The Nebraska Cornhuskers are coming off an average season of 7-6, but with a big win over Boston College in the Bad Bow Mower Pinstripe Bowl. However, this team wants more than just average seasons, they want to be able to compete for conference titles and national titles.
There is a lot of talk about head coach Matt Rhule and how year three in a program is always the biggest year, and there is hope that this will be the case this season. Rhule is getting ready to start his third season at Nebraska, and he himself knows that this typically is his big year, so there is a lot of hype and hope about this season at Nebraska.
The Cornhuskers are in the Big Ten, the conference that has produced the last two National Champions, so it will be a challenge, but Nebraska just needs a solid resume to get to the College Football Playoff.
So here is a game-by-game prediction of Nebraska's 2025 season.
Vs. Cincinnati (Thursday, August 28)*
Win
The Nebraska Cornhuskers won't be making the trip to Ohio, but they also won't be opening the season at home in Week 0. Instead, they will make the short trip South to Kansas City, where they will play the Bearcats in GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium, home of the Kansas City Chiefs. Quarterback Dyaln Raiola will play on the same field as his "twin" Patrick Mahomes. The Cornhuskers should hopefully look like the Chiefs and take care of business against Cincinnati.
Vs. Akron (Saturday, September 6)
Win
Akron will be the first of a back-to-back non-conference and non-Power 4 games, and honestly, there isn't much to say other than Nebraska should take care of business and win big, or else this wouldn't look good on the CFP resume.
Vs. Houston Christian (Saturday, September 13)
Win
Just like the game against Akron, this should be an easy one for the Cornhuskers and should be a big-time win before heading into Big Ten play.
Vs. Michigan (Saturday, September 20)
Loss
Nebraska will open up Big Ten play against Michigan, and it may not be a normal game as the Wolverines will be without head coach Sherrone Moore. Michigan would rather play without their head coach in their first Big Ten game than not let him coach against Oklahoma. Michigan will be sorting out its offense still at this point, but that defense is looking really good going into next season and could really trip up this Nebraska offense. This is going to be an explosive game and a tough one that will end in a narrow loss to the Wolverines.
Bye Week
Vs. Michigan State (Saturday, October 4)
Win
Coming off a loss and the bye week, Nebraska will be hot and ready to take on Michigan State, which is entering year two under Jonathan Smith. The Spartans still have a bit of work to do in order to really become competitive, and Nebraska can take advantage of that. The Cornhuskers should take care of business fairly easily and get back in the win column.
At Maryland (Saturday, October 11)
Win
This will be the second game after the bye week for Nebraska and the second game in a string of games that Nebraska should be heavily favored in. The Terrapins are going to be a solid team in the future with the recruiting classes they have coming in, but right now, they still are looking like an easier team to take down.
At Minnesota (Saturday, October 17)
Win
Minnesota is probably going to be the toughest team Nebraska will face in this streak of games between bye weeks. The Golden Gophers always seem to be competitive enough each season to give teams some trouble. However, Raiola should be nice and comfortable at this point in the season and should be able to lead the team to a victory.
Vs. Northwestern (Saturday, October 25)
Win
Northwestern is yet another team in the Big Ten that is still working on its rebuild in the next few seasons. The transfer portal was not amazing for the Wildcats, and so being competitive may not be in the cards for this team this season. This is a great game to get some other guys in the lineup once the Cornhuskers get up big enough and give the starters a bit of a breather.
Vs. USC (Saturday, November 1)
Win
USC should look better this season than they did last season, but there is still a lot the Trojans have to work on under Lincoln Riley. This will probably be the second toughest game for the Cornhuskers in this stretch, but Nebraska should be able to edge out the Trojans just enough for a win to continue this little win streak.
At UCLA (Saturday, November 8)
Win
Nebraska will have to travel to the West Coast for its final game before its second bye week of the season. This will be a tough journey for the Cornhuskers, but having to face UCLA should be a bit of a confidence boost before heading to Happy Valley in two weeks. Nico Iamaleava should be leading the Bruins next season, but Nebraska's defense should be able to handle him.
Bye Week
At Penn State (Saturday, November 22)
Loss
Nebraska could be running into either a one-loss team or an undefeated team when they face Penn State. The Nittany Lions are looking like the best team coming back to the Big Ten, returning a ton of their starting lineup. Nebraska could have its little win streak snapped here as they are also going to have to try and win in Happy Valley, a very tough place to play.
Vs. Iowa (Friday, November 28)
Win
Nebraska will get to take on Iowa, another Midwest team, in a showdown that could be tough for the Cornhuskers to end the season. Iowa is known for its stout defenses, and depending on how Nebraska's offense turns out this season, this could be a tough game. However, the one thing that Nebraska has going for it is that Iowa's offense is known to struggle, so the Cornhuskers should finish off the regular season with a win.