Nebraska Football Bowl Projection: Considering Huskers' postseason spot
The good news for Nebraska is that, finally, the Cornhuskers will again appear in a bowl. In Matt Rhule's second season, Nebraska finished with a 6-6 record and achieved bowl eligibility for their first postseason game since the 2016 Music City Bowl. For the once-proud program, that's a shocking bowl drought, but the Huskers can now bury it.
Nebraska opened the 2024 season with a 5-1 start. That run included a 28-10 win over Colorado. The lone Nebraska loss was a 31-24 defeat to Illinois. The Huskers seemed certain to not only end their bowl drought but also post their first winning season since 2016.
But then came the drought. Nebraska lost four straight games, including an embarrassing 56-7 humiliation to Indiana, followed by a trio of one-score losses to Ohio State, UCLA and USC. But just when all seemed lost, the Huskers ended that skid by defeating Wisconsin 44-25. Despite a 13-10 loss to Iowa, Nebraska did end its drought in postseason play.
What Bowl game will Nebraska play in?
As a member of the Big Ten and certainly not a candidate for the College Football Playoff, Nebraska's possible postseason path is already somewhat clear. However, there are still a multitude of possibilities, as demonstrated by several diverse predictions from relevant media members.
CBS, The Sporting News and USA Today all project Nebraska for the Pinstripe Bowl in New York City which will be played on Dec. 28. Among the potential foes in that game are Boston College, Duke and Pittsburgh. The common thread is a group of potential ACC opponents.
Meanwhile, ESPN projects Nebraska for the Liberty Bowl on Dec. 26 against Texas Tech. The two teams were once in the same conference, and there's history here. Nebraska leads the all-time series 7-4. The high-scoring Red Raiders are 8-4, scoring 38.6 points per game (but also allowing 34.5 points per game).
College Football Network places Nebraska in the GameAbove Sports Bowl on Dec. 26 against MAC member Buffalo. That game, to be played in Detroit, is unlikely to be a marquee matchup. Nebraska beat Buffalo in 2021 in their only prior meeting.
Athlon Sports places Nebraska in the Duke's Mayo Bowl. That game will be played on Jan. 3 in Charlotte, with Athlon projecting the Huskers to face the 9-3 Duke Blue Devils. Playing a tough Duke team so close to its campus seems like a tall assignment.
247Sports has Nebraska returning to the Music City Bowl, the site of their last bowl appearance. The network predicts the Huskers could face 8-4 LSU in the game, which is played in Nashville on Dec. 30. The teams haven't played each other since 1987, but Nebraska leads the all-time series 5-0-1.
Which bowl game do you think will end up as the destination of Nebraska? Share your prediction in the comments section below.