Nebraska’s rough return from the bye week continues. After being demolished by Indiana 56-7, the Huskers will now travel to Ohio State to face the No. 4 Buckeyes.
But Nebraska’s loss, along with last week’s games around the conference, also shook up the rankings of its remaining opponents. A few teams continue to improve offensively, something Nebraska’s defense needs to worry about. If the Huskers can’t keep up on the scoreboard, things could be dire in Nebraska’s last five games.
But head coach Matt Rhule is aware of the David and Goliath matchup the team faces this week. His message to the team is to simply go out and battle.
“Indiana came out and challenged us. I don’t know how well we challenged them, and so I’m taking that personally. Now you’re facing the best team, the best team in the country, the best roster in the country, number four, unbelievable team. If we spend the whole game playing Ohio State, looking at the score, we’re hoping to win, we’ll get our face beat in. If we go out there and challenge them, because we all think we’re good football players and we want to play in the NFL, and their players are going to play in the NFL. So if you’re an NFL player and I’m an NFL player, then I should compete with you. If I back down from you, then I’m not really an NFL player. I want our guys to go out there and compete and see what happens, and then I want to come home and play UCLA and do the same thing, and do it for five games. We’ve been on the journey of the season. This was a real, real, real down point. See how we respond.”
Here are the rankings for Nebraska’s five remaining opponents for the 2024 season.
5. Iowa Hawkeyes 4-3 (2-2)
The Hawkeyes traveled to Michigan State and suffered a rough loss to the Spartans. Iowa surrendered 32 points to Michigan State while only scoring 20.
Cade McNamara threw 11-of-23 for 150 yards, a touchdown and an interception. Outside of a 75-yard touchdown run by Caleb Johnson, Iowa was also held up at the line, rushing for 133 yards.
Defensively, the Hawkeyes faltered, surrendering 256 passing yards, 212 rushing yards, two touchdowns and six field goals.
Nebraska has time to right the ship when it arrives in Iowa City on Black Friday. If it does so, the defense can keep Iowa in check while the offense looks to exploit the cracks in the Hawkeye’s defense.
4. USC Trojans 3-4 (1-4)
After starting 2-0, the Trojans dropped four of their last five games, with each one sharing the same thing in common: inconsistency. This is especially true in USC’s last three games.
In the last three games, the Trojans have been outscored 60-24 in the second half.
The Trojans’ latest loss especially hurt. After entering halftime 21-7 against Maryland, USC allowed the Terrapins to come back. Then, with two minutes left, all the Trojans needed to do was hit a 41-yard field goal or force Maryland to go 76 yards down the field to score a touchdown.
Instead, the Terrapins blocked the kick and took just across midfield, now needing just 47 yards to score. USC once again tried driving downfield to win the game but failed to do so once again.
The Trojans face Rutgers and Washington next before heading into a bye. If USC continues to fail to finish games, there’s optimism for Nebraska. However, that’s involving the Huskers finding their rhythm; otherwise, USC might be able to bounce back before the end of the season.
3. UCLA Bruins 2-5 (1-4)
UCLA bounced back from a five-game skid with a win over Rutgers. The Bruins took down the Scarlet Knights 35-32 on Saturday afternoon.
Rutgers almost pulled off a 35-19 comeback, closing the gap to three points. This offensive spark by the Bruins raises concerns for Nebraska.
Ethan Garbers threw 383 yards and four touchdowns off 32 completions. He also rushed for 48 yards and a touchdown. With Nebraska’s passing defense in shambles and the Bruins on a bye, Garbers has the potential to carry his season-best performance to Lincoln next Saturday.
Whether this high-scoring showing is an anomaly for UCLA remains to be seen. But with Nebraska’s current status, the Huskers can’t take any chances.
2. Wisconsin Badgers 5-2 (3-1)
Wisconsin is on a roll, outscoring its last three opponents 117-16. Though the three opponents were Purdue, Rutgers and Northwestern, this showing is a big red flag with the current Nebraska team.
Braedyn Locke threw 759 yards, five touchdowns, and four interceptions through the three-game stretch. The ground game also rushed for 736 yards and 11 touchdowns through that stretch.
However, the Badgers’ next three games are a gauntlet, as they’ll face Penn State, Iowa, and Oregon. But regardless of how Wisconsin exits that gauntlet, Nebraska currently looks like a cakewalk compared to it.
1. Ohio State Buckeyes 5-1 (2-1)
Nebraska’s next opponent is fresh off a bye. Ohio State is looking to bounce back following a heartbreaking loss to Oregon, and the Huskers might be the perfect team to do it against. Despite the loss, the Buckeyes’ offense still delivered 31 points and 467 yards.
Though Ohio State’s defense surrendered 32 points and 496 total yards, Nebraska is unlikely to replicate such numbers if its offense can’t even get going.
From the start, this was Nebraska’s biggest game, and after the Huskers’ showing against Indiana, the difficulty only increased.
This article originally appeared on Cornhuskers Wire: Ranking Nebraska’s remaining five opponents of the 2024 season
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