Ohio State vs. Nebraska: Can Cornhuskers Avoid a Big Upset vs. Buckeyes?

After being blown out in their first Big Ten game by the Wisconsin Badgers last week, the No. 14 Nebraska Cornhuskers were surely looking to get back on track against the Ohio State Buckeyes this weekend.

Nebraska is facing a two-score deficit in the first half, however, and has plenty of work to do if it is to avoid losing back-to-back games and falling to 0-2 in the conference. The Buckeyes have been disappointing this season in their own right, though, so it will be interesting to see how things play out.

What's Gone Wrong?

Nebraska's struggles to this point can simply be chalked up to struggling to run the ball on offense and failing to stop the run on defense. Running the ball is normally Nebraska's bread and butter, but both running back Rex Burkhead and quarterback Taylor Martinez have been shut down thus far.

Thus the Huskers haven't put up much resistance on defense either as the Buckeyes have run for nearly 200 yards including a 63-yard touchdown scamper by Carlos Hyde. Neither team has turned the football over and the time of possession is even, however, so Nebraska needs only to find some success on the ground to get back into it.

What's At Stake?

Another loss would be absolutely crippling to Nebraska both in terms of their BCS Bowl hopes and their hopes of competing for the Big Ten Championship. The Cornhuskers are already 0-1 in the conference after losing to Wisconsin last week, so losing to Ohio State would put them in a major hole.

On the other side of the coin, a win would be huge for Ohio State. The Buckeyes narrowly lost to Michigan State last week, but beating Nebraska would put them back on the map and give them a 1-1 record in Big Ten play.

Upset Potential

On a 1-10 scale, I would say that this game has an upset potential of seven. The Buckeyes have played significantly better since Braxton Miller took over at quarterback, but there isn't enough separation between Ohio State and Nebraska at this point to guarantee the upset.

Defense is certainly Ohio State's strong point, but it's tough to believe that they will continue to be able to shut down Nebraska's running game so easily. Provided the Cornhuskers stick to their gameplan and don't abandon their run, they have a chance to comeback, but Ohio State has played a very sound game to this point.

How Will Voters React?

If the Cornhuskers happen to lose this game, then there's a very good chance that they will drop out of the Top 25 altogether. Nebraska was given the benefit of the doubt after being decimated by Wisconsin last weekend since the Badgers are an excellent team.

I wouldn't expect the voters to be so kind if they lose to the Buckeyes, though. The loss would also severely hurt their chances in the BCS rankings which come out next week. The Huskers simply don't have any impressive wins on their resume to fall back on in the event of an upset.

Will Nebraska Come Back?

There is always a chance that the Huskers can come back, but because of the effectiveness of Ohio State's running game, I think it's unlikely at this point. The Buckeye's are essentially beating the Cornhuskers at their own game right now.

Both Hyde and Miller have run the ball extremely well and are simply outplaying their counterparts in Burkhead and Martinez. Provided Ohio State can burn some clock with the running game moving forward, it might force the Huskers to pass the ball, and that simply isn't their forte. 

Who Benefits Most From Nebraska's Collapse?

There are quite few teams in the Big Ten conference who would be happy to see Nebraska lose, but the main ones are probably Michigan and Michigan State. Those teams are currently atop the Big Ten Legends division and will have some nice breathing room if the Huskers can't come back.

Essentially every team in the conference would benefit from it, though. The Huskers were considered to be one of two or three teams that had the best chance to win the conference prior to the season, so an 0-2 start in the Big Ten would be both surprising and debilitating.