Nebraska Cornhuskers get massive vote as 'surprise' team of 2024

We are officially in the same month the Nebraska Cornhuskers will start their “fall” camp. July 31 is getting closer by the day, and it means the excitement over what this season may hold is only going to get even crazier. But is it all that crazy to be excited for what many have dubbed as the season the Huskers finally start their return to glory?

There’s been a lot of talk about NU finally making a bowl for the first time since 2016. However, there’s still been debate about just how good Matt Rhule and his crew can make his second team. Count The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman among those who believe the degree to which NU is about to find a resurgence will make them one of the “surprise” teams of 2024.

“Keep an eye on Nebraska,” Feldman said on The Herd. “You know, like Matt Rhule struggles in his first (year at a place) and then he gets it going. Dylan Raiola is super talented freshman quarterback. He’s a legacy kid. And when I say kid he does not look like a kid … He was committed to Georgia, was committed to Ohio State, ends up kind of going home where he has family ties at Nebraska. Very talented.”

Things could be better for Nebraska football than fans dared to hope

While Feldman is far from the only guy high on Raiola, the defensive front is where he thinks the team will shine. And to make his case, he pointed to a playoff team from 2023 as its comp.

“The other thing that was big for them is, you know, Texas last year, people couldn’t run on them very well,” Feldman added. “They had two great defensive tackles. Nebraska actually has, potentially, the best interior defensive tackle combination in the country. I mean, they have two studs in the middle of the defense, they’re gonna be physical.”

The analyst finished his comments by saying Nebraska football could sneak into the Top 25. For the beginning of the rebuild, we’ll definitely take that.