Husker Dan: 2018 Schedule Not So Bad
The first year of the Scott Frost Era at Nebraska will be challenging, no doubt, with games at Wisconsin and at Ohio State, but the schedule might not be as daunting as some might think.
I understand there is much we don’t know about next year’s Husker football team, but I’m going to go out on a limb and make some assumptions on which to base my predictions for the 2018 season. First of all, Scott Frost is going to have a huge positive impact on every aspect of Husker football. Therefore, my predictions are based on knowing that big changes are on the way. Here’s how I see the 2018 Husker football season unfolding:
September (4-1)
1st) Akron
The Zips will come to Lincoln after a 7-6 2017 regular season. They will be playing Lane Kiffin’s Florida Atlantic team in this week’s Boca Raton Bowl. Scott Frost should get his first win as the new Husker head football coach.
Headline: “Huskers Whip the Zips” (sigh…)
8th) University of Colorado
The Buffaloes will come to Lincoln after a disappointing 5-7 record in 2017.
The Huskers and Scott Frost will go 2-0.
15th) Troy (Alabama)
The Trojans will visit Lincoln for Nebraska’s third consecutive home game. Troy will be coming off a 10-2 regular season that included a Sun Belt Conference championship and a 50-30 whipping of North Texas in the New Orleans Bowl. But can the Trojans hold up against a fired up and retooled Husker football team? Probably not. Frost and the Huskers begin the season at 3-0. Not bad considering that last year, the Huskers won a total of only four games.
22nd) @Michigan
Fifty-six years ago, first year Husker head football coach, Bob Devaney, took his re-tooled Husker football team to Ann Arbor and came out with a 25-13 win-a win that put Nebraska on the map. And just five weeks later that year, began the first of Nebraska’s consecutive home sellouts that stands going in to next season at an amazing 361! Can Scott Frost work his magic on the Wolverines? I don’t know, but when Scott Frost took his UCF Knights to Ann Arbor during his first year (2016) as the UCF head coach, his team left there with a 51-14 drubbing. Don’t look for the Huskers to win the game, but Frost & Company might make it interesting.
Scott Frost gets his first Husker loss.
29th) Purdue
The Boilermakers come to Lincoln after qualifying for a bowl in 2017. Purdue is a team that might be on the rise. The question will be, can they give Scott Frost’s Huskers his second consecutive loss? Don’t think so.
Huskers go 4-1 to equal 2017’s win total.
October (2-1)
6th) @Wisconsin
The Badgers have had Nebraska’s number for several years. Since joining the B1G in 2011, the Huskers have faced the Badgers 7 times (once in the conference championship game) and have a dismal 1-6 record. Can the Huskers gain some revenge at Madison? Probably not. But Husker fans are at least hoping it’s a closer game. The Huskers will show big improvement, but fall once again to Whisky.
13th) @Northwestern
Nebraska has had better success at Evanston than when they’ve played Wildcats in Lincoln. Look for the Huskers to keep that trend going. The “real” NU wins giving Scott Frost his fifth win of the season.
20th) Minnesota
The Gophers, a team that ran around, through and over the tepid Husker “defense” in 2017, will be trying to show that game was no fluke. If Scott Frost can get his team ready (and I think he will), Nebraska will send the rodents back to Minneapolis with their tails between their legs.
27th) Bye Week
The Huskers will end the month with a 6-2 record. People are thinking that maybe, just maybe, Nebraska might be on its way back to respectability. At least NU will be bowl eligible.
November (2-2)
3rd) @Ohio State
Nebraska will be making strides, but will be no match for the vaunted Buckeye team that some thought should have been one of the four teams in the College Football Playoff in 2017. OSU will roll, but Frost and the Huskers will learn from this loss.
10th) Illinois
The Fighting Illini should be no match for the Husker speed and quickness. Lovie Smith might find himself looking for a job after the 2018 season is over. Huskers and Scott Frost get their 7th win of the season.
17th Michigan State
The Spartans come to Lincoln after a much improved 2017. Can Nebraska continue to play well against Sparty? Maybe Frost is a year away from taking the next step. Huskers fall to 7-3.
23rd @Iowa
The Sod Couple Game is special. However, since Nebraska joined the B1G in 2011, Iowa leads the series 4-3. And the last two losses have been embarrassing for Nebraska. But I think Nebraska will find a way to win and the Huskers will end the regular season with an 8-4 record. Not bad. Huskers will double their win total and go to a nice bowl game to cap off Scott Frost’s first year as the Husker head football coach.
LADIES FIRST!
Watching last night’s exciting performance by the often underestimated Husker volleyball team was a thing of beauty! What a great performance by everyone, including Mikaela Foecke and Kelly Hunter. The Huskers won the first two sets, stumbled in the third and put away the Florida Gators in set four. The play of the game (and there were many) was the dig and kill recorded by libero Kenzie Maloney in the fourth set. She made a great dig, somehow made it over the net where the ball landed untouched in bounds for a Husker score. Amazing play and an amazing performance by Husker head coach John Cook and his retooled staff and team. I don’t know if it’s ever happened before. Cook lost three All Americans from last year’s team, plus had to replace both of his assistants. It would be like Nebraska losing about 15 All American players and all its assistant coaches in one year and winning a national championship the next year. Amazing. Stunning, actually. Now the volleyball team has as many national championships as the Husker football team! We are all proud of you ladies!
I can’t wait for the 2018 season to get here!
LAST-MINUTE CHARITY DONATION?
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Salute is an all volunteer 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that each year honors our nation’s veterans, troopers, wounded warriors and Gold Star Families with a weekend of Husker football. Next fall’s event (the 11th year) will be at the Cornhusker Marriott Hotel in Lincoln, Nebraska the weekend of October 13-14th. Last fall’s guest speaker was former Husker head football coach, Tom Osborne.
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Husker Dan