Nebraska Bowl Game Projection 2024: Will Matt Rhule's Cornhuskers secure a spot this year?
Nebraska football has been in a drought of late. The Cornhuskers haven't had a winning season or appeared in a bowl game since 2016. The disastrous Scott Frost era is now over and Matt Rhule's first team nearly snapped the losing streak and bowl shutout in 2023. But will 2024 be the year Nebraska finally starts down the road back to respectability?
What happened to Nebraska?
Nebraska was a football power through the 1990s with coach Tom Osborne. The team didn't have a losing season between 1961 and 2004. But since Osborne's retirement after the 1997 season, Nebraska hasn't been the same.
Nebraska's last 10-win season came in 2012. After the 2014 season, then-coach Bo Pelini was cut loose. Pelini was 67-27 at Nebraska and won at least nine games every season – but he wasn't Osborne. Since they cut him loose, Nebraska has floundered.
Recruiting and player development have taken a step back. Frost was a public relations disaster as a coach with a 16-31 record at Nebraska. New coach Matt Rhule looked to turn things around in 2023.
Nebraska started 5-3 and was favored in two of its last four regular season games. Nebraska lost all four, by a combined 16 points. With any luck at all, the losing streak and bowl streak could have been broken already.
Why Nebraska could make a bowl game in 2024
Between suffering five close losses and putting up a -17 turnover margin in 2023, Nebraska had some genuinely horrid luck. Meanwhile, their defense allowed just 18.3 points and 304 yards per game, both significant improvements over the Frost era.
Meanwhile, Nebraska added super frosh quarterback Dylan Raiola, who will be called on to lead the team back to glory. The Huskers return a majority of their starting offense and defense from 2023.
Additionally, Nebraska gets a very fair league home schedule. The Cornhuskers will host Illinois, Rutgers, UCLA and Wisconsin. Only the last of these is expected to be in the upper echelon of the Big Ten. Add in a 2-1 or 3-0 non-conference start (they do play Colorado) and Nebraska could be well on its way.
Why Nebraska could miss out on a bowl game in 2024
The Cornhuskers averaged just 18.0 points and 313 yards per game in 2023. The passing game was poor and nobody rushed for over 500 yards on the season.
While Raiola is a quarterback with incredible potential, it's far from certain that he can upgrade the Nebraska program single-handedly. The program will certainly need to upgrade other skill positions to get Raiola the help he needs.
Furthermore, Nebraska faces a tough league road schedule. While games at Indiana and Purdue are certainly winnable, Ohio State, USC and Iowa all present significant challenges.
Additionally, it's hard not to conclude that Nebraska's bad luck could be more than just bad luck. Despite the tradition of excellence, Nebraska players have become used to losing and a culture shift in Matt Rhule's biggest job. It remains to be seen if he'll get them over the line next season.
Do you think Nebraska will reach a bowl game in 2024? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.