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A winning season? ESPN’s FPI updates odds Nebraska finishes above .500
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For Nebraska, Saturday against Penn State might have been more than just a win. It was potentially a big step forward towards a winning season.
Nebraska got their first win of the season on Saturday afternoon, hanging on to beat Penn State 30-23. It was a tough, at times gritty performance from the Cornhuskers, who are 1-2 after the win and seem to be trending in the right direction.
Penn State is 0-4 following their loss and heading in an entirely different direction.
In their final four games, Nebraska is favored to win three of the games which would set them up for a winning season. Next Saturday against Illinois at home, Nebraska is 80.2 percent to win according to ESPN’s FPI. The Nov. 27 game at Iowa is the only game they aren’t favorites (27.1 percent) followed by narrowly being favorites the following week at Purdue (50.2 percent).
Nebraska closes out the season at home versus Minnesota (67.2 percent).
Were that scenario to play itself out, it would be Nebraska’s first winning season since 2016 when they went 9-4 under then-head coach Mike Riley, losing to Tennessee in the Music City Bowl. It would be something for embattled head coach Scott Frost to build on heading into the offseason.
None of the teams on Nebraska’s remaining schedule are currently among the four Big Ten teams ranked in the AP Top 25 Poll. ESPN projects Nebraska with a 5.2 percent chance of winning out with their remaining schedule.