Could Nebraska Make The Playoff this year? Any chance with total domination from here on out?

[VectorVictor]

At 12-1 Nebraska has a shot, yes.

I'd half agree with this. They need a little bit of help (not much, but some) and we'd need to beat a 11-1 MSU in the B1G Title Game (instead of a lower-ranked tOSU), and hope we get another ranked opponent (Rutgers, Minnesota, Wisky) or two along the way for good measure.

Thinking Minnesota and Wisky are our best shot for ranked opponents. IIRC.

Actually....Iowa has a decent shot at being ranked if they just keep winning...and they probably will...by the time Neb sees them....could be in the top 20ish.

That's true if they keep winning. But it's Iowa, and they find new, inventive ways to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory, time and time again. Can't depend on them, to be honest.

 

[JJ Husker]

Could it happen? Yes, but it would take a bunch of help and other teams stumbling for us to crack the top 4 for playoffs.

Will it happen? No. What has this team done in the last 7 years to make anyone think they are capable of winning out, clobbering everyone, and winning the CCG? Have I missed something?

 

[Blackshirts007]

I have a feeling this thread will be irrelevant after Saturday. Not that we will lose, but NW won't be a comfortable win and it will have us all wondering how the rest of the year will play out.

 

[Minnesota_husker]

I dont think the odds are very good.

We would need to beat MSU in the B1G championship game and hope Ohio state loses to MSU... but finishes strong.. therefore you have (3) 1-loss teams in the B1G all with top 15 rankings.

Nebraska wont beat out other 1 loss teams like: Ole Miss or Miss st/Bama/Oregon/so on and so forth.

With 4 teams making it, we need to hope that Ole Miss or Miss state goes undefeated and the other one loses two games, as well as Bama losing another game.

I think final 4 could look something like this for us to get in:

Baylor/Ole Miss/Nebraska/ Oregon

FSU and Notre Dame both need to lose a couple.

 

[JJ Husker]

I have a feeling this thread will be irrelevant after Saturday. Not that we will lose, but NW won't be a comfortable win and it will have us all wondering how the rest of the year will play out.

Already there. I don't see one single gimme game on our schedule from here on out, at least not one that we couldn't play bad enough to lose.

 

[HuskerinSunDiego]

But let's be a little realistic about this team, this program, and where we are...if the above happened, it would shock even the biggest pumpers of sunshine out there.

Will Smith: "Being realistic is the most common path to mediocrity."

 

[Redux]

I have a feeling this thread will be irrelevant after Saturday. Not that we will lose, but NW won't be a comfortable win and it will have us all wondering how the rest of the year will play out.

Already there. I don't see one single gimme game on our schedule from here on out, at least not one that we couldn't play bad enough to lose.

Conference games are never gimmes. There isnt one team left on the schedule we shouldnt be favored to beat. Tighten up the miscues and we can definitely roll 6-0 to end the regular season.

 

[HuskerinSunDiego]

My path to the National Championship game:

1. BigTen. We win out, we're ahead of every team in our conference.

2. Pac12 - - WAY too much parity. The only team with a chance of coming out with one loss is Oregon.

3. SEC - - Same as Pac12. The Mississippi schools will fall on their faces when the pressure mounts. Nobody from the Eastern Division is getting to the CCG without two loses. If this is Georgia, they will face the lone team (if any) from the West with one loss. If Georgia wins, the entire SEC has two losses. If the West Division team wins, that virtually ensures that they are the only team in conference with one loss. No way a team with two losses, that didn't even play for the SEC title, passes a Nebraska team with one loss who just beat #3 Ohio State for the title.

4. ACC. Winston won't play the whole season. FSU has barely gotten by with him. They will lose two games before season's end. I see potential losses against Notre Dame, Louisville, and Miami. Also, Boston College, Virginia, and even Florida have a chance. FSU has clunked along all season. No reason they couldn't lose two games. If they had been winning games 63-3 the entire season, then this prediction would be folly. However, they should have already lost to Clemson, and darn near lost to NC State. They are completely vulnerable.

5. Big12. Too much parity. However, Baylor is a beast. If they win out, that means Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, and K-State have (at a minimum) two losses. TCU will lose somewhere else, as well. In short, only Baylor is coming out of here.

6. Notre Dame. They almost lost to North Carolina. They're not that good. Have you seen them? FSU, USC, Arizona State, and Louisville could easily turn into two losses.

Under this scenario, the top 4 would be Baylor, SEC champ, Oregon, and Us. In a year where there is no true dominant team, this scenario is not unrealistic IF we win out. And yes, that's a fairly big "if" but the pathway is there if we take care of business.

