The calendar has flipped to July, which means undivided attention and focus can be paid to the upcoming 2024 college football season.
Conference media days are now only days away. It will be our first legitimate look at the sport’s new landscape after this offseason’s significant realignment. Oregon, USC, UCLA and Washington will attend a Big Ten media day schedule that now includes 18 teams, while Texas and Oklahoma will make their first appearances as SEC competitors. It will be a harsh dose of reality that will only grow stronger when the season kicks off in late August.
Related: One Big Ten game to watch each week of the 2024 football season
While there is still some more movement to come on the class of 2025 recruiting trail, right now it is all-systems-go toward the fast-approaching season.
Our preview work here at Badgers Wire will continue throughout the month with in-depth looks at every Big Ten team and position group. It will provide a comprehensive look at what Wisconsin will face both in 2024 and beyond.
Team Previews: Indiana Hoosiers — Purdue Boilermakers — Illinois Fighting Illini — Northwestern Wildcats — Minnesota Golden Gophers — Nebraska Cornhuskers
Position Previews: Quarterbacks — Running Backs — Wide Receivers — Offensive Lines — Tight Ends
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Today’s preview looks at a Nebraska team that could be in for a breakout season in 2024. Head coach Matt Rhule has a history of excelling in his second year in charge — something that could begin to close the gap between the Badgers and Cornhuskers.
Wisconsin has not lost to Nebraska since 2012. But it could be in for a challenge this season:
Coaching Staff
Nov 18, 2023; Madison, Wisconsin, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers head coach Matt Rhule walks the sidelines during the fourth quarter against the Wisconsin Badgers at Camp Randall Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
Head Coach: Matt Rhule (ranked No. 5 in Big Ten)
Offensive Coordinator: Marcus Satterfield (ranked No. 12 in Big Ten)
Defensive Coordinator: Tony White (ranked No. 3 in Big Ten)
Recent History
Oct 28, 2023; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers head coach Matt Rhule reacts after a fourth down stop against the Purdue Boilermakers during the fourth quarter at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dylan Widger-USA TODAY Sports
Nebraska’s history over the last decade includes one winning season (9-4 in 2016). Its most recent outputs are a 3-9 record in 2021, 4-8 in 2022 and 5-7 in 2023. The first two were under Scott Frost before he was fired during the 2022 season. The program then hired Matt Rhule before 2023, and finally seems to be pointed in the right direction.
Nebraska’s place in the national discussion is interesting. The program has gone directly backward since joining the Big Ten in 2011, leading to most of college football’s younger fans writing it off as another average program. But it was at the top of the sport throughout the 1990s and undoubtedly has the money to return to that level. It’s just about the program finding the right coach to get it back to that standing.
So the Cornhuskers’ recent history is complicated. It has been a losing program for more than a decade, which matters when discussing its place in the new Big Ten. But if this analysis included future projection, Nebraska would be included with Wisconsin in the third tier of the new Big Ten.
Offseason Movement
Jan 3, 2024; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers football assistant coach Donovan Raiola (left), Dylan Raiola (center) and athletic director Trev Alberts sit courtside before the game against the Indiana Hoosiers at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Dylan is the top quarterback recruit in the 2024 class. Mandatory Credit: Dylan Widger-USA TODAY Sports
Transfers In: 9
Transfers Out: 10
Nebraska brought in a transfer class that includes four-star WR Jahmal Banks (Wake Forest) and four-star RB Donte Dowdell (Oregon). But no addition to the program is as significant as class of 2024 five-star QB Dylan Raiola.
He’s the future of the Cornhuskers’ program and is already set to start for the team in 2024. He won’t have trouble being an upgrade over the team’s quarterback situation in 2023. But for Rhule to bring the program back to its former glory, Raiola will need to live up to his sky-high recruiting billing. He’ll likely be a household name — for good or bad — by November.
Win Total Over/Under
Nov 11, 2023; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers head coach Matt Rhule during the third quarter against the Maryland Terrapins at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dylan Widger-USA TODAY Sports
Win Total: 7.5
Pick: UNDER (7-5, with wins over UTEP, Colorado, Northern Iowa, Purdue, Indiana, USC, Illinois)
Nebraska is already up to a win total of 7.5 in only Rhule’s second year. That is due to a manageable schedule that doesn’t see the team face a true Big Ten contender until Ohio State on October 26.
The Cornhuskers could realistically be 8-1 entering a final stretch of at USC, vs. Wisconsin and at Iowa. That is if all falls right, which rarely happens for a Nebraska team.
Season Outlook
Sep 16, 2023; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers head coach Matt Rhule walks on the field after defeating the Northern Illinois Huskies 35-11 at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dylan Widger-USA TODAY Sports
Nebraska enters the season ranked No. 40 in ESPN SP+ with the No. 6 defense and No. 104 offense. The Cornhuskers are a lot like Iowa in that if the offense clicks, the team could be tough to beat.
Nebraska’s ceiling is higher than their former Big Ten West rivals because of Raiola’s potential entering the program, and thanks to strong recruiting performance under Frost and now Rhule. The team has the talent — even on offense — to ascend to an upper tier of the Big Ten. Again, it somehow has to stay out of its own way to get there.
The team returns most of its offensive line from 2023 and nearly its entire defense. Two transfer starters at wide receiver plus Raiola at quarterback are the variables to watch once the season kicks off.
Badgers Wire Bowl Projection
Sep 23, 2023; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers head coach Matt Rhule and Ron Brown before the game against the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dylan Widger-USA TODAY Sports
Bowl Projection: Alamo Bowl vs. Kansas State
Making a bowl game in 2024 would be a step forward for Nebraska. It would be a win for Rhule and his program as they look for positive momentum.
The team shouldn’t have much trouble getting there, barring something unforeseen. Its three nonconference games are somewhat easy and the Big Ten slate avoids Oregon, Michigan and Penn State.
In better terms: missing a bowl game again would be a massive disappointment.
What Wisconsin Fans Should Know
Nebraska is one of Wisconsin’s two protected rivalry games in the new conference structure, which means the insignificant Freedom Trophy will be battled for annually.
More importantly, Nebraska and Wisconsin are two programs on similar paths entering the new Big Ten landscape. Both have new head coaches entering their second seasons, each with expectations of contending in the new college football structure.
The results of the Cornhuskers and Badgers will be compared and contrasted for as long as Rhule and Fickell are at their respective helms. Each provides a valuable test case for what programs must try to do to win in the sport’s current age.
Badgers fans should also be interested in Raiola’s development and the quality of the 2024 Cornhuskers as the two are set to play on November 23. Wisconsin escaped with a win in 2023, but the series has been sneaky-competitive over the last 4-5 seasons.
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Publish date : 2024-07-12 08:30:00
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