Nebraska Football: 1 Reason Why the Cornhuskers Beat Every Team on the Schedule

In the pantheon of sports cliches, "play one game at a time" ranks up there as the most frequently used. And while it's a big ask to think that Nebraska will go through the 2011 season undefeated, those in Husker Nation like to dream.

So, let's go through the schedule and look for a reason Nebraska can (even though it's no given that they will) win every game in the 2011 campaign.

Chattanooga (Sep. 03, in Lincoln)

Nebraska opens the 2011 campaign with a warmup against the Chattanooga Mocs. While the difficulty level of Nebraska's schedule goes up from here, there should be little threat to NU at the start.

ONE REASON NEBRASKA WINS: Warmup. If NU drops this game, there's big trouble brewing.

Photo originally located here.

Fresno State (Sep. 10, in Lincoln)

Otto Kitsinger III/Getty Images

BOISE, ID - NOVEMBER 19: Ryan Colburn #15 of the Fresno State Bulldogs looks for the handoff against the Boise State Broncos at Bronco Stadium on November 19, 2010 in Boise, Idaho. (Photo by Otto Kitsinger III/Getty Images)

The Bulldogs bring their "anybody, any time, anywhere" motto to Memorial Stadium to be Nebraska's first FBS opponent of 2011. And while Fresno State did make the Humanitarian Bowl last year, the difference in athleticism between the squads should be enough for Nebraska to comfortably succeed.

ONE REASON NEBRASKA WINS: Hubris. It's entirely possible that motto might not look so good the day after this game.

Washington (Sep. 17, in Lincoln)

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SEATTLE - SEPTEMBER 18: Long snapper P.J. Mangieri #92 of the Nebraska Cornhuskers prepares to snap the ball against the Washington Huskies on September 18, 2010 at Husky Stadium in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images)

Last year, Washington and Nebraska split their two-game series, with Nebraska humbling UW in Seattle and the Huskies embarrassing NU in the Holiday Bowl. Don't think that loss, against the flattest and most disinterested Nebraska team Bo Pelini has put on the field, will be lost on the staff as the Huskies come to Lincoln.

ONE REASON NEBRASKA WINS: Payback. There will be nothing flat about these Huskers.

Wyoming (Sep. 24, in Laramie)

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LAS VEGAS - NOVEMBER 13: Quarterback Austyn Carta-Samuels #5 of the Wyoming Cowboys looks to pass during a game against the UNLV Rebels at Sam Boyd Stadium November 13, 2010 in Las Vegas, Nevada. UNLV won 42-16. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

In a curious bit of scheduling, Nebraska heads west to Laramie for their first road game of the season. The Cowboys have shown some signs of life in recent years, but the talent differential should still be too great for this game to be anything other than a comfortable win for the visitors.

ONE REASON NEBRASKA WINS: Travelers. In 2010, Nebraska looked a better team on the road than at home many times.

Wisconsin (Oct. 01, in Madison)

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PASADENA, CA - JANUARY 01: The Wisconsin Badgers huddle together during their game against the TCU Horned Frogs in the 97th Rose Bowl game on January 1, 2011 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Jeff Gross/Getty Images)

Welcome to the B1G Conference, Nebraska. NU's first conference game is at night, on the road, in Madison. A rude awakening, to be sure, but this Wisconsin team looks a lot different after the 2010 graduating class took the stage than it did before.

ONE REASON NEBRASKA WINS: Experience. NU will likely be coming off a road win, and Wisconsin's need to replace a number of starters will help Nebraska.

Ohio State (Oct. 08, in Lincoln)

Jamie Sabau/Getty Images

COLUMBUS, OH - MARCH 30: Head Coach Jim Tressel speaks to the media during a press conference before the start of Spring practices at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center at The Ohio State University on March 30, 2011 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/

With all the kerfuffel in Columbus these days thanks to Jim Tressel's resignation, I'm not entirely certain that Ohio State notices that there's a football season coming. Regardless, Terrelle Pryor and company will be coming back from their five-game suspension and asking a rookie head coach to lead them to victory in Memorial Stadium.

ONE REASON NEBRASKA WINS: Greenhorns. A rusty Prior and a rookie head Buckeye give Nebraska fans reasons to be confident.

