Nebraska in a bowl game? Greg McElroy breaks down optimism for Huskers entering 2024
Nebraska enters the 2024 season and a new era of Big Ten football in search of a rebound season for the program. One of the most history-rich programs in the country, the Huskers have not been back to a bowl game since the 2016 season.
The head coach that season was Mike Riley, an individual who is now a member of the College Football Playoff Selection Committee. Since 2016, the Huskers have never finished above 5-7, including Matt Rhule’s first season with the program in 2023.
Yet, at the risk of another year with misplaced optimism, it looks like Nebraska finally has the pieces in place to deliver a solid season. Why is that? There are mainly two areas: Returning production and the quarterback situation.
“They bring back a lot of talent. A lot of personnel, a lot of production — 77% production returning… but the glaring weakness for Nebraska last year was at QB. I don’t need to explain that to anybody,” said ESPN’s Greg McElroy on his “Always College Football” show. “Heinrich Haarberg was 108th last year in QBR, and he was their highest-rated signal-caller of the bunch.”
In order to address that situation, Nebraska secured a major recruiting win, flipping 5-star QB Dylan Raiola late in the process away from his commitment to Georgia. Raiola’s family connections to Nebraska are undeniable, but landing a player of his magnitude is a major piece for the Huskers entering 2024, and he shined in the spring game.
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It’s still unclear if Raiola will be QB1 out of the gate as a true freshman, but he holds the highest upside with the offense. Last season also presented an incredibly low bar that Raiola must clear in order to improve the team as a whole.
“If they can get just 20-25% improved QB play — which should not be a significant ask — then I think this team has a great chance to flip the script from a disappointing season that was and become a team that absolutely punches their ticket to the postseason,” McElroy explained.
The analyst went on to look at Nebraska’s schedule in a game-by-game breakdown, and he sees potential for the Huskers to already be bowl-eligible heading into the end of October. The end of the season gets tougher with games at Ohio State, at USC, Wisconsin at home and at Iowa from Oct. 26 through the end of the season.
Here is McElroy’s full episode with the Nebraska discussion beginning around the 10:10 mark:
How to bet Nebraska’s win total
Nebraska’s win total for the season has been set at 7.5, and fans can take the over 7.5 number at +134 odds on FanDuel. McElroy has the Huskers trending toward the over with a likely 8-4 record based on his schedule breakdown.
McElroy even addressed the question of whether or not Nebraska could approach the realm of 10 wins this season. He backed off that number, but he does believe the Huskers could get hot and find themselves in the realm of 9 wins with an upset or two if the team has addressed the QB deficiency from a season ago.
However, landing on the over number is far from a lock. Keep in mind Nebraska has not hit 8+ wins since 2016, and for good reason. Fans looking to take the under 7.5 wins number can find better odds at DraftKings where the number is listed at -150.
Even if the Huskers have addressed the QB situation, the program is still fighting against recent historical trends to not only reach bowl eligibility but eclipse 7 wins on the year. It’s also worth revisiting how Nebraska has likely answered the QB question.
Raiola could be the answer that fans have been longing for under center, but how many true freshman QBs step into the spotlight without any hiccups? That’s not to say it cannot be done, but more times than not, even the most talented freshmen QBs come up with mistakes in a winnable game that ultimately cost his team.
Either way, Nebraska is entering the realm of being a serious candidate to squash its bowl drought this year.
