Nebraska is 5-4 and 2-4 in the Big Ten after Friday’s 24-13 loss at Illinois. Bowl eligibility still requires one more win. The calendar offers three chances: at Rutgers next Saturday, Ohio State at home on Nov. 21 and at Iowa on Friday, Nov. 27.
Why Rutgers is the clearest door
Rutgers is 2-6 overall and 1-4 in conference play per the Scarlet Knights’ schedule page. Nebraska visits SHI Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 14, at 11:30 a.m. CT on BTN. Ohio State and Iowa are a different tier of ask. Piscataway is the game that most cleanly turns 5-4 into bowl math.
What traveled out of Champaign
The Huskers outgained Illinois 426-376 and got a season-high 284 passing yards from Anthony Colandrea on 32-of-43 throwing. Jacory Barney Jr. caught six passes for 93 yards and a 51-yard touchdown. The offense moved the ball. Red-zone trips, kicking and 11 penalties for 82 yards were why it did not finish. Cleaning those downs is the Rutgers-week checklist.
Nebraska still has three games. It only needs one win. The first chance is in New Jersey.
Featured image: Photo: Michael Barera. CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Nebraska_vs._Michigan_2011_11_(Nebraska_on_offense).jpg.