Minnesota (Oct. 22, in Minneapolis)

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MINNEAPOLIS - SEPTEMBER 18: Da'Jon McKnight #6 of the Minnesota Golden Gophers celebrates after catching a pass for a touchdown during the game against the USC Trojans on September 18, 2010 at TCF Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Jamie

Jerry Kill did a pretty good job of righting the ship when he took over for Tim Brewster seven games into 2010. But the cupboard was still pretty bare when Brewster left. Plus, Minneapolis is one of the few driveable road games for Nebraska in the B1G Conference, meaning any home-field advantage the Gophers might have could be washed away in a Sea of Red.

ONE REASON NEBRASKA WINS: Recuperation. In addition to everything else, Nebraska gets a week off between Ohio State and Minnesota.

Michigan State (Oct. 29, in Lincoln)

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ORLANDO, FL - JANUARY 01: Andrew Maxwell #10 of the Michigan State Spartans passes the ball during the Capitol One Bowl against the Alabama Crimson Tide at the Florida Citrus Bowl on January 1, 2011 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Image

Yes, the Spartans were co-champions of the Big Ten Conference last year. But a lot of their wins were of the miraculous, nail-biting version. Typically, you don't see teams win a whole bunch of amazingly close games two years in a row. Instead, you tend to see those breaks go the other way the following year.

ONE REASON NEBRASKA WINS: Hangover. If you weren't convinced that much of Michigan State's record last year was smoke and mirrors, take a look at what Alabama did to them in the Capital One Bowl. It wasn't pretty.

Northwestern (Nov. 05, in Lincoln)

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EVANSTON, IL - OCTOBER 23: Demetrius Fields #8 of the Northwestern Wildcats tries to avoid Greg Jones #53 and Johnny Adams #5 of the Michigan State Spartans at Ryan Field on October 23, 2010 in Evanston, Illinois. Michigan State defeated Northwestern 35-2

The Wildcats are the prototypical smart, scrappy team that will hang around with you and look for a chance to sting you at the end of the game. Given Northwestern's admission requirements, the Purples will always struggle with a talent deficit, which could be enough on its' own for Nebraska to lean on.

ONE REASON NEBRASKA WINS: Depth. Northwestern's starting 11 on each side might match up with NU well but go a little deeper than those starters, and the Purples will struggle to keep up.

Penn State (Nov. 12, in Happy Valley)

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TAMPA, FL - JANUARY 1: Defensive tackle Devon Still $71 of the Penn State Nittany Lions sets for play against the Florida Gators January 1, 2010 in the 25th Outback Bowl at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Al Messerschmidt/Getty Images

Penn State, Nebraska's new "crossover" rival in the B1G Conference, comes into 2011 needing (amazingly enough) work on both sides of the line and without any real idea of who will be under center.

ONE REASON NEBRASKA WINS: Quarterback. Even with the drama of Taylor Martinez, the uncertainty of Bubba Starling and the departure of Cody Green, Nebraska's QB situation is still more settled than Penn State's. 

Michigan (Nov. 19, in Ann Arbor)

Rick Dole/Getty Images

JACKSONVILLE, FL - JANUARY 01: Quarterback Denard Robinson #16 of the Michigan Wolverines rushes against the Mississippi State Bulldogs during the Gator Bowl at EverBank Field on January 1, 2011 in Jacksonville, Florida (Photo by Rick Dole/Getty Images)

It wasn't just a coaching change. When Big Blue went from Rich Rodriguez to Brady Hoke, Michigan made the decision (again) to completely change the culture of their football program. As an observer of a national college football program who hired a coach that eschewed tradition, then fired him and hired someone else to bring tradition back, that culture change takes time.

ONE REASON NEBRASKA WINS: Transition. If Hoke is the guy to bring Michigan back, it's going to take him some time.

Iowa (Nov. 25, in Lincoln)

Christian Petersen/Getty Images

TEMPE, AZ - DECEMBER 28: (L-R) Ricky Stanzi #12, Marvin McNutt #7 and Adrian Clayborn #94 of the Iowa Hawkeyes walk out onto the field for the Insight Bowl against the Missouri Tigers at Sun Devil Stadium on December 28, 2010 in Tempe, Arizona. The Hawke

The Hawkeyes replace Colorado as NU's day-after-Thanksgiving opponent, and from all indications, the blood between the two fanbases already is beginning to boil. Nebraska has never had a true "we-hate-you-and-you-hate-us" rival (although Missouri was getting there), but it's possible Iowa could fit that bill. The fact that Iowa State may be dropping their regular series with Iowa due to the Big Twelve's nine-game conference schedule means that Iowa could be looking for the same thing.

ONE REASON NEBRASKA WINS: Rivalry. A solid win over Iowa in their first conference meeting—especially if the division crown is on the linecould jump-start this rivalry into something fun.

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