Nebraska Football: Why a Surprise Bye is a Blessing in Disguise

The bye week could have been a blessing for Nebraska.

While the rest of the playing college football world ventured forward in this unique season, the Cornhuskers sat idle.

After an abundance of positive COVID-19 tests the game against Wisconsin was cancelled. The Wisconsin game offered both tremendous risk and reward.

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Two things made this a high-risk, high-reward game. The game gave the Huskers the opportunity to knock off a top 10 team without their quarterback and the threat of  starting the season winless after two weeks.

It is because of the latter I believe that having a surprise bye week may be a good thing. Northwestern, not a program traditionally thought to be a powerhouse has started the season well.

if the Huskers had played Wisconsin and lost 0-3, dark clouds on the horizon could have been a possibility. Now, Nebraska has an extra week to prepared for a good opponent in Northwestern.

A win against Northwestern is now similar to the the would-be Wisconsin game because after starting 2-0 Northwestern is a solid team, the type of solid team Nebraska must beat to reach the summit of the Big 10 West.

If the Huskers can rebound and beat Northwestern, there isn’t a game on the schedule that looks unwinnable. Penn State would be the biggest challenge yet, however the Nittany Lions look like a more mortal team following a loss to Indiana.  So Cornhusker fans, lets hope and believe in the prospect of a winning season beginning with a win  over Northwestern.