This is the post you’ve been waiting for! But, before we dive into the picks, here’s your reminder that KSB’s annual tailgate party will be held from 11:00 AM - 2:00 pm on September 3.
If you haven’t RSVP’d yet, you can do so here.
Some of the KSB OGs have been bragging about the accuracy of their predictions since our first publication in 2017. Thanks to Amanda (our Law Clerk) we are able to see who really has the ability to make football predictions.
KAREN’S PREDICTION
Let me start out by stating the obvious: I love Cornhusker football. There should be a state statute outlawing all weddings on Husker football Saturdays. Anyone who has lived more than three years in this state who cheers against the Huskers should be ostracized and shamed. (*cough* Jordan *cough* Steve)
But this year my love for this football team feels a little like a parent’s love for an unemployed 20-something who has moved back into the basement. The kid insists that everything is going great and his dream job is on the way, because he has been “networking” every night drinking bomb pops at Iggy’s bar.
Yes, I KNOW we have a new offensive coordinator (who is bringing his stubborn commitment to being a pass-first offense to the Big Ten - what could go wrong??)
Yes, I KNOW we have transfer portal players who are allegedly going to fill holes in literally all of our skill positions and the entire special teams units (and if there is one thing I’ve learned, it is to believe EVERYTHING that online prognosticators say about incoming Nebraska talent).
Yes, I KNOW that this year Trev Alberts bullied Scott Frost into hiring five new assistant coaches (It worked great when management made Michael Scott keep Toby Flenderson in The Office, so it will work out well at UNL…..)
The real heart and soul of any good football team is its offensive line. Now, I am married to a high school line coach and am the mom of a former offensive lineman, so I may be biased. But Saint Tom Osborne agrees with me that “the most important segment of any offense is the line.” This year’s O line must do without Cam Jurgens (and if you think there is no value in being a three-year starter at center, try to remember all those snaps sailing over Taylor Martinez’s head in Jurgens’s first season at center) Matt Sichterman and Nouredin Nouili. These are big losses (both literally and figuratively). We did get Hunter Anthony and Kevin Williams Jr., but color me skeptical that this team can be successful with a “plug and play” approach to the offensive line (not to mention the new O line coach). The most important thing about an offensive line is that it must function as a UNIT – those stunts and twists require YOU to know what you’re doing as a player and for the guy next to you to know the same thing. That confidence as a unit just won’t be ready for prime time this season.
It all starts with the Week 0 game vs. Northwestern across the pond. With so many new players, coaches and processes, it is inevitable that the team will be distracted for their first game. Add in all the blarney that will accompany playing in Ireland, and this game is a close LOSS for the Huskers (and I’ll need to drown my sorrows with a lot of Irish car bombs.)
Week 1 and 2 will feature high-scoring WINS against North Dakota and Georgia Southern, which will have Husker-talk-show-call-in-guy convinced that Nebraska will win out. He will be as wrong this year as he has been every other year.
Oklahoma comes to Lincoln which will be a fun walk down memory lane to the good ole days until kickoff. LOSS
We will have a bye week to prepare for Indiana (WE NEED A FREAKING BYE WEEK TO PREPARE FOR THE HOOSIERS!!). WIN
Every Husker fan seems to assume that Rutgers will be a cakewalk. Don’t any of you remember having to rally to beat them a couple of years ago in New Jersey? Noah Vedral will have a point to prove and he’ll make it when the Scarlet Knights hand the Huskers a LOSS at home.
I predict that Purdue will hand the Huskers a second consecutive LOSS and that the Huskers will WIN against Illinois. But the Boilermakers and Illini could flip flop.
When we get to the Minnesota game, know that I hate P.J. Fleck with the white hot hate that comes with this little nerd beating the Huskers the last three years in a row. Yet as much as I hate to say it, the Golden Gophers know more about recruiting linemen than the Huskers. This will be a LOSS.
