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Is this a good idea?  Going game-by-game and predicting the entire Nebraska season without seeing so much as practice?  Nope.  Am I going to do it anyway?  Yep, because that’s what we do when we are filling the last week before the start of the games that matter.

All games will feature the preseason point spread from Pearatings.com.  The “Win Expectation” will be my opinion-based assessment of WILL, SHOULD, MIGHT, WON’T the Huskers win the game.  We’ll also give you a quick primer on each team.  While there will be some bold predictions offered for each game, stick around for the end of the column for some bold predictions for the season.

Ready?  Set…HUT!

Game 1 (Sept. 5): Ohio Bobcats

SP+ spread: Nebraska by 22.8

Win Expectation: WILL

Quick primer: Bobcats are on their third coach in three years, but they have had success, including beating Anthony Colandrea’s UNLV in the bowl game to end last season.  A new QB (Matt Vezza) will be behind a new-look offensive line.  Also, the top two wideouts transferred out for P4 programs, and the top two running backs from a year ago are also gone.  Defense has a few more familiar faces and returns former Defensive Coordinator Kurt Mattix, who left with Tim Albin two years ago in following him to Charlotte.  Ohio is used to remaining successful despite change, but this may be too much change even for Ohio.

Bold Prediction: “Shock and awe” as Nebraska’s new-look offense puts up big numbers against a rebuilt Ohio defense and Anthony Colandrea gets a measure of revenge against the team that beat him in a bowl game last year.  How about 500 yards, a turnover-less day from the QB, and plenty of action from the reserves?

Sunday School Prediction: Nebraska 52-20 (1-0)

Game 2 (Sept. 12): Bowling Green Falcons

SP+ spread: Nebraska by 24.5

Win Expectation: WILL

Quick Primer: Bowling Green will be young, but Coach Eddie George has recruited well and will have former 5-star prospect Austin Novosad at quarterback.  The Falcons aren’t expected to contend in the MAC, but it wouldn’t surprise me if they gave Nebraska a little better game than Ohio.  New-look OL will block for returning RB Austyn Dendy to try and control the ball.  The defense, led by safety Kal-El Pascal and CB JoJo Johnson, will probably have to lead the way for BGSU.

Bold Prediction: The Falcons had one of the worst punt return coverage units in the nation last season.  How about a Jacory Barney house call and some early-season kudos for new Special Teams Coordinator Brett Maher?

Sunday School Prediction: Nebraska 49-14 (2-0)

Game 3 (Sept. 19): North Dakota Fighting Hawks

SP+ spread: Nebraska by 35.6

Win Expectation: WILL

Quick Primer: UND is a preseason top 10 team in the FBS coming off an 8-6 season in which five of their losses came by a combined 17 points.  One of those losses was against Kansas State, in which the Wildcats had to drive late to win.  Quarterback Jerry Kaminski threw for 2600 yards and 26 touchdowns and will have three of his top pass-catching targets back.  The Hawks will have a veteran OL to block for new running backs.  The defensive line also returns experienced players led by edge rushers Lance Rucker and Kaden Vig.

Bold Prediction: Despite the FCS membership, this will be the toughest non-conference game of the light pre-conference slate.  UND will have fans fretting past halftime before Nebraska is allowed to escape.  

Sunday School Prediction: Nebraska 27-10 (3-0)

Game 4 (Sept. 26): @ Michigan State Spartans

SP+ spread: Nebraska by 4.9

Win Expectation: SHOULD

Quick Primer: Old Nebraska nemesis Pat Fitzgerald returns for his revenge tour.  While Fitz did more for Northwestern than just about anybody could, people forget that three of his last four seasons in purple were a disastrous 7-29.  Quarterback Alessio Milivojevic will have an experienced line in front of him, but Fitz’s teams will be predicated on the run, and they’ll be relying on UConn transfer Cam Edwards for those yards.  Defense will be the strength of the Spartans, led by returning linebacker Jordan Hall.  Sparty needs to improve their pass rush after a very anemic season getting after the passer.

Bold Prediction: Former Husker Kenneth Williams will bust a big return.  It will be enough to frustrate fans who thought NU needed to work harder to keep him, but won’t be enough to finish the upset.

Sunday School Prediction: Nebraska 27-23 (4-0)

Game 5 (Oct. 3): Maryland Terrapins

SP+ spread: Nebraska by 7.5

Win Expectation: SHOULD

Quick Primer: Huskers will see their first dangerous QB of the season in Malik Washington, who almost led the Terps to a win over Big Red last year.  Terps boosted the receiving corps with a pair of transfers, but this team’s offensive growth will be determined by how much is contributed by the run game.  Maryland’s defense could get after the QB but did nothing else well.  True freshman Zion Elee is one to watch off the edge in what could be his only season with Maryland because…Portal.  Maryland has to be better on 3rd downs, and that means tightening up the secondary.

