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*** 2022 Game 1 "Expert" Picks: Nebraska vs Northwestern ***


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48 members have voted

  1. 1. Predict the outcome of Game 1!

    • Nebraska Wins & Covers (-12.5)
      28
    • Nebraska wins but doesn't cover
      11
    • Northwestern wins a close game
      2
    • Frost is left in Ireland
      5

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  • Poll closed on 08/27/2022 at 03:00 PM

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2022 Game 1 “Expert” Picks: Nebraska vs Northwestern

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CollegeFootballNews.com

Why Northwestern Will Win

So what changed over the last several months? When we last saw Nebraska win a football game, it had no problem with Northwestern in a 56-7 blowout – that was the only Husker win since September 11th. How is Northwestern better than last season when nothing seemed to work right in a disastrous 3-9 run? To start, the offensive line will be a major plus around All-America tackle Peter Skoronski, there should be more of a running game, and the defense got a little help from the transfer portal for the line. On the other side, there’s a big-time PROVE IT factor for Nebraska. It went 3-9, too. Head coach Scott Frost wasn’t replaced after another awful year, the defense has to prove it can start taking the ball away, and QB Adrian Martinez is off doing his thing at Kansas State. If Northwestern can slow this down, keep it low scoring, and make it about who’ll screw up first, it’ll be in good shape against the team that has all the pressure on its side.

Why Nebraska Will Win

Nebraska just got more talented. It’s still missing the playmakers across the board to make a ton of noise nationally, but QB Casey Thompson was a good get from Texas, and the receiving corps got a ton of help with Trey Palmer from LSU, Isaiah Garcia-Castaneda from New Mexico State, and Marcus Washington from Texas. The defense filled in a few spots and helped boost up the depth. The biggest change is with the style, getting offensive coordinator Mark Whipple over from Pitt – he helped make Kenny Pickett a ton of money. Get ready for a far more dangerous passing game, and it starts with hitting a Northwestern secondary that doesn’t return anyone who came up with a pick in 2021.

What’s Going To Happen

Really? You’re going to pick against a guy named Fitzgerald in Ireland? Northwestern and Nebraska were supposed to go to Dublin in 2020, but a global pandemic had something to do with that getting moved. Now the two kick off the Big Ten season in Week 0, and it’s massive for both teams. Northwestern has to show that the problems of 2021 are well in the past and the style, toughness, and line play can be enough to get back to a high level. Nebraska has to show that all the changes under Frost were enough to start winning.Don’t expect anything pretty. The Northwestern lines will be strong from the start as Fitzgerald’s squad slows things down to a dead stop at times. Nebraska won’t have the running game to control the clock, and the third down conversions won’t be there on a consistent basis. However, Nebraska will hit two deep plays in the second half to finally start to pull away a little bit. Northwestern will have its chances late, but its fourth quarter drives will stall as the Huskers get out with a stronger-that-it-will look win.

Nebraska 26 - Northwestern 17

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CFN Expert Picks

Line: Nebraska -12.5, o/u: 50.5 (* denotes win, but not cover)

Eric Bolin, RazorbacksWire.com: Nebraska*

Evan Bredeson, CornhuskersWire.com: Nebraska

Tony Cosolo, ColoradoBuffaloesWire.com: Nebraska*

Jeff Feyerer, CFN: Northwestern

Pete Fiutak, CFN: Nebraska*

Cami Griffin, LonghornsWire.com: Nebraska

Dan Harralson, VolsWire.com: Nebraska*

Phil Harrison, BuckeyesWire.com: Nebraska

Joey Ickes, AggiesWire.com: Nebraska*

Jeremy Mauss, MWwire.com Nebraska*

Big Game Ben Niewoehner, CFN: Nebraska*

Ethan Niewoehner, CFN: Nebraska*

Tyler Nettuno, LSUTigerswire.com: Nebraska*

Zack Pearson, TarHeelswire.com: Nebraska

Johnny Rosenstein, SportsBookWire.com: Nebraska*

Nick Shepkowski, FightingIrishWire.com: Nebraska*

AJ Spurr, RollTidewire.com: Nebraska*

Scott Steehn, WinnersandWhiners.com: Nebraska*

Joe Vitale, UGAWire.com: Nebraska*

John Williams, SoonersWire.com: Nebraska*

Clucko the Chicken (a coin flip), CFN: Northwestern

CONSENSUS PICK: Nebraska*

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ESPN FPI

Nebraska 31 - Northwestern 18

Nebraska - 78.7% Win

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DRatings

Nebraska 31 - Northwestern 16

Nebraska - 85.4% Win

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ESPN Bill Connelly SP+

Nebraska 31 - Northwestern 17

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Big Red Wrap Up

Damon Benning:  Nebraska 27 - Northwestern 13

Jay Moore: Nebraska 31 - Northwestern 17

Mike'l Severe: Nebraska 27 - Northwestern 13

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More to come!!!

