The new conference realignment has been entertaining to watch thus far. The competition week to week is significantly better than in years past, and Nebraska is right where it needs to be.
Six games in, the Huskers are sitting toward the upper tier. There’s no doubt that this second half of the schedule is tougher. The Big Ten has had teams like USC competing with Penn State and losing to Minnesota. Nebraska can win or lose any of its next six.
Wisconsin was yesterday’s surprise after its 42-7 win over Rutgers. The Badgers rushed for 311 yards, averaging 6.8 yards per carry. Nebraska only averaged 2.3 yards against the Scarlet Knights, which is concerning. Purdue was another in its 49-50 overtime loss to Illinois.
Even with the rushing concern, the Huskers have all the doors still open. Ohio State is beatable, Indiana hasn’t been tested, UCLA should be the easiest game left, USC can’t finish, Wisconsin is a wildcard and Iowa is Iowa.
Can Nebraska do something special with the playing field being leveled across the conference? If they cleaned up the special teams and running game over the bye week, anything is possible.
There’s not a game on the schedule that Nebraska can’t win, it’s just a matter of whether they can put it all together. Coach Rhule wants the Huskers to be relevant in November, and they might just be. A potential playoff bid is not out of the realm.