Michigan - LOSS. Y’all, you know how painful it is to have not one but two Michigan fans in the office. My only solace is that the Wolverines are also stuck with a hometown hero coach that they don’t really like all that much.
Wisconsin used to be cute – a “best value” version of the Huskers. Except that they are 9-1 against Nebraska since we joined the Big Ten (NINE AND ONE!!! GET ME ANOTHER BEER TO DROWN THESE BADGER SORROWS). This year is no different. LOSS.
God I hate Iowa. I hate their stupid black and gold uniforms. I hate that I have to be touched when they wave at cancer kids going into the fourth quarter. I hate that Iowa has beaten us every year since we hired Tyler-the-Nerdy-Hawkeye-Fan. But this year will be more of the same. Kirk Ferentz’s team will hand the Huskers our fifth straight LOSS to Iowa – and by this point in the season, it won’t even be close (GAG).
That’s it. Another painful 3-9 season ahead for Big Red. Just like the drunk kid who has come home to crash in his parents’ basement, the Huskers have focused on the wrong shiny objects. That is why I guess we just can’t have nice things.
STEVE’S PREDICTION
Are we really still doing this? It’s 2022. Isn’t punching down now frowned upon? No? Alright, but remember, you asked for it.
The first half of the schedule. Northwestern (in Ireland). Home games against North Dakota, Georgia Southern, Oklahoma, and Indiana. An away game at Rutgers. The Huskers should be 5-1 after this stretch. 4-2 at worst. Yet, somehow, the Huskers will manage to sh*t the bed and be 3-3. Yep, that’s where this program is these days. Much like Jordan Johnson after a night of drinking UV Blue or Coady Pruett after eating cheese, they will sh*t the bed at every opportunity.
Then it’s Purdue, Illinois, and Minnesota. Once upon a time? Frank Solich, Bill Callahan, and Bo Pelini would have gone 3-0. Heck, even Mike Riley might have pulled off 2-1. The Huskers under Frost go 1-2, and the homegrown hopeful doesn’t get to finish the season.
Then the wheels really fall off. The Huskers will pull your Aunt Martha from the stands to coach the final 3 games of the season. The Michigan game? I once saw Jordan Johnson challenge Bobby to a game of darts. It’s going to look a lot like that. Wisconsin? Yeah, right. Iowa? Nope. Three straight blowouts to end the 2022 campaign. It’s a 4-8 season for your Nebraska Cornhuskers, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Husker fans are full blown alcoholics with uncontrolled PTSD by the end of the season.
The good news? The Huskers will bring in a new coach (Matt Rhule anyone?), and the hype machine and Kool Aid drinking will begin again. But don’t you worry. I’ll still be here to chronicle the inevitable disappointment, and I will continue to be embarrassed by you and for you. Go Blue!
BOBBY’S PREDICTION
Vegas has the line at over/under 7.5 regular season wins. Live futures show the Huskers as a freaking double digit favorite in 6 games this year and slight favorite in 2 others! I know betting lines aren’t predictive, but are there really THAT many Husker fans (and others) still laying down enough money on this team to make the lines THAT far off based on the past and likely future reality? That’s hard to believe, but so is Frost’s record at 15-29.
A prudent bettor could have smashed the unders for big paydays over the last 4 years. A sharp bettor is probably thinking about a progression toward the mean. I’m neither, as evidenced by my firm-worst predictions the last several years.
It’s a sad state of affairs when 8-4 feels untouchable and 6-6 feels way too optimistic. But here I am, looking at that schedule and wondering how on earth a semi-competent coach could do worse than 6-6.
I’m saying 5-7. That October buyout reduction feels very much in play to me, and if so, that arguably makes the native son the worst coach in Husker history--at least the worst since Bob Devaney started ripping whiskey and heaters in Lincoln establishments. I’m dead inside.
