Nebraska football is holding out hope for a very successful 2024 season. Head coach Matt Rhule is in his second season in Lincoln, and is used to rebuilding programs. While Nebraska lost four games in a row to finish last season, the team lost them all by only one score. A few plays going differently could have made this a seven or even eight win team last year.
The 2024 Cornhuskers have experience and talent, as well as a somewhat favorable conference schedule. Here are some way-too-early bold predictions for the 2024 Nebraska football campaign.
Nebraska football will finish better than their preseason ranking
The Cornhuskers are picked to finish eighth this season, in the 18-team monster that is the Big Ten conference. The Big Ten is undergoing a major transformation, as USC, UCLA, Oregon and Washington join the league.
The Cornhuskers are seen as a middle-of-the-road team, but the end results of the season won't show that. Nebraska will be better than eighth in the Big Ten. Just like last year, when Nebraska was better than a five-win team.
The team has road games against Iowa, Ohio State and USC. The schedule fortunately doesn't have contests against Penn State, Oregon or Michigan, who are all picked to finish in the top five of the league. The team has some favorable home contests as well, against Rutgers and Wisconsin. A not so formidable conference schedule for Nebraska football will have the team ranked higher than eighth at the end of the Big Ten Conference season.
Nebraska will finish top four in rushing yards in the Big Ten
Nebraska football is all-in this year on their running backs. Coach Rhule thinks the team's running game will be the bread and butter of the offense. Nebraska has good depth at the position, with four guys who can each share carries effectively. Nebraska has Gabe Ervin, Rahmir Johnson and Emmett Johnson who can each fight for extra yards and all played together last season.
The squad also has a talented transfer runner in Dante Dowdell, who came to Lincoln from Oregon football. Dowdell was a consensus four-star recruit, per On3 and other ranking services.
“Our running back core, they are deep,” said senior defensive back Isaac Gifford, per 247Sports. “And they've got guys.”
Emmett Johnson is arguably the most versatile of the three returning backs. He was third on the team in carries during the 2023 season, as well as third in rushing yards. He finished the 2023 campaign with 411 rushing yards on 90 carries. This strong group of runners, along with an experienced offensive line, should help Nebraska football finish near the top of the league this year in rushing yards.
There's another bold prediction to make about this Cornhusker squad.
Nebraska football will go to a bowl game under Matt Rhule this season
Nebraska finished 5-7 in Rhule's first year. That's much better than when he started at Baylor, and went 1-11 in his first season. By year three in Waco, Rhule had an 11 win season. This year, the Nebraska football team will also see some improvement.
Nebraska will go to a bowl game this season, so the squad is going to win at least six games. There are victories out there when one looks at this team's schedule. The non conference slate includes contests with UTEP, Colorado and Northern Iowa. The Buffaloes come to Lincoln, so that's a must-win game for this Cornhusker squad.
The team's conference schedule isn't too formidable. While there are hard road trips to USC, Iowa and Ohio State, Nebraska plays several teams that likely won't finish in the top half of the league. Those teams include Purdue, Indiana and UCLA. The opportunities are there for this team to get at least six wins and go to a bowl. It wouldn't be a surprise to many, however, if Nebraska found a way to win seven or even eight games with their schedule.
The squad opens their season on August 31 against UTEP.
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