 

[BigRedBuster]

My path to the National Championship game:

1. BigTen. We win out, we're ahead of every team in our conference.

2. Pac12 - - WAY too much parity. The only team with a chance of coming out with one loss is Oregon.

3. SEC - - Same as Pac12. The Mississippi schools will fall on their faces when the pressure mounts. Nobody from the Eastern Division is getting to the CCG without two loses. If this is Georgia, they will face the lone team (if any) from the West with one loss. If Georgia wins, the entire SEC has two losses. If the West Division team wins, that virtually ensures that they are the only team in conference with one loss. No way a team with two losses, that didn't even play for the SEC title, passes a Nebraska team with one loss who just beat #3 Ohio State for the title.

4. ACC. Winston won't play the whole season. FSU has barely gotten by with him. They will lose two games before season's end. I see potential losses against Notre Dame, Louisville, and Miami. Also, Boston College, Virginia, and even Florida have a chance. FSU has clunked along all season. No reason they couldn't lose two games. If they had been winning games 63-3 the entire season, then this prediction would be folly. However, they should have already lost to Clemson, and darn near lost to NC State. They are completely vulnerable.

5. Big12. Too much parity. However, Baylor is a beast. If they win out, that means Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, and K-State have (at a minimum) two losses. TCU will lose somewhere else, as well. In short, only Baylor is coming out of here.

6. Notre Dame. They almost lost to North Carolina. They're not that good. Have you seen them? FSU, USC, Arizona State, and Louisville could easily turn into two losses.

Under this scenario, the top 4 would be Baylor, SEC champ, Oregon, and Us. In a year where there is no true dominant team, this scenario is not unrealistic IF we win out. And yes, that's a fairly big "if" but the pathway is there if we take care of business.

Basically, what us losing to MSU has done is taken our destiny somewhat out of our hands.

Yes, we need to win out in an impressive manner. However, also, some other teams will need to lose along the way.

 

[Jorow99]

3. SEC - - Same as Pac12. The Mississippi schools will fall on their faces when the pressure mounts. Nobody from the Eastern Division is getting to the CCG without two loses. If this is Georgia, they will face the lone team (if any) from the West with one loss. If Georgia wins, the entire SEC has two losses. If the West Division team wins, that virtually ensures that they are the only team in conference with one loss. No way a team with two losses, that didn't even play for the SEC title, passes a Nebraska team with one loss who just beat #3 Ohio State for the title.

But what if the mississippi teams go to the egg bowl with no losses? then there will be a 1 loss mississippi team that didnt go to the CCG. and then if that team in the CCG loses to the east team we will be in terrible shape.

 

[JJ Husker]

But let's be a little realistic about this team, this program, and where we are...if the above happened, it would shock even the biggest pumpers of sunshine out there.

Will Smith: "Being realistic is the most common path to mediocrity."

Just because Will Smith said it doesn't make it so. Possibly one of the dumbest quotes I've ever read. How does being realistic, especially for fans that have zero influence on a football program, lead to a path to mediocrity? Makes absolutely no sense and doesn't apply to this situation at all. Should we ignore reality and pretend things are hunky dory? Yeah, that'll help avoid mediocrity.

 

[The Dude]

When I struggle with inner turmoil, I often seek wisdom from the Fresh Prince.

 

[Landlord]

With the disclaimer that we are getting entirely ahead of ourselves and there is less than a 1% chance of any of this actually playing out,

All Nebraska needs to have happen to make the playoff is to end up ranked higher than Notre Dame and one of the P5 conference champions. That's it. There's no way the committee will leave out a power five conference champion in the first year of the playoff.

Obviously the SEC winner is getting in. We can go ahead and assume that Florida State, even with a loss, will win the ACC and they will be in.

The last two spots will come down to four teams:

the winner of the Pac-12 (where everyone already has one loss),

the winner of the Big XII (who has no championship game).

the winner of the B1G (where everyone already has one loss),

and Notre Dame, who is currently undefeated.

 

[Redux]

Using the above criteria:

The Big 12 needs to have a one loss champ

Notre Dame needs to drop a couple

We have to win out convincingly and blast whomever in title game

The seeding would likely be:

#1 SEC Champ vs #4 Nebraska

#2 ACC Champ vs #3 PAC 12 Champ

 

[skersfan]

Pac 12 winner has head to head win over flag bearer for the conference. No real chance to move up unless others lose. Beating Ohio State and Nebraska would mean little as they are already ahead of them, and neither will be ranked in the top ten.

Baylor going undefeated, they are in and have beaten top ten teams

Notre dame with one loss will bump in any big ten team out.

Mississippi State wins out, they are in, Ole Miss loses the Egg Bowl Close, they will be in.

We are hind tit no question. We need tons of help, but we have proven over and over it won't matter how much help we get, we will crap the bed long before. this program wants no part of a 4 team playoff team. Another Miami 2001 or Wisconsin. Not ready even in a very weak conference.

Win what we can and be happy.