SHARI’S PREDICTION
Oh here we are with another year of Husker football. It’s going to be the same as the last few years. Complete disappointment. The tailgates will be fun, the tunnel walk will remain a crowd favorite and by the middle of the season all we will hear are the talks of firing Scott Frost and how much the buyout will be. I’m lucky I don’t live with a Husker football fan so I don’t have to worry about anyone being crabby in the house every Saturday. So I will still wear my red and white and cheer for the Huskers but I’m predicting a 4-8 season.
COADY’S PREDICTION
WILLFUL DELUSION. That’s what you’re getting from me this year. I am going to go through the same (hopeful) process that I have gone through in years past (e.g., 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021) only to be sorely disappointed once the season gets underway. To be clear, my willful delusion is leading me to be hopeful—but not optimistic. Nevertheless, on with the delusion, err, . . . “predictions.”
Big picture, I see two factors that could be cause for hopefulness, . . . or at least marginal improvement. First, Nebraska no longer has a quarterback with a proven track record of finding new and interesting ways of making soul-crushing mistakes at the critical moment of nearly every game.
[As an aside, I genuinely wish Adrian Martinez the best at K-State, and I hope that he does well there. My impression is that during his time here he was a stand-up guy, who was dedicated and committed to Nebraska, and did his best to perform well. But a new, fresh start is good for him, and I am hoping good for Dear Old Nebraska U.]
Second, Nebraska finally (FINALLY!) has a coach who is at least nominally focused on special teams. [Insert Karen A. Haase Memorial “YOU MUST BE SOUND IN THE KICKING GAME!” quote here.] Now, an actual special teams coordinator (as opposed to, you know, an analyst who cannot permissibly coach players during practices without violating NCAA rules) may very well not be enough to overcome other shortcomings. But I am hopeful that it will at least help Nebraska avoid having an NFL-prospect cornerback field a punt at the half-yard line, take the ball into the end zone, and throw it out of bounds to earn a safety in the first quarter of the first game. (Too soon?)
Willful delusion leads me to predict sure wins over North Dakota, Georgia Southern, Indiana, and Rutgers. I see the games against Northwestern and Illinois as toss-ups. Willful delusion or not, I can’t predict Nebraska beating any of the remaining opponents: Oklahoma, Purdue, Minnesota, Michigan, Wisconsin, or Iowa.
Assuming that Nebraska splits the two toss up games, then Nebraska goes 5-7. That’s as hopeful as I can be. I hope that (for ONCE!) I am pleasantly surprised and this Nebraska team beats my expectations. Godspeed.
JORDAN’S PREDICTION
I predict that the Big Ten will once again be represented in the College Football Playoffs. . . by Michigan.
The Huskers, though, are in for a tough year. Neither Scott Frost nor the offense will be able to bounce back this season after watching an early lead slip out of their grasp in front of the rowdy Dublin crowd. The Huskers will fumble at least one of the next two games before getting shellacked in the Oklahoma game that Scott Frost desperately wisely sought to avoid and dropping to 1-3. Around this time, I recommend you remind your fellow fans they can always call 988, the newly established Husker Fan Hotline, for support.
Nebraska will split the next four games and go into a gnarly November schedule 3-5. After losses to Michigan and Wisconsin, a resounding victory against Minnesota will quickly be forgotten. The team will limp into Iowa City nearly out of contention for a bowl berth, looking for a new coach, and giving some chances to the younger guys. Because the Hawkeyes will be already thinking about seeing Taylor Swift at the Music City Bowl, the Huskers will end the season with a surprising win that will give the fan base that glimmer of delusion they need to survive the offseason. The record ends up at 5-7, and it’s an ugly end to a disappointing chapter in Husker history.
P.S. If you’d like to commiserate, I invite you to Steve’s basement on January 9, 2023 to watch the Wolverines get their teeth kicked in by a bigger, faster, stronger Alabama team.
TYLER’S PREDICTION
Ahh, fall. The weather changes, school starts, and I get to play the heel to my Husker-loving colleagues. It’s the most wonderful time of the year.