Bold Prediction: This is the first game where the Colandrea turnover concerns are truly realized.  Maryland picked off 21 balls last year.

Sunday School Prediction: Maryland 31-28 (4-1)

Game 6 (Oct. 10): Indiana Hoosiers

SP+ spread: Indiana by 16.7

Win Expectation: WON’T

Quick Primer: Third straight year with a transfer QB, but can Curt Cignetti work the same magic that made Fernando Mendoza an okay-to-Heisman player last year?  Josh Hoover won’t have Omar Cooper and Elijah Surratt to throw to, but Charlie Becker is back.  Turbo Richard arrives from Boston College to tote the mail at running back.  Indiana combed the Portal for new pass rushers and defensive backs.  Returning linebackers Isaiah Jones and Rolijah Hardy will be tough to handle in the middle.

Bold Prediction: Indiana’s turnover luck (only one lost fumble last season) doesn’t continue.  Inspired Blackshirts give Hoover some fits, and Nebraska leads heading into the fourth quarter.

Sunday School Prediction: Indiana 35-31 (4-2)

Game 7 (Oct. 17): @ Oregon Ducks

SP+ spread: Oregon by 23.2

Win Expectation: WON’T

Quick Primer: The Ducks have the look.  Returning star QB, ridiculously good defensive line, talent at the skill positions, one of the best coaches in the game, and a lot of motivation to erase the moniker of “best program to never win it all.”  Dante Moore is certainly one of the nation’s best, but can he play big in the big games?  The front four of Alexander, Washington, Uiagalelei and Tuioti will terrorize opposing quarterbacks, and the Ducks replaced one star transfer safety (Dillon Thieneman) with another (Minnesota’s Koi Perich).

Bold Prediction: Oregon salts this game away as expected and puts Dylan Raiola in the game.  Raiola, motivated to bite the hand that once fed him, fades back to pass…and takes a sack.

Sunday School Prediction: Oregon 37-17 (4-3)

Game 8 (Oct. 31): Washington Huskies

SP+ spread: Washington by 4.5

Win Expectation: MIGHT

Quick Primer: The offseason drama between UW and QB Demond Williams appears to be behind them, but this season derails quickly if old wounds are reopened.  Williams operated behind one of the B1G’s most experienced offensive lines.  Questions arise at running back after the top two runners left the program.  The Huskies need transfers to also step up at wide receiver.  Washington hopes to continue their success against the run but has to replace both starting corners who are off to the NFL.  The return to full health by linebacker Jacob Manu will be important if Washington is to be a dark horse playoff hopeful.

Bold Prediction: Dropping three straight has Husker fans in a ghoulish mood, but for once, wearing black actually pays off as the long-ranked opponent losing streak comes to an end with some Colandrea 4th quarter heroics, including a game-winning two-minute drill.

Sunday School Prediction: Nebraska 34-28 (5-3)

Game 9 (Nov. 6, Friday): @ Illinois Fighting Illini

SP+ spread: Illinois by 3.7

Win Expectation: MIGHT

Quick Primer: While Illinois is 19-7 over the last two seasons under Bret Bielema, it felt like Illinois missed an opportunity last season.  Transfer Katin Houser takes over at quarterback while top runners Ca’Lil Valentine and Kaden Fegin are back.  Illinois has a lot to replace at wide receiver, and the transfer portal was important for landing two key players on the offensive line.  New Defensive Coordinator Bobby Hauck will have to find replacements for star pass rusher Gabe Jacas.

Bold Prediction: Illinois has handed Nebraska some hard lessons on Saturdays, but Nebraska has owned the Illini on the road on Fridays.  This will be the Huskers' most complete-looking game versus a B1G opponent in some time.

Sunday School Prediction: Nebraska 33-14 (6-3)

Game 10 (Nov. 14): @ Rutgers Scarlet Knights

SP+ spread: Nebraska by 4.7

Win Expectation: SHOULD

Quick Primer: One team from the “bottom” of the B1G got two players named on the league’s preseason “Guys Naming Dudes” list – it was Rutgers.  Running back Antwan Raymond and wide receiver KJ Duff are two of the better playmakers in the B1G.  Boston College transfer Dylan Lonergan will be running the show.  Offense shouldn’t be a problem, but it’s the defense that needs a major upgrade.  New defensive coordinator Travis Johansen arrives from South Dakota to make the necessary fixes.  A bunch of transfers include two linemen (Malachi Davis, Toledo & J’Dan Burnett, Tulsa) who had more sacks last year than Rutgers had as a TEAM last year.

Bold Prediction: After a season-long battle of who RB1 is for the Huskers, Jamal Rule solidifies his spot at the top after a 200-yard rushing game.

