Nebraska football's 2024 gauntlet: Ranking the toughest challenges ahead

The Nebraska football team is off to its first 2-0 start since 2016 and is ranked for the first time in 82 weeks, sparking hope for a promising second season under Matt Rhule. Many experts predicted the Huskers could start 7-0, largely due to what looked like a favorable early schedule. However, just two weeks into the season that "easy" path seems less certain.

According to ESPN’s Football Power Index (FPI), Nebraska now faces the third most difficult remaining schedule among Big Ten teams. With some teams on the slate still figuring things out—like Purdue and UCLA, who have only played one game each—it’s hard to get a full read on just how challenging the weeks ahead will be.

Ranking Nebraska football's final 10 games from easiest to hardest

Let’s break down Nebraska’s final 10 games and rank them from easiest to hardest based on what we know so far.

10. Northern Iowa

Nebraska faces off against the Panthers, a top-25 FCS team, this week. The Panthers feature a run-heavy offense with a bruising running back in Tye Edwards. UNI won't try to throw often--they've only passed for 215 yards in two games this season.

It's going to be difficult for an FCS team to compete up front on the lines. The Panthers' offensive line has good size across the board. But their defensive line is small: their largest defensive tackle weighs 289 lbs.

Northern Iowa will play hard and compete but don't expect a Husker letdown after Colorado. Especially in Memorial Stadium under the lights.

9. UCLA

We're going to learn everything we need to know about Deshaun Foster's UCLA squad this week when they play at Indiana (did I really just say that?!). UCLA struggled against Hawai'i in their season opener. They rushed for only 71 yards, had two turnovers, and went 4-13 on third downs. Maybe it was travel. Maybe Hawai'i is better than anticipated.

They say the biggest jump is made in between weeks one and two. Does that adage still apply when you have week two off?

After Indiana, UCLA still has to go through LSU, Oregon, Penn State, Minnesota, and Rutgers before coming to Lincoln on November 2. It could be 55 degrees and Sunny. Or it could feel like -10 with the wind. The latter would be a nice welcome-to-the-Big-Ten gift, right?

8. Purdue

Ryan Walters is in his second year at Purdue, hoping for a spark after a 4-8 season in 2023. Purdue won their first game against FCS Indiana State 49-0. Nebraska fans know there's just not much you can take away from a game like that except you did what you were supposed to do. Can Purdue do it against the big boys?

Like UCLA, the Boilermakers also had a bye in week two. This Saturday, Purdue renews an old rivalry with Notre Dame for the first time since 2021. Even though Notre Dame is coming off a loss to Northern Illinois, this would be a signature win for Walters.

Nebraska travels to Purdue at the end of September. Nebraska drubbed Purdue last year--without competent QB play. What's changed for Purdue to make us think this year's result will be any different?

7. Indiana

Indiana is a mystery. They were awful last year. But with first-year head coach Curt Cignetti, they have figured out how to score points. They set a school record with 77 points in last week's win over FCS foe Western Illinois. On the one hand, it was just an FCS team. On the other hand, Nebraska has never scored 77 points against an FCS team. Something to think about, right?

ESPN's FPI loves Indiana--they're currently projected to finish 8-4--but what's that based on? Recruiting? Taking an FCS school to the woodshed?

Playing Nebraska in Bloomington will help the Hoosiers. But the Huskers will be the first significant test of the season for Indiana. Will a program in reboot mode be up for the task?

6. Wisconsin

Will the real Wisconsin please stand up? They will this week when the Alabama Crimson Tide march into Camp Randall. The Badgers are 2-0, but they've won close games against Western Michigan and South Dakota (FCS).

Two wins, yes, but Wisconsin's defense is allowing opponents to complete 63% of their passes and 4.9 yards per play. Their offense? They're averaging a meager 4.7 yards per play. Something tells me Alabama wins going away early on Saturday.

Nebraska hosts Wisconsin on November 23. How much will Wisconsin improve by them? What will their passing defense look like? Will they be able to move the ball on the Blackshirts? The Huskers have lost ten straight in this series. I have a feeling Rhule and his team will want this one badly.

5. Rutgers

The Scarlet Knights are the darling dark horse of the Big Ten. They beat Akron and Howard to get to 2-0. This week, they play hapless Virginia Tech who lost to Vanderbilt last Saturday.

Rutgers has a star running back in Kyle Monangai. We know they'll play sound defense as long as Greg Schiano is there. But they're just serviceable in the passing game. Can Rutgers find something there to keep defenses honest? They'll need to be more than one-dimensional against Tony White's Blackshirts to win. With the game being in Lincoln, I have my doubts. But it might just be a slobbernocker of a game.

4. Illinois

The Fighting Bret Bielemas shocked the college football world by defeating #19 Kansas last Saturday. Incredibly, Illinois only had 271 total yards for the game. They only ran 59 plays.

How in the world did they win? They held the ball for almost 31 minutes, forced four turnovers, and limited explosive plays on defense (Kansas had two plays over 20 yards). That's a recipe for upsets.

Illinois comes to Lincoln on Friday, September 20. I've already predicted things would get weird and the Illini would beat the Nebraska Cornhuskers in a tight one. Their victory over Kansas hasn't done anything to make me think otherwise--yet.

3. Iowa

For one game and then one half last week, we thought Iowa may have found an offense. Oh, boy were we wrong. Iowa had 303 yards, two turnovers, and punted nine--yes, nine--times in their loss to Iowa State this past weekend.

But it doesn't really matter how bad Iowa's offense is when Nebraska plays at Kinnick on Black Friday at 6:30 pm. It's a rivalry game. And if it's a frozen tundra, all bets are off.

Speaking of rivalry, Iowa fans want nothing more than to beat Nebraska. My gut says this game is Iowa's Super Bowl for their coaches and players, too.

2. USC

Before the season started, I would have ranked this in the 6-7 range. Not after seeing USC beat LSU and dismantle Utah State. Quarterback Miller Moss is the real deal and the Trojans have figured out how to play defense. That's a lethal combination with Lincoln Riley at the helm.

The big question I have for USC is will they be able to withstand the weekly grind in the Big Ten? The physical toll is significantly more challenging than the Pac-12. What will that mean come November when the Huskers roll into Los Angeles?

Somehow, USC was able to avoid any cold weather games in their first year in the Big Ten. And that will help them play their brand of football each week and build momentum. Watch out. Happy Valley or Madison in late October would have been nice. Sigh.

1. Ohio State

This is the obvious choice, right? The Buckeyes are the conference cream of the crop--at least for now. For me, the jury is still out on quarterback Will Howard until I see him against a Big Ten defense. Before the Buckeyes welcome Nebraska to Columbus, they'll face Iowa, Oregon, and Michigan State in consecutive weeks. Their bye is the week before they play the Huskers.

But Ohio State doesn't need Will Howard to be Superman to beat Nebraska handily. The Buckeyes are littered with 4- and 5-star players. They have 5-stars sitting on the bench for crying out loud. Plus, the Horseshoe hasn't been kind to the Huskers historically. This game will be Dylan Raiola's first legitimate road test of his young career. Will he finally play like a freshman? Can he lead the Huskers to an upset?

Will Nebraska football take the next step under Matt Rhule?

Whether the Nebraska football team has the easiest or hardest remaining schedule makes no difference. As Rhule said in his press conference earlier this week, if his team can focus on their process and "correct the correctables" one game at a time, the Huskers will be well on their way to the special kind of season fans are hoping for.