Being an Iowa graduate, but not a fan prior to attending, I’ve never understood the loyalty to someone I’ve always thought was an underwhelming coach in Kirk Ferentz, as well as the totally qualified and not-at-all based on nepotism offensive coordinator. But then I look to the west and see Scott Frost with his 15-29 record, and I think, “You know, boring offense and perpetual mid-tier bowl games actually seem ok.”
I overestimated the Huskers by record last year, but considering they were the best 3-9 team in history, I do think a regression to the mean that is mediocrity (as opposed to outright awful) is likely. Maybe they’ll even get to Iowa’s level of annual middling bowl games with the opportunity to get blown out in the Big Ten Championship every now and then.
This is indeed the year Nebraska returns to a bowl game, after clawing their way into the sphere of average.
Likely wins against Northwestern, North Dakota, Georgia Southern, Indiana, Rutgers, and Illinois get them to eligibility. Likely losses against the good teams keeps them from going above .500. 6-6.
Regarding my alma mater specifically, while I do think the Huskers will be better, they aren’t leaving Kinnick with a victory. First graders across the two states continue to live in a world without an Iowa loss against their “rival” to the west, as we get to eight in a row for the Hawkeyes.
P.S. I wrote this prediction before seeing Steve’s prediction. It turns out I could have been a lot meaner and I regret that he beat me to the punch.
SARA’S PREDICTION
As a former school administrator (who diligently read all the KSB blog posts) and fellow Husker fan who waited anxiously every fall for the KSB School Law football predictions to be released, I am ecstatic to be a participant this year. Despite my self-professed love of the Huskers (I mean. . . all Nebraska born individuals have this compulsion to love the Huskers), we all know three things are guaranteed in life: death, taxes, and a subpar performance by the Husker football team. It pains me to admit this, but the Huskers currently have the offensive sophistication of a broken ninja star. With that said, I am projecting victories against Northwestern, North Dakota, Georgia Southern, Rutgers, Illinois, and Minnesota. The Huskers will fall short offensively and lose to Oklahoma, Indiana, Purdue, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Iowa. With that, the Huskers finish 6-6. Huzzah for mediocrity!
MATT’S PREDICTION
I’ll start out by saying (Let’s Go Skers!). Man I love when it’s prediction time! Well with Frosty not calling plays and a new QB at the helm (Thompson/Purdy) probably starting, it’s going to be another great year in Lincoln. They start in Dublin, Ireland with a win, only because Northwestern is just bad! Then they play North Dakota, which isn’t North Dakota State, so they will win that one also. Following that is another Division II team GA Southern, so I assume they will win that also!? With a new head coach at OU this year, they might (might) have a shot at winning, but OU still has better athletes. That is when I predict they will have their first loss. Now back to Big Ten play! Indiana is flat out bad. They went 0-9 last year in conference play. That will be an easy win there and another win against Rutgers. They still have a winning record up to this point. (Let’s Go Skers) Now they start to play some average teams, it’s a loss at Purdue and a win against Illinois. Listen to me rambling on with all these wins! Now it’s time for some losses. I think Minnesota will give them fits and run it down their throats and talking to a close friend they don’t stand a chance in hell. Michigan will beat them (curb stomp), Wisconsin will beat them (another curb stomp) and everybody knows they can’t beat Iowa, so another loss! Another great year for the Cornhuskers. My prediction is 6-6!
ASHLEY’S PREDICTION
After 4 straight seasons of less than desirable football, I find it hard to predict anything other than another season of letdown and despair. Scott Frost and his last ditch attempt to make offensive coaching changes, and bring in a new signal caller, likely won’t do the job. After another year of struggle, the Huskers will finish 6-6 allowing Frost and his below average coaching staff to stick around for at least 1 more year of crappy football. We’re so close though, but it will all come down to the defense. Despite what the season has in store for the Huskers, I will continue to wear RED, but I will be wearing my “Never lost a tailgate” more often, because let’s be honest….this football season is going to again be all about tailgating!