Nebraska Football: 7 Games with Blowout Potential (Either Way)

Fans of college football as a whole don’t like blowouts. Close, exciting games that are exciting into the fourth quarter are what the neutral fans tune in for.

But fans of a specific team don’t think that way. If you’re passionate about your team, you love blowouts. You want to see your team up by 21 in the first quarter, 48 by halftime and seeing kids pulled in from the stands in the fourth quarter as the starters are rested.

Of course, blowouts the other way aren’t much fun to watch.

So here’s seven games that have blowout potential for Nebraska—one way or the other.

Chattanooga

No disrespect to the Mocs (not the Moccasins, thank you very much), but an FCS school should not be able to put much of a fight up against Nebraska. Absent a huge problem with new offensive coordinator Tim Beck’s schemes, this game is the most likely to be a blowout on Nebraska’s schedule.

Fresno State

Pat Hill’s motto of “anyone, any place, any time” put Fresno State on the map nationally. But a rebuilding year for the Bulldogs means that Fresno will struggle in Lincoln. The Bulldogs will put up more of a fight than Chattanooga, but this game still have blowout potential for Nebraska.

Washington

Yes, the Huskies went 1-1 against Nebraska in 2010, and yes, it was the Huskies who beat Nebraska in the last game of the 2010 season. But Washington will be coming to Lincoln in 2011 without Jake Locker and going up against a lot of Cornhuskers who have a score to settle from that night in San Diego. 

Wyoming

The Cowboys will be Nebraska’s first road test in 2011. Unfortunately for Wyoming, the Cowboys were also 106th nationally in rush defense. And Nebraska is pretty good at running the ball, especially against poor rushing defenses (see State, Kansas). While the home crowd should help the brown and gold, Nebraska could put a lot of points up in Laramie.

Minnesota

Head Gopher Jerry Kill put Minnesota on the right path when he was hired in the middle of the 2010 season, including upset wins over Illinois and Iowa to close the season. But when asked about his 2011 prospects, Kill has frequently reminded people that his first team at Southern Illinois went 1-10 before turning the corner. The fact is, Minnesota has a lot of rebuilding to do, which means the Gophers are prime blowout targets for Nebraska.

Michigan State

Of all the blowout potentials on Nebraska’s schedule, this is the least likely. The Spartans do have a lot of talent returning, including an experienced quarterback in Kirk Cousins. But Michigan State’s won a lot of their games in 2010 by the skin of their teeth, and generally speaking, the season following a squeaker season like that tends to see the team struggle. Couple that with a Michigan State offense that plays into a Nebraska defense’s strength and the potential (however remove) is there for a Nebraska blowout.

Michigan

Here’s where the worm turns for Nebraska. The game against Michigan is towards the end of the 2011 season, on the road in Ann Arbor, sandwiched between games at Penn State and home to Iowa. If Denard Robinson is healthy, his athleticism and speed will give Nebraska’s defense fits. Assuming new head Wolverine Brady Hoke can get the Wolverines to play a lick of defense, Michigan could score enough to pull away from Nebraska. If there’s a potential game where Nebraska gets blown out on the 2011 calendar, it’s Michigan.

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