Carriker Chronicles: Is Michigan State a Must-Win Game for Nebraska?

Is Michigan State the most important game of the Matt Rhule era at Nebraska so far? Adam Carriker takes an honest look and makes a strong case that while mathematically it’s not, in reality, it may very well be. Adam talks about teams he’s seen and been a part of who’ve had rough starts to their season, then bounced back. This situation may be a little different, though, and Adam explains why.

Hit the play button is below to watch, and scroll down for a synopsis.

Adam talks about how Husker football fans might feel a whole lot better if Nebraska is sitting at 4-1 come Saturday evening versus how they feel right now. It would be a completely and utterly different feeling and Nebraska fans would probably feel like their season’s back on track. Keep in mind, Nebraska is currently a double-digit favorite over the Spartans. Nebraska is coming off a bye week, so is Michigan State and the Huskers are also playing at home again.

Now, if Nebraska loses to Michigan State, the Huskers would be sitting at a disappointing 3-2 overall and 0-2 in the Big Ten. Adam talks about how mathematically that would not eliminate Nebraska from anything. However, the perception would be much different in Husker Nation and around college football. The perception would be that Nebraska hasn’t beaten a good team yet and they would have a whole lot of question marks themselves going forward as to exactly who they are, and what they are as a team as well. Perception becomes reality, especially when the same thing keeps happening over time.

Nebraska needs to win this game Saturday because of the mentality that it would create and the mental approach that it will cause based on whether the Huskers win or lose. Adam does point out that realistically Nebraska could be favored in every single football game throughout October and it is realistic to think they could be 7-1 at the end of October.

If you missed the Carriker Chronicles show yesterday, Adam had national college football expert Brett Ciancia of Pick 6 Previews, and Brett has Nebraska an even bigger favorite over Michigan State as a two-touchdown favorite. Tune in tomorrow for Adam’s last show before his gut reaction after the Michigan State game. It will be Adam’s preview and prediction episode.

☛ Get more Carriker Chronicles here on Nebraska Cornhuskers On SI, at Adam's website and on YouTube.

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