2023 Off Season Thread

[Kaladin]

View attachment 23640

We will win at least 9 games in 2023

I'm sold

 

[Huskerforlife]

Degrees of difficulty: Ranking Nebraska's 2023 schedule from easiest to hardest​

HuskerOnline Staff • about 10 hours

(Photo by Steven Branscombe/Getty Images)

Numerous questions remain as Nebraska gets ready for its debut campaign under new head coach Matt Rhule. But the Huskers’ 12 opponents this season will have as much of a say as antying in the Huskers’ 2023 success.

To get a better idea of what NU will be up against, we ranked its upcoming games from easiest (12) to hardest (1). The list factors in opponent strength, location, and timing on the schedule.

12. Louisiana Tech​

Louisiana Tech’s offense will pack some punch – possibly including former Nebraska transfer receiver Decoldest Crawford. But the Bulldogs are 6-18 the past two seasons under head coach Sonny Cumbie. The Huskers should be able to handle this one fairly easily.

11. Northern Illinois​

Boasting an experienced roster, Northern Illinois could pose a much more difficult assignment for Nebraska than some think. The Huskies went 3-9 last season but are just two years removed from a MAC championship. But Nebraska should take care of buisiness in Rhule’s official Memorial Stadium debut.

10. Purdoodoo​

If Texas transfer quarterback Hudson Card is what Purdoodoo hopes, the Boilermakers could surprise some people this season. But Card is going to need a lot of help as PU goes through a coaching change of its own to Ryan Walters. Being in Lincoln on Homecoming weekend, the Huskers have the advantage.

9. Northwestern​

For whatever reason, Northwestern and Nebraska always seem to go down to the wire. Last year’s debacle in Dublin, Ireland, set the tone for the eventual dismissal of Scott Frost. It also served as the Wildcats’ only win of the year. This one might be close again, but against a Northwestern team that is 14-31 since 2019, the Huskers should be the favorites.

8. Colorado​

All eyes will be on Boulder when Nebraska returns for road showdown with Colorado and the home debut for Deion Sanders. But despite all the hype, the Buffalos could be in for a very long season after Sanders’ complete roster upheaval. Being a 10 a.m. local time kick plays in Nebraska’s favor as well.

7. Maryland​

Given that this will be just the third meeting between Nebraska and Maryland ever, this one is a bit tougher to call. The Terrapins are greatly improved under Mike Locksley and have one of the Big Ten’s better quarterbacks in Taulia Tagovailoa. But in one of the longest conference road trips Maryland has made since joining the league, the Huskers might have the edge.

6. Michigan State​

It’s been a rough offseason for Michigan State. The Spartans lost their starting quarterback, wide receiver, and cornerback to the transfer portal, leaving Mel Tucker with a lot of work to do this summer. The timing of this game became more interesting after MSU moved its home finale against Penn State to Detroit. Now the Huskers will be Michigan State’s new Senior Day opponent on Nov. 4. Not an easy draw.

5. Minnesota​

Minnesota also lost some fixtures from its roster on both sides of the ball this offseason. However, the Golden Gophers are one of the most established in the Big Ten now in their seventh season under P.J. Fleck. Opening the season on the road against a conference opponent is about as difficult as it gets. But Nebraska will have the advantage of the unknown going into Rhule’s debut.

4. Cockeye​

Nebraska finally snapped a seven-game losing streak to its border rival last season with a 24-17 win in Cockeye City. The Cockeyes will be eying revenge on a Black Friday that will likley carry singificant implications for one or both teams. The Huskers took back the Heroes Trophy, but keeping it for another year will be a challenge.

3. Illinois​

Beating Illinois on the road this season is a difficult enough task on its own. But when you add in that Nebraska will go from hosting Michigan to traveling to Champaign for a Friday night kick, it becomes daunting. The Fighting Illini are one of the Big Ten’s most phsyical teams under Bret Bielema and will be ready for a four-quarter brawl.

