Nebraska Predictions – Syndication Server

Expert score prediction: Nebraska vs. Wisconsin

Who will win on Saturday?

Another week, another attempt to get win number six. Nebraska hosts the Wisconsin Badgers with both teams sitting at 5-5 and signs point to the Huskers defeating the Badgers.

Wisconsin’s got a big disadvantage. They’re on a three-game skid, lost a low-scoring 16-13 battle with No. 1 Oregon, fired its offensive coordinator and are playing in Lincoln on Senior Day.

But this is still Nebraska, a team whose last trip to a bowl game occurred in 2016, a team on a 10-game losing streak against Wisconsin, a team that any opponent would prefer to play in November.

Nebraska’s issues remain the same. Outside of a Ceyair Wright’s pick-six, the Trojans sliced up the Blackshirts secondary. Though some passes found a USC receiver’s hands by luck, others fell right into an open Trojan’s hands.

It also struggled to stop running back Woody Marks, the second running back this year Nebraska fully allowed to get the better of it.

However, the Badgers’ struggles do allow for potential rebound by the Huskers. Along with its offense making a sudden change at play caller, Nebraska’s defense is presented with a chance to hold an opponent to 20 or fewer points for the first time since the first week of October.

Indiana and Ohio State are some of the toughest teams in the nation. UCLA was building momentum, and USC’s quarterback fit more into Lincoln Riley’s system. All played a part in Nebraska’s already struggling defense being pressured further.

Braedyn Locke has been inconsistent this season. His main strength is hitting the deep shot receiver or the quick slant, both of which Nebraska needs to prioritize. However, the run game is just as important, with Tawee Walker averaging 4.8 yards per carry this season.

Locke’s inconsistency lately gives the Blackshirts an opportunity to bounce back properly compared to their previous four quarterbacks. However, Wisconsin’s change in offensive coordinator makes it more unpredictable than ever, which in turn acts more as a disadvantage for the Blackshirts until proven otherwise.

As for Wisconsin’s defense just held No. 1 Oregon to 16 points, its fewest in a game all season. But in Oregon’s defense, it played in Madison under the lights and looked to control the game offensively instead of dominating it.

Holgorsen now has a game under his belt as offensive coordinator for the Huskers and knows more of the offense’s strengths and weaknesses during a game.

But it’s likely going to be another one-score game, and once again, recent history shows a win by Nebraska in November by one-score is more surprising than anything else.

Unfortunately, despite the look, history is most likely going to continue.

Score Prediction: Wisconsin 24, Nebraska 21

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Expert score predictions: Nebraska vs. USC

Who will win between the Huskers and the Trojans?

Nebraska travels to California for a clash with the USC Trojans in the Los Angeles Coliseum. Both teams announced big changes to their offenses ahead of this matchup, making the outcome more unpredictable.

The Huskers changed offensive coordinators and play-callers, bringing in Dana Holgorsen to jump-start Nebraska’s offense. However, USC also made a change during the bye week, benching quarterback Miller Moss and starting sophomore UNLV transfer Jayden Maiava.

Maiava played in all 14 games for the Rebels in 2023, leading the team to the Mountain West Championship, where they fell to Boise State. UNLV then played Kansas in the Guaranteed Rate Bowl but lost 49-36 after throwing 24 completions off 35 throws for 291 yards, three touchdowns, and two interceptions

He finished his freshman year completing 224 of 353 passes, averaging just over 220 passing yards, throwing 17 touchdowns and ten interceptions, and suffering only ten sacks across 14 games.

However, he also had run support at UNLV, with the Rebels racking up 2,429 rushing yards and 39 rushing touchdowns. Maiava is a dual threat, breaking seven double-digit yard runs during the 14-game span.

UCLA’s Ethan Garbers showed that quarterback runs are another critical factor in getting by Nebraska’s defense. However, Maiava only has one season of play under his belt, which primarily consisted of facing Mountain West teams.

Now, he earns his first start as a Trojan against a Big Ten defense that, despite its struggles, still poses a threat to inexperienced quarterbacks. The Blackshirts stand with 25 sacks and nine interceptions while holding opponents to just over 19 points per game.

Also, adding Phil Snow as a defensive consultant could give Tony White support and help turn the defense around.

USC relies on the passing game but can produce on the ground when needed. Nebraska’s defense primarily shuts down running backs, excluding Indiana. So, the Huskers need to get to Maiava if they want to stop the pass. Bring the pressure, take away the first read, and force the Trojans to run.

With a shake-up finally occurring for Nebraska, USC can’t rely on the predictability aspect, as it’s hard to say what Dana Holgorsen will call from the playbook or even cook up.

He’s only been in Nebraska for less than two weeks, so it’s more than likely that Satterfield’s playbook is still present. But Holgorsen is calling the shots and could even rework a few of the plays to his liking.

However, unlike the Husker’s last three opponents, USC can’t foresee what Nebraska will do, which doesn’t help its defense. The Trojans allowed an average of around 22 points per game this season.

