Nebraska Football: Cincinnati game should provide telling test

Nebraska football will face a tough test early on.

Heading into the 2020 season, Nebraska football will be faced with some tough out-of-conference matchups. One of those matchups is the Cincinnati Bearcats. They are slated to play Nebraska in the fourth week of the season. That should give the Huskers a good test as they will enter conference play after that.

At first glance, you may think of Cincinnati as a smaller program not capable of success. That picture is wrong. Luke Fickell and his Bearcats have proven to be very successful over the last couple of seasons.

More from Husker Corner

• Former Nebraska football star returns to the program in new role
• Travis Hunter injury uproar has some Nebraska football fans reminding Colorado about Adrian Martinez
• Nebraska Football: Freshman RB in line for big playing time
• Nebraska Cornhuskers News: Heinrich Haarberg has believer in Rhule, more
• Nebraska Football: Matt Rhule faces tough decision between Heinrich Haarberg and Jeff Sims

In 2019, they went to 11-3 and finished at the 23rd spot in the Top 25. Led by quarterback Desmond Ridder, they should figure to be a huge force in the AAC in 2020.

Led by Darrick Forest and Javon Hicks defensively, the Bearcats are no joke. They can attack on both sides of the football, and it will give Nebraska a chance to see where they measure up. Usually the beginning of the season is home to some easy games. That gives teams the opportunity to get off to a good start. Certainly, Nebraska will be able to have that opportunity based on talent alone. With the talent in their program, they could start off strong.

Rivals.com has the Nebraska-Cincinnati game as the fifth-best out of conference game in the Big Ten. I’m certainly excited to see how it all plays out. Luke Fickell teams are usually very disciplined and tough. As Rivals notes, a win over Cincinnati could put Nebraska in a good position for the rest of their schedule.

"For Scott Frost and Nebraska, the game will be an early measuring stick and give the Huskers a chance at a potential 6-1 or even 7-0 start to the season before they hit the back end of their schedule which features five potential ranked opponents."

The game being at home also certainly helps Nebraska. Even though things may look a little different in the 2020 season, being at home is always helpful in a big game. Nebraska football is certainly going to need all the help they can get against a potent Cincinnati attack. The Bearcats are very balanced and they will come at you from both sides of the football. Nebraska needs to be ready.

This game is just one of the many that provides intrigue in 2020. Nebraska football will be tested early and often. Hopefully, they will be able to show the Bearcats who’s boss.