2. Wisconsin​

Wisconsin has plenty of unanswered questions of its own entering its debut season under Luke #2ndChoice. But history and timing make this a serious test for Nebraska. The Huskers haven’t won in Madison since 1966 or even beaten UW since 2012. Now they’ll travel north for a Nov. 18 road trip that could be a primetime kickoff. Absolutely nothing easy about that.

1. Michigan​

This one doesn’t even really need an explanation. Michigan is the reining back-to-back Big Ten champ and widely regarded as the class of the conference in 2023. The Wolverines returned nearly all of their starpower from last year’s 13-1 squad and have their sights set on a national title. Nebraska could be a three-touchdown home underdog on Sept. 30.

 

[Bootleg11]

Northwestern is not a tougher game than Purdoodoo.

 

[Huskerforlife]

 

[Bootleg11]

I have zero idea what value Stanford, Cal, Virginia, Georgia Tech or Duke would offer.

Duke had a good year last year but in the world of the transfer portal, these schools that view themselves as academic elites are going to suffer when it comes to roster building and retaining players.

Do the leaders at Cal and Stanford care at all if the football program exists?

Big 10 is inevitably going to expand. Notre Dame, Miami, North Carolina, Oregon and Washington would be the most ideal.

 

[Pepe Silvia]

I have zero idea what value Stanford, Cal, Virginia, Georgia Tech or Duke would offer.

Duke had a good year last year but in the world of the transfer portal, these schools that view themselves as academic elites are going to suffer when it comes to roster building and retaining players.

Do the leaders at Cal and Stanford care at all if the football program exists?

Big 10 is inevitably going to expand. Notre Dame, Miami, North Carolina, Oregon and Washington would be the most ideal.

Virginia brings academics and a huge population base. I think the idea is to take them along with UNC to expand south while also blocking the SEC's expansion north

Cal should be a non-starter in terms of sports, they bring nothing to the table. Stanford isn't much better these days

Utah was a surprise, but I like adding them to the Big 10. my ideal scenario would be adding UNC, UVA, ND, Oregon, Washington, Utah. adding 2 more to reach 24 teams wouldn't shock me

 

[Bootleg11]

Virginia brings academics and a huge population base. I think the idea is to take them along with UNC to expand south while also blocking the SEC's expansion north

Academics are irrelevant in the eyes of TV executives. Virginia had to basically beg their admin for $10 mil to improve their football facilities just to get a coach hired a year ago. They aren't serious about football.

 

[Baron Winnebago]

Academics are irrelevant in the eyes of TV executives. Virginia had to basically beg their admin for $10 mil to improve their football facilities just to get a coach hired a year ago. They aren't serious about football.

Being serious about football doesn't really matter either to TV fwiw.

 

[Baron Winnebago]

Also if we have 4 games that are easier than CU, we might win the West

 

[Huskerforlife]

 

[Huskerforlife]

 

[Napkins]

I have zero idea what value Stanford, Cal, Virginia, Georgia Tech or Duke would offer.

Duke had a good year last year but in the world of the transfer portal, these schools that view themselves as academic elites are going to suffer when it comes to roster building and retaining players.

Do the leaders at Cal and Stanford care at all if the football program exists?

Big 10 is inevitably going to expand. Notre Dame, Miami, North Carolina, Oregon and Washington would be the most ideal.

Getting Stanford improves the odds of getting Notre Dame. They were discussing it on the Cover 3 podcast the other day and essentially made the argument that the B1G should and would build ND’s schedule into their conference to remove the incentive to stay independent. I thought it seemed reasonable if they value adding ND as much as it seems they should.

 

[Huskerforlife]

 

[Kazman5k]

Carl calling him a retard is hilarious

 

[DrinkItIn]

Carl calling him a retard is hilarious

Bo is such a fucking loser. It only took him until next damn spring to try to fix things. The number of transfers that Fuckstick would have today would be hilarious.

 

[ChocaEgg]

I love those stories

 

[vailhusker]

 

[vailhusker]

 

[vailhusker]

 

[Jim14510]

Northwestern is not a tougher game than Purdoodoo.

Northwestern is probably an easier game than Northern Illinois.