However, with Nebraska’s recent history of seeking the sixth win, it’s hard to give the Huskers the win here. USC has struggled in the fourth as of late, but it couldn’t have asked for a better team to get out of that stretch than Nebraska.

Score Prediction: USC 28, Nebraska 24

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Expert score prediction: Nebraska vs. UCLA

The Huskers are looking for their sixth win of the season.

This is arguably the biggest game remaining on Nebraska’s schedule. The UCLA Bruins are 2-5 with wins over the Rutgers Scarlet Knights and the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors. If the Huskers can’t grab their sixth win here, they’ll be in trouble for the rest of the season.

The Bruins sit in an interesting spot with their 2-5 record. UCLA took down a struggling Rutgers team that looked baffled defensively against them and could not deliver simple stops.

Ethan Garbers delivered his best performance of the season against the Scarlet Knights, going 32-of-38 for 383 yards and four touchdowns. He also led UCLA in rushing, going for 48 yards and a touchdown off nine carries.

But the Bruins’ defense still surrendered 32 points to the Scarlet Knights, who almost came back from a 35-19 deficit. Rutgers’ Athan Kaliakmanis completed 18-of-30 for 287 yards, while Kyle Monangai rushed for 106 yards and three touchdowns off 19 carries.

Nebraska’s offense is looking to wake up following three lackluster performances, and UCLA is the team to do it against. The Bruins have allowed over 20 points in six games and over 30 points in four games.

However, teams that trampled UCLA challenged the Bruins at the line, and downfield, areas Nebraska has either struggled to dominate or just avoided as of late. If the Huskers want to win this battle on offense, it needs to fix that, or at the very least, take a step in the right direction in this game.

But it’s not just Nebraska’s offense that needs to win on the day. Though the Huskers defensively held Ohio State to 21 points, they must be cautious with UCLA’s passing offense. The Bruins average just over 64 rushing yards per game but over 237 passing yards.

The Huskers’ passing defense remains their biggest weakness overall. In Nebraska’s three losses, the Huskers surrendered a combined 716 passing yards and ten touchdowns off 58 completions. To top it all off, Nebraska forced just 15 total incompletions in that span.

With Garbers’ recent outing being his season-best, the Huskers cannot allow for another quarterback to leave them lost.

The last time Nebraska won a bowl game, it defeated UCLA in 2015. Now, the opportunity to snap an eight-year bowl-game drought arrives with the Bruins again.

This needs to be the game the Huskers end the drought, otherwise the likelihood of another 5-7 season goes up significantly.

Score Prediction: Nebraska 27, UCLA 13

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Expert score prediction: Nebraska vs. Ohio State

Who will win on Saturday and what will the final score be?

It was hard to see Nebraska winning this one from the start of the season. Last week’s loss to Indiana fueled that prediction. The Huskers have a long way to go when competing with ranked opponents.

But their showdown against the Ohio State Buckeyes may be closer than 56-7. For starters, Nebraska will likely look to respond, whether it’s a solid first half of play or just a few good drives throughout.

But perfection and consistency remain their weaknesses, something the Buckeyes will exploit. Ohio State averages 35 points per game in Big Ten play, and with Nebraska’s defense in shambles, it’ll likely reach that point.

Will Howard is a fifth-year quarterback who’s averaged around 262 passing yards and over two touchdowns per game this season. The Buckeyes also average around 208 rushing yards per game.

Even in the loss to Oregon, Ohio State scored 31 points, passing for 326 yards and rushing 141 yards. Defensively, however, they surrendered 341 passing yards and 155 rushing yards.

Nebraska could score if they find holes in the Buckeyes’ defense like Oregon did. But it’s difficult to say how often they can or even will. Dylan Raiola averages 227 passing yards and over a touchdown per game, while the run game averages around 127 yards per game.

However, the offense’s inconsistencies this season don’t give much hope. Indiana shut down the Huskers’ run game, forcing Raiola to beat them in the air, which the Hoosiers kept in check.

This allowed Indiana to pick apart Nebraska’s defense, tallying up 280 passing yards and 215 rushing yards. Though Ohio State doesn’t put up numbers like Indiana’s, it’ll be capable of scoring.

Score Prediction: Ohio State 38, Nebraska 17

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Predicting the 2022 season using ESPN’s Football Power Index

The index is predicting good things for the 2022 season for Nebraska.

As we move closer to the start of the college football season, we are beginning to see more predictions on how the Huskers will fare in 2022. ESPN’s Football Power Index, otherwise known as FPI, has released its win probabilities for each and every game of the 2022 college football season. The FPI was a system developed in 2013 to project the outcomes of games and season records based on various metrics. This year’s index predicts good things about the 2022 version of the Nebraska Cornhuskers, maybe too good.

A new quarterback but one with experience, a defense that performed well last year, and a schedule that avoids most of the heavy hitters from the Big Ten East could lead to a successful season, but just how successful is the question. Nebraska finally made changes to the coaching staff after four frustrating years and even fully embraced the transfer portal as a way to bring experienced talent to Lincoln but is it enough to think that a giant leap can occur for the 2022 campaign.

Scroll below to see how things play out this season according to the ESPN Football Power Index.