  • Plus1 1
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34 minutes ago, BigRedBuster said:

Wasn't it Illinois we were supposed to play in Dublin in 2020?

 

The original plan was Northwestern in Dublin in 2020. That got scrapped due to the pandemic and we ended up with the eight-game "LET THEM PLAY" schedule that featured Ohio State as our first game (not that the league was punishing us for the lawsuit filed by eight of our players or anything). 

 

They tried to do it again in 2021, only this time the opponent was Illinois. But Covid was still running amok around the world, and international travel seemed like a bad idea, so we scrapped that in favor of a Week Zero game in Champaign. Which, as you'll recall, we shat the bed in and lost by one score. 

 

 

Edit because this is wrong. 

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1 minute ago, knapplc said:

 

The original plan was Northwestern in Dublin in 2020. That got scrapped due to the pandemic and we ended up with the eight-game "LET THEM PLAY" schedule that featured Ohio State as our first game (not that the league was punishing us for the lawsuit filed by eight of our players or anything). 

 

They tried to do it again in 2021, only this time the opponent was Illinois. But Covid was still running amok around the world, and international travel seemed like a bad idea, so we scrapped that in favor of a Week Zero game in Champaign. Which, as you'll recall, we shat the bed in and lost by one score. 

 

Nope.

 

It was always supposed to be Illinois in 2021.

 

https://huskers.com/news/2019/10/14/football-huskers-illinois-to-open-2021-season-in-ireland.aspx

  • Plus1 2
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5 minutes ago, Red Five said:

 

 

So... apparently I invented the whole "Northwestern in Dublin in 2020" in my head. Weird! I could have sworn that was the original plan. I have a distinct (but apparently wrong) memory of Illinois in Dublin being the makeup game for the one that was scrapped the year before. 

 

But you are 100% correct and I have it wrong. Here's the original 2020 schedule:

 

2020 Husker Schedule (original)
Date Opponent Location
9/5 Purdue Lincoln
9/12 Central Michigan Lincoln
9/19 South Dakota State Lincoln
9/26 Cincinnati Lincoln
10/3 Northwestern Evanston
10/10 Illinois Lincoln
10/24 Rutgers Piscataway
10/31 Ohio State Columbus
11/7 Penn State Lincoln
11/14 Iowa Iowa City
11/21 Wisconsin Madison
11/28 Minnesota Lincoln
  • Plus1 1
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8 minutes ago, knapplc said:

 

 

So... apparently I invented the whole "Northwestern in Dublin in 2020" in my head. Weird! I could have sworn that was the original plan. I have a distinct (but apparently wrong) memory of Illinois in Dublin being the makeup game for the one that was scrapped the year before. 

 

But you are 100% correct and I have it wrong. Here's the original 2020 schedule:

 

2020 Husker Schedule (original)
Date Opponent Location
9/5 Purdue Lincoln
9/12 Central Michigan Lincoln
9/19 South Dakota State Lincoln
9/26 Cincinnati Lincoln
10/3 Northwestern Evanston
10/10 Illinois Lincoln
10/24 Rutgers Piscataway
10/31 Ohio State Columbus
11/7 Penn State Lincoln
11/14 Iowa Iowa City
11/21 Wisconsin Madison
11/28 Minnesota Lincoln

 

I could have sworn the trip was canceled twice. Once in 2020 and again in 2021.

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I sometimes see penalties built into a lot of what Husker players and coaches have been saying about "going all out," etc.  I don't like to see those remarks because it's a sport wherein it is assumed that each player is going to do that anyway as a baseline just to represent their school.  Having to say something like that can be either a sign things are looking better, or a sign that we're once again wannabees. 

 

Key drives stopped by mistakes were all too common with us last playing season and prior.  I kept hoping one of coaches would call a series of penalty avoidance clinics in practices. 

 

I'm worried about that factor. 

 

 

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