Nebraska’s loss to Oregon last Saturday did more than ding the record. It also shook up the bowl picture around the Huskers.
At 5-2, Nebraska is still sitting one win away from becoming bowl-eligible for the third straight season under Matt Rhule. But after last week, the Citrus Bowl has mostly slipped out of the conversation. The ReliaQuest Bowl in Tampa Bay has emerged as the most common projection, though there’s still a wide range of possibilities showing up across the national outlets.
ESPN’s Kyle Bonagura and Mark Schlabach both have Nebraska in the ReliaQuest Bowl, with Bonagura projecting LSU and Schlabach slotting Florida as the opponent. College Football News’ Pete Fiutak has the Huskers in the Music City Bowl against Florida.
Athlon Sports’ Steven Lassan also lands on the ReliaQuest Bowl, but with Texas on the other side. CBS Sports’ Brad Crawford is on the same Tampa Bay track, pairing Nebraska with Mississippi State.
Sports Illustrated’s Bryan Fischer is the outlier, keeping Nebraska in the Citrus Bowl against Alabama. And Brett McMurphy of ON3 has Nebraska headed to the Cactus Bowl for a matchup with UCF and former Huskers coach Scott Frost.
While the bowl projections shifted, Nebraska is also keeping pressure on one of its biggest recruiting targets. Matt Rhule is set to visit five-star tight end Ahmad Hudson in Louisiana this week, according to Bryan Munson of Husker Online.
Hudson, an LSU commitment, is listed at 6-foot-6 and 250 pounds. Nebraska has already gotten him on campus once, with a surprise visit for the Maryland game, and that trip at least kept the door cracked open. Even with experts believing Hudson will ultimately stay with LSU, Rhule is still making the effort to push for a flip.
Hudson would also play hoops for Fred Hoiberg, adding another layer to why Nebraska is fighting hard here. The Huskers have made their pitch, and they’ve shown they can go toe-to-toe with top-tier programs, including the defending national champions.
Now the challenge is finishing games. Landing a player like Hudson would be a major boost in that chase.
In Other News...
Nebraska Lands A Huge Blackout Spotlight As Backfield Concerns Grow
Nebraskas Halloween Blackout game against Washington now has a stage to match the atmosphere, with the Cornhuskers set for a 7 p.m. CT kickoff on Big Ten Network. The broadcast details also are in place for upcoming games against Illinois and Iowa, while the television plans for Rutgers and Ohio State will come later as kickoff draws closer. For a fan base that has circled this stretch on the calendar, the schedule rollout adds another layer of anticipation to a month already built for prime-time attention.
The timing matters even more because Nebraskas backfield picture is getting thinner. Fullback Vincent Genatone is done for the season, and running back Isaiah Mozee will be out for an extended period, leaving the Huskers to sort through depth and roles as the schedule tightens. With Washington set for a national audience on Halloween, Nebraska will have a spotlight to go with the questions it is still trying to answer in the run game. [Read more 🡒]
Nebraska Suddenly Has A Big Defensive Line Opening
Nebraskas defensive front took a hit against Oregon when Anthony Jones suffered a broken foot, and the injury will keep him out for an extended period. Jones had started all seven games this season, giving the Cornhuskers a steady presence up front and a player whose impact went beyond the box score.
Former Nebraska lineman Jay Moore pointed to Jones leadership and maturity as qualities the defense will miss on the field, while also naming Kade Pietrzak as the player expected to step into the starting spot. Pietrzak has appeared in all seven games but has not started yet, so this becomes a meaningful chance for him to take on a bigger role at a time when Nebraska needs the depth to hold up. [Read more 🡒]
Nebraskas Bye Week Just Raised One Big Question About This Team
Nebraska heads into its bye week at 5-2, and Matt Rhules message has been pretty direct: this team is close to looking like a top-10 group, but only if it cleans up the week-to-week swings that still show up too often. The Cornhuskers have reasons to feel good about where they are. Anthony Colandrea has played well enough to spark real conversation about his future with the program, the offensive line has been sturdier in pass protection, and the defense has kept opponents in check in recent games.
Still, the bye arrives with one area demanding the most attention. The running back room has not been as dependable once conference play started, and that leaves Nebraska with a clear question to sort through before the season tightens up even more. For a team that believes it can climb higher, the next stretch may hinge less on talent than on whether the Huskers can turn that improved overall profile into something steadier on Saturdays. [Read more 🡒]