 minutes ago, commando said:

i highly doubt we win the west..would be great if it happens but it is a very long shot IMO.     but if we do win it i expect to get blown out in the championship game and then i will wait to see what bowl game we get.

At this point, I really wouldn't care that we got blown out in the championship game.  At least we got there.  Michigan is a very very good team.  They are going to do that to almost everyone they play.

[Red Five]

On 10/3/2023 at 11:05 AM, Red Five said:

 

After Week 5 (still some preseason priors built into the models that will get phased out over the next couple weeks)

 

Nebraska #69 in SP+ / #73 in FPI

 

Minnesota #46 / #49
Colorado #76 / #60
N. Illinois #116 / #107
Louisiana Tech #99 / #110
Michigan #1 / #8
Illinois #58 / #66
North­western #95 / #72
Purdue #68 / #53
Michigan St #57  / #59
Maryland #31 / #25
Wisconsin #25 / #24
Iowa #38 / #39

 

As I have has said before, I wouldn't be surprised if we are sitting at 4-2 in conference (with a bowl bid wrapped up) and controlling our own destiny in the West going into the Maryland game. 

 

Conversely, I also wouldn't be surprised if we are 2-4 in conference going into the Maryland game.

 

After Week 6

 

Nebraska #63 in SP+ / #66 in FPI

 

Minnesota #64 / #61
Colorado #80 / #64
N. Illinois #104 / #194
Louisiana Tech #108 / #111
Michigan #1 / #8
Illinois #68 / #75
North­western #103 / #88
Purdue #73 / #56
Michigan St #59  / #60
Maryland #31 / #24
Wisconsin #23 / #23
Iowa #41 / #35

[Enhance]

You have to play and ultimately beat the best if you want to be the best.

In the unlikely chance Nebraska were to win the West, playing Michigan or whomever wins the east should be considered a welcome opportunity. Another chance to play against stiffer competition and see what it takes to get better.

[Red Five]

On 10/3/2023 at 11:07 AM, Red Five said:

 

FPI Chance to win the West after week 5:

Wisconsin 64.9%

Iowa 25.3%

Minnesota 3.9%

Purdue 2.2%

Illinois 1.6%

Northwestern 1.5%

Nebraska 0.7%

 

So you're telling me there's a chance...

 

FPI Chance to win the West after week 6:

Wisconsin 67.0%

Iowa 29.0%

Nebraska 1.8%

Minnesota 1.4%

Northwestern 0.4%

Illinois 0.2%

Purdue 0.1%

 

We have the 3rd best chance!  We were 7th last week.

[deedsker]

Iowa at Wisconsin this week mostly should determine the West. A Wisconsin win basically shuts out most of the competition for the division. An Iowa win puts them in the driver seat, but opens up the chaos window like last year. 

[Husker in WI]

5 minutes ago, deedsker said:

Iowa at Wisconsin this week mostly should determine the West. A Wisconsin win basically shuts out most of the competition for the division. An Iowa win puts them in the driver seat, but opens up the chaos window like last year. 

 

This is gonna be a weird game too. There might be more defensive points than offensive points - the past two years, Iowa has gained 146 and 156 yards in this game. Wisconsin has gained 227 and 270. I do think not having the second half of their 1-2 punch will hurt Wisconsin, their passing game is not quite what their fans expected. I'd pretty much bet on Mordecai throwing a pick six (not sure Hill will get a ball close enough to another player to return the favor), but is that enough? 

 

Iowa/Wisconsin fighting for the division is pretty much what everyone expected, but I did expect one of them to look halfway decent and they haven't so far. Just significantly better than the rest of this division.