Nebraska football’s upcoming game against Rutgers has become a surprisingly high-pressure game. Entering the season, I wouldn’t have expected Rutgers to come to Lincoln undefeated, but Greg Schiano has them at 4-0 and playing good football. While the Huskers are currently favored, they’ve struggled to defeat undefeated teams since joining the Big Ten. Nebraska football is just 1-9 against teams with 4+ wins and 0 losses since 2011.
The Huskers got their lone win in 2015 against Michigan State on a dramatic Brandon Reilly tight-rope touchdown catch from Tommy Armstrong. That win was also a rare one-score win for Nebraska football. The 10 percent win rate is in the bottom third of college football, tied with Wake Forest and Minnesota. Clemson has been the king of knocking off unbeaten teams with an impressive 15-4 record, leading college football in total wins and winning percentage since 2011.
Looking back a little further in college football history, Nebraska football trends towards the top of the list. Since 1970, only Alabama, Notre Dame, and Ohio State have knocked off more four-plus-win unbeaten teams. The Huskers' impressive 25-28 record in the games gives them the 8th-best win percentage over the last 55 years.
Bill Snyder understandably has nightmares about Nebraska. In his legendary career, his Wildcats came into the Nebraska game with no losses and at least four wins seven times. Kansas State only managed to leave the game with a perfect record once. Only one team had a more lopsided record in such games (by win percentage). Oklahoma State had six games against the Huskers with a perfect record. They lost all six.
Nebraska football trying to buck the trend
Nebraska football has struggled this season but still found ways to win four games convincingly. If the Huskers win this week, it’s a reason for celebration, no matter how the game looks. Rutgers is in the top 36 in both scoring defense and scoring offense. The Huskers will have to play well on both sides of the ball. If they do, they will start to reverse another trend that hasn’t been in the Husker's favor in recent years.
Week 1 Arbitrary Stat of the Week Update: Nebraska football is in sole possession of first place with 16 players with a carry
Week 2 Arbitrary Stat of the Week Update: Nebraska is on a two-week streak outside the top 25. A win versus Rutgers would put them in a good position to return to the Top 25
Week 3 Arbitrary Stat of the Week Update: Dylan Raiola is one of six QBs with a completion percentage of at least 70% and 8+ YPA (minimum 140 attempts)
Week 4 Arbitrary Stat of the Week Update: Nebraska’s offense is the fifth youngest in the country based on the weighted average of passes, carries, and catches