Nebraska’s path to bowl eligibility may run straight through Rutgers.
That sounded far-fetched when the Huskers opened 5-0, but the picture looks a lot different now. Nebraska has dropped four straight and still needs one more win to get to six. With trips to Rutgers and Iowa still on the schedule, plus a home date with Ohio State, Saturday’s game in Piscataway suddenly looks like the most realistic shot.
Rutgers helped create that opening by falling at Wisconsin, 31-10, and slipping to 2-7 overall and 1-5 in the Big Ten. The Scarlet Knights were beaten by Badgers freshman backup quarterback Ryan Hopkins, who threw three touchdown passes.
Nebraska, meanwhile, took another step backward Friday night at Illinois, losing 24-13 to fall to 5-4, 2-4. The Huskers’ offense has been stuck in neutral during the skid, averaging 13.5 points in the four losses. Over the weekend, head coach Matt Rhule made a change, firing offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen.
Rutgers has not exactly been rolling into this matchup, but Nebraska should still expect a fight. The Scarlet Knights pushed USC and Michigan into the fourth quarter before losing those games, 42-35 and 28-21. So even with the record sitting where it is, Rutgers has every reason to see Nebraska as a real chance to grab a win.
Saturday’s kickoff is set for 11:30 CT on Big Ten Network.
Elsewhere around the conference, Ohio State’s rough stretch continued in a big way. Oregon went into Columbus and beat the Buckeyes, 41-28, after trailing 14-3. The Ducks then ripped off 38 straight points, helped by a 30-yard completed jump pass on a fake punt from linebacker Teitum Tuioti to linebacker Matayo Uiagalelei out of punt formation.
The Buckeyes are now 6-3, 4-2, and have lost two straight since starting quarterback Julian Sayin was injured against Indiana. Oregon improved to 6-3, 4-2 and will host Michigan on Saturday, while Ohio State welcomes Northwestern.
Iowa stayed in the College Football Playoff mix with a 24-10 win at Northwestern. The Hawkeyes are 7-2, 4-2, while Northwestern dropped to 6-3, 3-3 after its second straight loss.
Iowa hosts Purdue this weekend, then visits Illinois before closing the regular season on Black Friday against Nebraska. If the Hawkeyes win their next two, that season finale could carry CFP implications.
Michigan State finally got the kind of win it had been chasing, beating host Michigan, 15-6, in one of the sport’s fiercest rivalries. Pat Fitzgerald’s team forced four turnovers, recorded five sacks and scored all 15 points on field goals.
The Spartans improved to 3-6, 1-5, while Michigan fell to 5-4, 2-4 and is now in danger of missing a bowl. The Wolverines still have Oregon, UCLA and Ohio State left, and on Sunday they fired offensive coordinator Jason Beck, believed to be the highest-paid OC in the nation at $3 million per season.
Maryland also snapped a skid, winning its first conference game by beating Purdue, 34-29, and ending a six-game losing streak. The Terrapins are 3-6, 1-5, while Purdue fell to 3-6, 2-4. Maryland hosts Wisconsin on Saturday, and Purdue heads to Iowa.
Indiana got a much quieter weekend after surviving back-to-back overtime games. The Hoosiers, now 8-1, 5-1, were on bye and will return to face USC on Saturday in what could be a CFP play-in game for the Trojans. USC, also off last weekend, comes in at 7-2, 4-2.
Washington’s momentum from its win at Nebraska disappeared quickly. The Huskies lost at home to Penn State, 28-25, after trailing 28-6 at halftime.
Washington is 5-4, 2-4 and visits Michigan State on Saturday. Penn State is also 5-4, 2-4 and hosts Minnesota.
UCLA kept rolling, winning its ninth straight by beating host Minnesota, 34-20. The Bruins are 9-0, 6-0, and will host Illinois on Friday night.
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Matt Rhule has already shown he is willing to keep tinkering with his staff since taking over after the 2022 season, and Nebraskas latest collapse only adds to the pressure on the assistants around him. The program has seen major turnover across the coaching roster, with only a few original holdovers still in place, and the message has been clear enough: if a unit is not holding up its end, changes can come quickly.
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Nebraskas Next OC Will Reveal Rhules Real Offensive Direction
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Nebraska Gets A Useful Early Test Its Defense Cant Ignore
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Lindenwood comes in with a recent win over East-West University and a loss to TCU, which makes it a useful measuring stick for a Nebraska team still sorting out its identity. These are the kinds of games that can expose bad habits or confirm progress, and for the Cornhuskers, the defensive end is the part that cant be ignored as they keep working through the non-league slate. [Read more 🡒]