Sunday School Prediction: Nebraska 31-24 (7-3)

Game 11 (Nov. 21): Ohio State Buckeyes

SP+ spread: Ohio State by 20.6

Win Expectation: WON’T

Quick Primer: The most talented program in the B1G has another loaded squad in 2026.  Two big questions for the Buckeyes: Will this team with a lot of new transfers gel quickly, and can they survive one of the toughest schedules a B1G team has faced in decades?  If there was ever an antidote to a sophomore slump for a quarterback, it is having Jeremiah Smith to throw to, and that’s what Julian Sayin has.  On defense, after years of developing pass rusher after pass rusher, OSU goes hard into the Portal to reload the D-Line.  Two former Alabama linemen (James Smith & Qua Russaw) join home-grown Kenyatta Jackson to torment opposing quarterbacks.  Did Ryan Day do enough to replace THREE top 11 NFL Draft picks?  We’ll find out really quickly in week two when OSU visits the 40 Acres.

Bold Prediction: Nebraska’s secondary shuts down Smith, but there’s just too much talent everywhere else.

Sunday School Prediction: Ohio State 31-14 (7-4)

Game 12 (Nov. 27, Friday): @ Iowa Hawkeyes

SP+ spread: Iowa by 7.9 

Win Expectation: MIGHT

Quick Primer: Nebraska’s nemesis will have a new quarterback, returns the fewest snaps at offensive line in the B1G, replaces its two-time Jet Award-winning punt returner and has used (gasp) the Portal to fill gaps on defense.  Yet, some feel a manageable schedule, and Kirk Ferentz’s penchant for winning makes the Hawkeyes a dark-horse playoff candidate.  I won’t go that far, but Iowa will be its usual 8-to-9-flirting-with-10-win selves.  Despite the questions of personnel, the Hawkeyes have always known who they are – ball control, defense & special teams.  Beware DE Iose Epenesa (brother of Philadelphia Eagle and former Hawkeye A.J.).  He could be the breakout star on defense.

Bold Prediction: Another one-score game, but this time it’s Nebraska lining up for the game-winning kick at the final gun. And after a surprisingly strong season by the Mike Ekeler-less special teams unit, the ball is snapped, the placement is down, and the kick is….Wait, hold up.

So far, I’d say 75% of all predictions being made by my colleagues are 7-5.  If Kyle “the conspiracy” Cunanan misses this kick, I’ll be a 7-5 guy, too.  Normally, I’m not a fade-the-public guy.  If you think something is going to happen a certain way, who cares what the rest of the world thinks, right?  Just because everybody else does it doesn’t mean you can’t do it too.  Heck, how did McDonald’s get so darn big?  Everybody went there; that’s why!

Aw, to heck with it.  I’ll be in Vegas when this game happens and I prefer In-n-Out Burger.

THE KICK DOINKS OFF THE UPRIGHT AND BOUNCES THROUGH!  How’s THAT for a BOLD PREDICTION!

Sunday School Prediction: Nebraska 19-17 (8-4)

You may notice some high scores, even in B1G play.  I think this offense will be a noticeable step up in productivity.  Even in an offseason of “less talk,” the coaches and players have not been shy in talking up their new quarterback in terms of his playmaking ability, speed that the game is played, and adaptation to the offensive scheme.  Since spring, RB coach E.J. Barthel has said his room is the “best he’s had at Nebraska.”  While many of Geep Wade’s accomplishments in Lincoln have been in recruiting, I think his real asset will be shown on Saturdays.  I am expected to be “wowed” by this offense, especially early.  Defense, on the other hand, is going to be a work in progress.

BOLD PREDICTIONS FOR THE SEASON

• Anthony Colandrea will have a 500-yard total offense game this season.
• Somebody (probably Jamal Rule) will rush for 1000 yards.
• Justin Evans will win the Rimington Trophy.
• Nebraska’s special teams will perform to a level where folks won’t miss Mike Ekeler.
• Matt Rhule will have to hire (another) new coordinator after this season.
• Indiana will miss the College Football Playoff.

THE CHECKLIST

If most folks’ prediction of 7-5 is accurate, that won’t be much of a comfort to fans who expect Rhule to have better results by Year 4.  But with the schedule projected to be much tougher, I think 7-5 in 2026 has a good chance of looking better than a 7-5 regular season last year.  This is why on 1620 The Zone’s “Unsportsmanlike Conduct,” we have created a Checklist of benchmarks the team could hit that would be an improvement over 2025.  I think hitting at least 3 of these 6 would indicate sure progress.

• Beat an AP Top 25 team and/or win a game as an underdog
• Put a “scare” into 2 of the 3 B1G playoff teams from 2025 (Indiana/Oregon/Ohio State).
• Two wins in November (Huskers have only done this 3x since 2016)
• Go 4-0 versus “Teams in NU’s neighborhood” (Maryland/Michigan State/Illinois/Rutgers).
• Beat Iowa
• Retain & sign 2027 recruiting class

Of course, I could be right and we’re all eating 8-4 cake for Christmas!

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