**2021 Previews: ESPN/Bill Connelly SP+ Big Ten West preview **

[ColoradoHusk]

The thing about getting to 9+ wins on a consistent basis, is building the talent level and developing that talent to that you are the superior team for the vast majority of your games.  That turns a season of 7-8 toss-up games into a season of 3-4 toss-up games.  The best programs (Alabama, OU, Ohio State, Clemson) have such a talent advantage over the rest of college football, that their seasons are really a 2-3 game season, and not a 12 game season.

NU will likely never get back to the level of those 4 programs, but I think they can get to a point where NU has a clear advantage over 7 opponents, which would leave 5 toss-up games each year.  Then NU's ending record each year depends on those toss-up games.

 

[ColoradoHusk]

Whoa a minute.  I missed this gem before.

How can you say Michigan has better talent than Nebraska only to then claim Minnesota has similar talent than Nebraska?

Since 2018, our class rankings in the B1G have been 4,4,4,5

Michigan is 3,2,2,2

Minnesota is 7,10,9,8

So, how can you say Michigan is so much more talented only to have Minnesota and Nebraska similar?

I can say that Minnesota has similar talent than NU when I watch the games over the past few years.  It's my eye-ball test.  Nebraska may have "recruited" better, but they haven't developed better than Minnesota.  Throw in transfers and other factors, I would say NU and Minnesota are very similar teams at this point.

 

[LumberJackSker]

Whoa a minute.  I missed this gem before.

How can you say Michigan has better talent than Nebraska only to then claim Minnesota has similar talent than Nebraska?

Since 2018, our class rankings in the B1G have been 4,4,4,5

Michigan is 3,2,2,2

Minnesota is 7,10,9,8

So, how can you say Michigan is so much more talented only to have Minnesota and Nebraska similar?

How many of Nebraska's 4 stars left? How well has frost developed talent since he's been here? It's not much of a stretch to say Michigan is more talented and a team that's beat frost 2 years in a row is similar in talent.

 

[Undone]

I can say that Minnesota has similar talent than NU when I watch the games over the past few years.  It's my eye-ball test.

I think I'd agree with Buster that the two definitions are different though.

"Talent" in this context = the sum total of the recruiting site rankings. We're talking about purely the on-paper numbers.

Then the thing you're talking about is the perceived on-field capabilities based on a ton of other factors going in alongside the on-paper talent rankings. Just my opinion there.

 

[Undone]

It's not much of a stretch to say Michigan is more talented and a team that's beat frost 2 years in a row is similar in talent.

I'm not quite catching what you mean there. Michigan has a borderline ridiculous amount of 4 stars on their roster.

However they, like us, have been severely underperforming relative to that on-paper level of talent.

Nevertheless they're still better than we are. However, we could prove that wrong this season.   

 

[J-MAGIC]

So, 3-4 games which you count as wins, the odds have near 50% win probability? That’s a tall order to win that many 50-50 games. 

Yeah it'd be cool if we just won every toss-up game we played but that's not realistic. So the schedule is as tough as it seems to me. 

And I think people are really underestimating how tough @ Minnesota and the Iowa game will be. I know we've played Iowa close the past few years but on paper this looks like one of Ferentz's best teams so just shrug them off at your own risk.

 

[Toe]

It's funny to me how NW is picked to finish 3rd in the West... and his 126th out of 127 in returning production.

And in a year when other teams are gonna be loaded with super-seniors, no less!

 

[Hooked on Huskers]

Last year .....

• Short handed Rodents, 30+ players lost, yet Minnesota beats Nebraska.
  
• Illini easy win
  

Both at home.

This year, 7 or 8 out of 12 games, Huskers underdogs.  Almost for sure, no bowl (again)

I'm surprised NU favored by 9.5 against Illinois.  I thought even odds.

In December 2021, could be SF will be axed.  Unfortunately, $25M buyout.

Anyway, kinda sick and tired "Next Year". Repeat, repeat, repeat ...

Rehire Bo !!!  Or else Bob Stoops is available ..... I heard eager to return HC and he was a B1G alumni.

 

[Undone]

Last year .....

• Short handed Rodents, 30+ players lost, yet Minnesota beat Nebraska.
  
• Illini easy win
  

Both at home.

The Illinois loss was a total embarrassment because it was a coaching f***-up to have started McCaffrey in the first place and then we went down hill from the actual first play of the game.

The players that Minnesota were missing due to COVID wound up being a bit overblown after a deeper dive into who those players were on the depth chart...but we still should have won that game. I think Mills had come back from injury and probably wasn't 100%. Should have ran the ball down their throats but Frost didn't, and we lost.

No more of that crap.

 

[hskrfan4life]

Huskers take care of the home field (6 out of 7 games)

Screw that we're going undefeated at home.

 

[J-MAGIC]

Maybe I'm in the minority here but I think we would have handily beat Illinois last year if AM is starting. Receivers were running wide open downfield all day and McCaffrey was incapable of getting them the ball. Eventually Illinois figured that out and sat on everything short. AM came in and we went right down the field and scored. Defense didn't look good either but it was on the field a ton because of the turnovers. If we show up I'm not super worried about that game (though they are certainly capable of beating us if we play poorly as last year showed).

 

[Husker in WI]

The Illinois loss was a total embarrassment because it was a coaching f***-up to have started McCaffrey in the first place and then we went down hill from the actual first play of the game.

The players that Minnesota were missing due to COVID wound up being a bit overblown after a deeper dive into who those players were on the depth chart...but we still should have won that game. I think Mills had come back from injury and probably wasn't 100%. Should have ran the ball down their throats but Frost didn't, and we lost.

No more of that crap.

Not to mention we win Minnesota if AM doesn't reaggravate his shoulder OR we had a competent passer as a backup. AM started 14/17 and then went 2/10, including some missed TDs. I forget exactly when in the second half he reinjured it, but coaches might have pulled him if McCaffrey hadn't gone 0/2 with a pick when he had to jump in early. This is on the coaches, but seems like a lot of the gameplan involved some shots to Wan'Dale on an LB and once we were down to AM with a bum shoulder and McCaffrey with a noodle arm, we were in trouble.

 

[Hooked on Huskers]

Screw that we're going undefeated at home.

Right now, Huskers was undefeated.   First place in West standings  :corndance :koolaid2:  

 

[Fru]

Maybe I'm in the minority here but I think we would have handily beat Illinois last year if AM is starting. Receivers were running wide open downfield all day and McCaffrey was incapable of getting them the ball. Eventually Illinois figured that out and sat on everything short. AM came in and we went right down the field and scored. Defense didn't look good either but it was on the field a ton because of the turnovers. If we show up I'm not super worried about that game (though they are certainly capable of beating us if we play poorly as last year showed).

I agree. I've kinda felt that the Illinois game last year was more of an anomaly. I think the defense was still a bit gassed from the week before. 3 picks and a fumble definitely didn't help. I'm no coaching expert, but I think Luke got figured out in the second half of the PSU game and that gave Illinois a pretty simple blueprint to shut him down. Would've been nice to have Mills for that game as well. 

 

[Undone]

Not to mention we win Minnesota if AM doesn't reaggravate his shoulder OR we had a competent passer as a backup. AM started 14/17 and then went 2/10, including some missed TDs. I forget exactly when in the second half he reinjured it, but coaches might have pulled him if McCaffrey hadn't gone 0/2 with a pick when he had to jump in early. This is on the coaches, but seems like a lot of the gameplan involved some shots to Wan'Dale on an LB and once we were down to AM with a bum shoulder and McCaffrey with a noodle arm, we were in trouble.

Really great recap! I had actually forgotten about Adrian's injury.