CollegeFootballNews: Predicting Every Remaining Big Ten Game, Final Standings

[Saunders]

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Big Ten East Final Standings Prediction
1 Michigan
2 Ohio State
3 Penn State
T4 Maryland
T4 Rutgers
6 Indiana
7 Michigan State

 

Big Ten West Final Standings Prediction
1 Wisconsin
T2 Iowa
T2 Nebraska
4 Minnesota
T5 Illinois
T5 Northwestern
T5 Purdue

https://collegefootballnews.com/predictions/predicting-every-remaining-big-ten-game-final-standings-week-10

 

 

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Nebraska Football Schedule
2023 Predicted Finish: 8-4
Current Record: 5-3
Projected Conference Finish: 6-3

 

Nov 4 at Michigan State W
Nov 11 Maryland W
Nov 18 at Wisconsin L
Nov 24 Iowa W

[EmeraldIngot]

Hey, I'll take it! 

 

Michigan State is a dumpster fire this year, so we're very likely to win that game.

 

Maryland looked good for most of the year, but recent games have shown their offense struggles against good defenses, and the Huskers have a top 25 defense. Also, they lost to Northwestern. I think there's a good chance of winning that game. 

 

Wisconsin struggled early, but had improved with every game so far. They kept up with Ohio State for most of the game and looked pretty good while doing so. We'd have to play mistake-free to pull off that win. 

 

Iowa... Their offense is terrible. For all of Nebraska's offensive struggles, I think we've put up better numbers than Iowa has, and that's after losing the turnover battles and suffering many injuries. Their defense is very good, though. Top 25 at least, maybe better. I think this game will be a close, defensive battle. Whoever scores more than 17 will probably win. 

 

Going 4-0 is possible, but unlikely. 3-1 is achievable, even without expecting an unusually good performance in any of these games. 

 

But by that token, 2-2 is also possible, depending on how the offense does against Iowa's defense; the Iowa D and special teams has shown the ability to make points where their offense can't, so fumbles, interceptions, or poor special teams play could give them points we might not be able to match. 

 

To go 1-3 or 0-4, the Huskers would have to drop one or both of the MSU and Maryland games. Maybe, if Maryland can pull it together and get back to how they looked earlier in the year, 1-3 is possible, but unless the Huskers have a total meltdown, 0-4 is highly unlikely. 

 

Given how Haarberg has improved in the pass game (in large part thanks to the freshmen receivers Coleman, Lloyd, and Doss, their improved grasp of the playbook, and their speed and athleticism) and the incorporation of some play actions looks that actually seem to work (Thanks, Coach Osborne!) I actually think 4-0 is well within our grasp! 

 

The Huskers ran some mesh concept and levels concept against Purdue, as well as those pop passes/jet sweeps by Fleeks, and had a lot of success. When defenses stack the box and jam the middle of the field, it opens up the perimeter or the deep middle in the pass game. It keeps defenses honest and opens up a bit of room in the run game. If Haarberg can complete 10-15 passes for 200 yards or more, we'd have a more balanced attack; it would take the pressure off the O-line and help us move the chains and put up points. If we can do that (and limit/eliminate turnovers) we can beat anyone left on our schedule. 

 

GBR!

[hskrpwr13]

Works for me. 

 

Nice end to the season without having to be sacrificed to the East champion.

[Loebarth]

@hskrpwr13 I agree... If we go 3-1 to finish the season, (even 2-2) I'll be dancin. Win just 1 more and I'm celebrating with the young men that are giving everything they have to reach the goal we all want. GBR!!!

[Guy Chamberlin]

I'm definitely encouraged by how the Huskers are marching through the teams we need to beat. 

 

But --- and stop me if I'm nuts here -- it still feels like a bad time to get cocky. 

[BigRedBuster]

8 minutes ago, Guy Chamberlin said:

I'm definitely encouraged by how the Huskers are marching through the teams we need to beat. 

 

But --- and stop me if I'm nuts here -- it still feels like a bad time to get cocky. 

