Nebraska’s football season isn’t over, even if it might have felt a little that way Saturday after the Huskers’ disappointing loss to Michigan.
Nebraska’s football season isn’t over, even if it might have felt a little that way Saturday after the Huskers’ disappointing loss to Michigan.“Be careful,” sophomore quarterback Dylan Raiola said after the Michigan loss.
“We’re gonna come together and do something scary.” The message from Rhule and the team: Learn from the loss but don’t dwell on it and have it affect the team for the rest of the season. Courageous and hopeful talk, for sure. That is Rhule’s mindset. No matter how many times he looks at the tape, no matter how many times he reruns plays in his head, it’s history.against Michigan, which ran for 286 yards and three scores, with three Wolverines’ touchdown runs totaling 166 of the yards. Nebraska also needs to better protect Raiola, who had a terrific game despite seven sacks and taking a pounding from the Wolverines’ defense.Oh, and in the Big Ten, don’t leave plays and points on the field. Score when you have the opportunity. Touchdowns over field goals, always. In the Big Ten, those opportunities aren’t always plentiful.. That means nothing will be easy. It also means the Huskers’ season will be remembered for what they do over the next eight games. Defeating Michigan could have been season-defining, but so could winning most of the remaining games. Nebraska still can make this season special. The College Football Playoff isn’t totally unrealistic. But the Huskers have to win and they have win often. Two ranked teams are on the Huskers’ schedule — No. 21 USC on Nov. 1, and No. 3 Penn State on Nov. 22. That means Nebraska has six unranked teams to play, teams that will provide tests but aren’t demonstrably better than the Huskers.With the exception of UCLA and maybe Northwestern, Nebraska’s remaining opponents each look capable of bowl eligibility. Those are the tests. Each looks good enough to defeat Nebraska and not have the victory considered an major upset.Unranked opponents ultimately are going to determine the success of Nebraska’s season. These teams consider themselves Nebraska’s equal, or better. They know their level of success would be enriched with a victory over the Huskers. Let’s examine each opponent, and where they stand on Sept. 26 — with the caveat that plenty could change between today and when they play the Huskers.The Spartans , coming off a 45-31 loss at USC, are on a bye this week. Nebraska is 9-4 all-time against Sparty and has won the last two meetings in Lincoln. MSU has a crafty quarterback in Aiden Chiles, who was the Big Ten offensive player of the week earlier this season. He’s a 68.6 percent passer and has run for 154 yards. Michigan State quarterback Aidan Chiles has completed 68.6 percent of his passes in 2025. / Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images Both teams will be desperate, coming off losses. Losing two games this early in a 12-game schedule would be devastating for teams with ambitious plans. Sparty’s last three seasons were under .500, and four of the last five.This will be Nebraska’s first true road game, always an uncertain venture. The Terps are 4-0 and dominated Wisconsin, 27-10, in Madison on Saturday.Maryland freshman quarterback Malik Washington has led the Terrapins to a 4-0 start. / Jeff Hanisch-Imagn ImagesNebraska leads the series, 2-1, but lost in Lincoln in 2023, 13-10.Nebraska will be playing on the road and on short rest. This feels like a game that could define the Huskers’ season, especially if they defeat Michigan State and Maryland. Minnesota Golden Gophers coach P.J. Fleck has enjoyed success against Nebraska. / Matt Krohn-Imagn Images Minnesota has owned the Huskers recently, winning five consecutive games and six of seven. Overall, the Gophers lead the series, 37-25-2.Nebraska leads the all-time series, 10-7, but has split the last four meetings. As stated: The Wildcats always are problematic.Nebraska has never defeated Southern Cal . The Trojans will be coming off a bye week after games vs. Michigan and at Notre Dame. Should Nebraska be on a roll coming into this game, there could be serious CFP implications for both teams.This is a revenge game for the Huskers, the source of a bitter loss in 2024. UCLA was 2-5 when it arrived in Lincoln. The Huskers were 5-3 and needed one more victory to become bowl eligible for the first time since 2016. It was a monumental game for the the Huskers.UCLA already has changed coaches, firing DeShaun Foster and naming Tim Skipper, who was special assistant to the head coach. The season series is 7-7.UCLA is another opponent coming off a bye week.Penn State’s strength also is a weakness. Experienced quarterback Drew Allar has been inconsistent and ineffective over his career. He’s also flashed moments of brilliance. Penn State plays host to sixth-ranked Oregon this Saturday night. We’ll learn plenty about the Nittany Lions that night. Nebraska leads the season series, 10-8. Nebraska has won five of the last six, including two at Penn State. Penn State quarterback Drew Allar has been plagued by inconsistency in his Nittany Lions' career. / Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images The Nittany Lions are loaded beyond Allar, with experienced running backs running behind a solid line and their usual rock-hard defense. The Huskers will be coming off another bye week, which should be an advantage.Speaking of revenge games, here come the Hawkeyes. Nebraska leads the all-time series, 30-22-3 but that’s deceptive. Iowa has won nine of the last 10 meetings. Plus, Iowa has won an astounding six consecutive games at Memorial Stadium. Iowa quarterback Jackson Stratton passes before Nebraska defensive lineman Ty Robinson can make the the tackle in 2024 game. / Julia Hansen/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images Last year was a heartbreaking, 13-10 road loss for Nebraska, which led 10-0 at halftime and 10-3 into the fourth quarter. Iowa is 3-1, its loss at rival Iowa State, 16-13. The Hawkeyes play Indiana, Penn State, Minnesota, Oregon and USC before they meet the Huskers.Chuck Bausman is a writer for Nebraska on SI. Chuck formerly was the Executive Sports Editor of the Philadelphia Daily News, Executive Sports Editor of the Courier-Post in South Jersey and Sports Copy Editor for the Detroit Free Press. He has been a Big Ten enthusiast for nearly forever. He learned how to cuss by watching Philly sports. You can reach Chuck at: bausmac@icloud.com
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