ESPN wants to remind fans that Nebraska football is likely going to struggle
Because the schedule for the Nebraska football team is hard, there aren’t a ton of games on the schedule earmarked for losses that are likely going to surprise you.
What might shock Husker fans a little bit is just how few chances the team is being given to pull off the upset. Of course, ESPN”s FPI has given the Cornhuskers zero chance of winning out and 0.1 percent chance of winning the conference.
Michigan
According to ESPN, the first loss of the Cornhuskers’ season is coming at the hands of the Wolverines. Nebraska is given just a 10 percent chance of getting a victory at the Big House in Michigan.
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Considering that Jim Harbaugh’s teams haven’t exactly been dominant of late, the low percentage is a bit surprising. The fact that this is the Cornhuskers’ first road game of the season probably plays a part.
Michigan usually having a pretty stout defense likely helps as well.
Wisconsin
ESPN gives the Huskers just a 10.4 percent chance of beating the Badgers. Like Michigan, it seems likely that defense and Nebraska having to play in a very hostile road environment are playing a part.
Wisconsin has also dominated the Cornhuskers since they joined the Big Ten. Scott Frost is going to have to reverse that trend before they start getting the benefit of the doubt.
Northwestern
Of all the games on the schedule that give the Huskers a very low chance of a win that shocks me, it’s this game. Nebraska has done OK very the Wildcats since they joined the conference.
In fact, the Cornhuskers had one of their worst teams in the last 60 years and they almost beat a Wildcat team that was one of their best in school history. The fact that Nebraska only has a 28.4 percent chance of winning this game, while on the road, is not in a particularly hostile environment is appalling.
Ohio State
This is the least shocking projected loss on the entire schedule. The only time the Buckeyes had any problem with the Huskers is when they were fielding their worst team in 20 years and they had to play the backup quarterback for most of the game.
Nebraska, according to ESPN, has just a 6.6 percent chance of winning this contest. This is the kind of situation that isn’t going to change until Scott Frost and company show they are for real.
Michigan State
The Spartans came out of nowhere to have a very good season last year. That is apparently going a long way towards flavoring the 19.2 percent chance the Huskers have of winning this matchup.
In actuality, the Cornhuskers and Spartans have squared off in some barn burners. I have a feeling the story is going to be the same next year. Whoever wins is going to squeak it out, it won’t be a blowout.
Iowa
This is likely the projection that is going to get under Nebraska football fans’ skin the most. The Cornhuskers are projected to have just a 23.7 percent chance of winning their season finale.
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It seems like Iowa is always overrated. If Frost and his coaching staff can really right the ship, there may not be a game on the schedule more ripe for an upset than this one.