Don't confuse having fun, enjoying the winning....with being cocky.  I'm not sure I know of any Husker fans that are cocky and thinking we are sooo much better than what we are.  I'm pretty sure everyone knows we could get beat by everyone left on our schedule.

[TGHusker]

 I think our 'optimism' is tempered by our history.  Kind of hard to get cocky when we have the history we've had.  Cockiness is when we are 1980-2001 good or just below that standard (some of Bo's teams). But it is fun to be on the winning side of the ledger - let's enjoy it. 

[Husker in WI]

As long as the team doesn't get cocky it does not matter how we feel. And I think Rhule is on top of it since he came out talking about how the defense really didn't play very well despite the numbers - we'll see if it works, but the offense has zero reason to take their foot off the gas and I don't think the defense will.

[307husker]

1 hour ago, Husker in WI said:

As long as the team doesn't get cocky it does not matter how we feel. And I think Rhule is on top of it since he came out talking about how the defense really didn't play very well despite the numbers - we'll see if it works, but the offense has zero reason to take their foot off the gas and I don't think the defense will.

Purdue flat dropped quite a few balls that could have changed the overall tone of the game, if not the final result.   Glad to have the win, but far from cocky.

[deedsker]

5 hours ago, Guy Chamberlin said:

I'm definitely encouraged by how the Huskers are marching through the teams we need to beat. 

 

But --- and stop me if I'm nuts here -- it still feels like a bad time to get cocky. 

We can be up on MSU this weekend 21-3 with 10 minutes left in the 4th when a punt return gets muffed, an out route gets picked sixed, or another fumble bounces up to a DE who houses it and we will all collectively go, "Of sh*t, here we go again. We're gonna lose."

 

But until then, let the kool aid flow, my friend!!!

[Saunders]

14 hours ago, 307husker said:

Purdue flat dropped quite a few balls that could have changed the overall tone of the game, if not the final result.   Glad to have the win, but far from cocky.

True, but at the same time, we were easily a couple plays away from winning that game by 5-6 touchdowns.

[Lorewarn]

19 hours ago, 307husker said:

Purdue flat dropped quite a few balls that could have changed the overall tone of the game, if not the final result.   Glad to have the win, but far from cocky.

 

 

This has been true of pretty much every single one of our opponents. At some point you have to assume part of that is a mental impact the presence of our defense creates. 

[BigRedBuster]

23 minutes ago, Lorewarn said:

 

 

This has been true of pretty much every single one of our opponents. At some point you have to assume part of that is a mental impact the presence of our defense creates. 

Yes, just because a team drops some balls, doesn't mean our defense was lucky.  Maybe the QB had to rush the pass.  Maybe he had to squeeze it somewhere it normally wouldn't have been.  Maybe the defender was at least close enough to distract the WR....etc.

[Mavric]

7 minutes ago, BigRedBuster said:

Yes, just because a team drops some balls, doesn't mean our defense was lucky.  Maybe the QB had to rush the pass.  Maybe he had to squeeze it somewhere it normally wouldn't have been.  Maybe the defender was at least close enough to distract the WR....etc.

 

Yeah, I also think people are too quick to call it a "drop."  Obviously it's somewhat semantics but there were at least a couple of passes that *could* have been caught but they would have been very difficult catches.  In my opinion, if you *should* have caught it, it's a drop.  But that's not the same as one you *could* have caught.

[BigRedBuster]

2 minutes ago, Mavric said:

 

Yeah, I also think people are too quick to call it a "drop."  Obviously it's somewhat semantics but there were at least a couple of passes that *could* have been caught but they would have been very difficult catches.  In my opinion, if you *should* have caught it, it's a drop.  But that's not the same as one you *could* have caught.

Yes, one example on our team was the long ball to Doss.  The ball was actually placed very well by HH.  The defender grabbed Doss's arm...he got it loose and had two hands on the ball.  I don't call that a drop.  I call that a ball that could have been caught....but it would have been a pretty dang good catch after the defender grabbed his arm.