Nebraska doesn’t need a dramatic opener against Ohio. It needs a clean one.
Saturday morning at Memorial Stadium gives Matt Rhule’s fourth team a chance to look like a program that has moved past the usual early-season slop. Nebraska enters as a 24½-point favorite, and on paper it should have the edge almost everywhere: more size, more depth, and home field.
But the real test isn’t whether the Huskers win. It’s whether they look like a team that knows how to handle a game it’s supposed to control.
Ohio is no pushover. The Bobcats went 9-4 last year and have won seven straight bowl games, and while they return very few starters, they’re still a good, disciplined MAC program.
That makes them a useful first measuring stick for Nebraska. Not a trap game, not a toss-up - just a chance to show something different.
That “different” starts at quarterback with Anthony Colandrea, who brings Nebraska exactly the kind of escape valve it badly needed last season. He arrives with 31 career starts, more than 7,500 passing yards, and another 1,151 rushing.
At UNLV last year, he threw for 3,459 yards, ran for 649 more, and accounted for 33 touchdowns. His mobility matters because Nebraska allowed 33 sacks last season, and even with the offensive line rebuilt with size and experience, Saturday is the first chance to see whether that problem has actually been fixed.
And that’s the real storyline here: prove it.
Don’t just tell us Nebraska is better. Show it by moving Ohio off the ball, protecting Colandrea, creating explosive plays, getting off the field on third down, and avoiding the kind of penalties that wreck drives. Special teams, too, need to stay out of the spotlight for once.
Ohio’s best path to keeping this close is the one Nebraska fans know too well: turnovers, protection issues, missed assignments, and a few cheap plays that let an inferior opponent hang around.
That’s the version of Nebraska Saturday needs to leave behind.
I don’t particularly care whether the final margin is 22, 32, or 42. The point is whether a fourth-year program looks organized enough to finish the job the way it should. By the fourth quarter, this game should feel over.
My prediction: Nebraska 35, Ohio 13.
In Other News...
Nebraskas First 2026 Depth Chart Raised A Few Eyebrows Fast
Nebraskas first official depth chart for the 2026 season arrived before the matchup with Ohio, and it did more than just sort out the pecking order for the opener. It also gave a clearer look at where the staff thinks things stand on both sides of the ball, with the chart drawing attention for a few notable changes as the Huskers begin the new year.
The timing matters even more with the program still working the recruiting trail and the pro pipeline at the same time. Nebraska is set to host 2028 quarterback target Owen Herrick, a prospect the staff views as a top name on its board, while seven former Huskers have already landed on NFL practice squads around the league, a reminder that the roster churn never really stops in Lincoln. [Read more 🡒]
Nebraskas NFL Talent Gap Just Got Harder For Huskers Fans To Ignore
As NFL teams trimmed their rosters to 53 players this week, the Nebraska pipeline to Sundays looked thinner than it has in years. Only eight former Huskers who finished their college careers in Lincoln are on active NFL rosters, the fewest in five years, a number that lands at a time when the program is already trying to show it can keep pace with the Big Tens elite talent factories.
The broader picture is even harder for Nebraska fans to miss. The Huskers have had only five players drafted over the past four years, and the program has not produced a first- or second-round pick since 2011, a stretch that stands out next to the draft output of Ohio State and Michigan. Nineteen former Huskers were among the players cut during roster reduction, though a few could still latch on with practice squads, leaving another reminder that Nebraskas next NFL success story is still waiting to fully emerge. [Read more 🡒]
Nebraska Just Added More Buzz To A Home Atmosphere Fans Treasure
Nebraskas home crowd routine has become part of the programs identity, and the latest sign of that came with Tuesdays announcement that the 2026 season-opener against Ohio is already sold out. The sellout stretches the Huskers streak to 411 consecutive games, a run that keeps Memorial Stadiums reputation intact as one of the sports most reliable draws, even with the game still well down the road.
Athletic director Troy Dannen and coach Matt Rhule have both pointed to ticket sales and the atmosphere around home dates as part of what makes Nebraska such a difficult place for visitors. The calendar also has a little extra flavor coming, with a themed game against Bowling Green built around America 250 and a drone show, plus a concert by Cole Swindell adding to the event feel that has become part of the Husker experience. [Read more 🡒]