Nebraska Football: Nebraska's Biggest Opponent Left Is Itself

Bye weeks in Nebraska tend to leave fans with a lot to think about. This year is no different.

At this time, the Huskers are ranked No. 13 in the College Football Playoff's Top 25. What has a lot of fans talking is the possibility of Nebraska cracking the Top 10. According to Sam McKewon of the Omaha World-Herald, it's possible even though the Huskers won't play on Saturday.

"That’s because two games — No. 9 Arizona State vs. No. 10 Notre Dame and No. 6 TCU vs. No. 7 Kansas State — are CFP knockout games," McKewon wrote. "Winner stays in the hunt and asks the SEC for permission to breathe its air. Loser drops out of the top 10 at least, and probably below the Huskers."

What does all of this mean for Nebraska? If nothing else, it means the team has to stop beating itself if it wants to stay in playoff contention.

Over Bo Pelini's time as Nebraska's head coach, the Huskers have lost winnable games with penalties, sloppy play and blown coverages. While Nebraska is currently 8-1, that hasn't excused the team from dealing with those same issues again in 2014. Even against Rutgers, who Nebraska beat 42-24, Pelini was not happy with the performance.

"We were sloppy," he said. "Penalties and one thing after another. We were shooting ourselves in the foot. There were a lot of good things, but you can't take yourself out of drives and you can't put yourself behind schedule the way we did numerous times. We were able to get out of it a number of times, but that's just not the way we need to play."

Against Rutgers, snapping the ball was one of the issues that led to the sloppy play. “That’s like tying your shoes, it should be easy,” offensive coordinator Tim Beck said, per the Lincoln Journal Star. “That’s the frustrating part for me.”

And the snapping issues weren't just a one-time deal. It was also a cause for concern against Michigan State. During that game, Pelini believed MSU linebacker Ed Davis was clapping to disrupt the snap count. However, snapping the ball has remained an issue since.

Penalties and turnovers are also a problem for Nebraska. They have been in the past, and they still are today. Comparing 2013 to 2014 shows that it's an area the Huskers still have plenty of room to improve upon.

	Fumbles - Lost	Penalties - Yards	Interceptions
2013	32 -16	76 - 665	13 (for 102 yards)
2014	19 - 7	53 - 481	8 (for 150 yards)

Regardless, the Huskers are winning. Despite Michigan State, Nebraska has performed well enough to win every other game. After Nebraska's 35-14 victory over Purdue, quarterback Tommy Armstrong didn't feel it was enough, though.

"It was just a lack of communication," he said. "We practiced the right way, it just didn't show. Going into this game, we had a great plan. Like I've said each and every week, the teams don't stop us, we stop ourselves. It all starts off with me.

"Most people will think of this as a win, but I don't see it that way. I know Purdue is good, but if we keep playing like this, we are going to lose our games. The way that we played, we should have lost. I know we won, but I feel like I failed."

The Huskers now have a bye week to prepare before facing Wisconsin at Madison. Armstrong understands what the team is up against. "Wisconsin is a hardworking team, and we have to take care of the ball," he said. "If we turn the ball over like we did, and make mistakes like we did, we are going to lose."

Armstrong may have been a bit hard on himself after Purdue, but it's clear the quarterback understands what his team needs to do to keep winning. If the Huskers are inconsistent and unable to keep turnovers, penalties and mental mistakes at a minimum, winning the Big Ten championship seems less likely.

"The expectation level is very high," junior I-back Imani Cross said after Purdue. "So when we make mistakes, we tend to get down on ourselves. But it's OK. That adversity that we faced out there is going to make us a better football team."

And Nebraska needs to be a better football team if it hopes to win against itself.

All quotes obtained firsthand, unless otherwise noted.