Nebraska’s Football Season Could Make or Break in Stretch vs. Four ‘M’ Teams

The Huskers will play Michigan, Michigan State, Maryland and Minnesota in one-month span

Running back Emmett Johnson and Nebraska will face a tough test in the regular-season finale against Iowa. | Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

Every game on a 12-game college football schedule is vital. For Nebraska, there is a four-game stretch that could set up the Huskers for massive success, or leave them scrambling.

The four-game stretch is against the “M” schools: Michigan, Michigan State, Maryland and Minnesota. The month-long journey will tell us who the Huskers are and why.

These four games also could determine whether the Huskers are in the College Football Playoff conversation. The CFP would be an enormous leap for the Huskers, who were 7-6 last season.

Here is that schedule: 

* Sept. 20: vs. Michigan at Memorial Stadium
* Oct. 4: vs. Michigan State at Memorial Stadium
* Oct. 11: at Maryland
* Oct. 17: at Minnesota

The most difficult game of the stretch is the first one, at home, against Michigan, the 2023 national champion. Difficult because of the quality of the Wolverines and difficult because it is the first game of this crucial stretch.

Michigan won handily in 2023 when the Huskers and Wolverines last met. | Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

Biggest game of season?

For many reasons, the Michigan game might be Nebraska’s most important, if the Huskers’ season is going to be memorable or legendary. That presumes the Huskers win the opener against pesky Cincinnati. If Nebraska defeats Michigan, the Huskers should be 4-0. Expectations will be sky-high and the Huskers’ confidence will be, too.

After all the preseason hype surrounding the Huskers, those expectations will have a result, and a real one over a quality team in Michigan, which was 8-5 last season including its fourth consecutive win over Ohio State. The Huskers will have something to truly grasp and hang onto.

There is another side of the Michigan game. When teams lose games they aren’t expected to win, the collateral damage sometimes isn’t spread too far. If the Huskers lose to Michigan but bounce back in their next three games agains the “M” schools, everything remains on a positive track.

The other ‘M’ games

Michigan State is expected to be much improved from last year’s 5-7 disappointing season. Maryland will be at home but is coming off a 4-8 season and likely will start a freshman quarterback.

For Nebraska to even consider the playoffs, both of these games are must-wins.

The game at Minnesota could almost be considered a play-in game. The Gophers were 8-5 last season and while they have enjoyed more recent achievement than Nebraska, they haven’t broken through to huge success in the Big Ten.

Media reports in Minnesota and among some national writers consider the Gophers a good team but not great, not yet, and coach P.J. Fleck probably is feeling pressure. Under Fleck, excluding the COVID season of 2020, the Gophers have had winning seasons in five of the last six years.

Minnesota coach PJ Fleck and the Gophers will play Nebraska on Oct, 17, a Friday night game in Minneapolis. | Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

This Friday game, under the lights at Minneapolis’ Huntington Bank Stadium — and on national television — could be Minnesota’s pathway to such success.

Same for Nebraska.

If Nebraska gets through this four-game stretch with a 3-1 record — figuring the Huskers won their first three games of the season — they would be 6-1 and locked in on the CFP. But the end of the season is no bargain — USC, at UCLA, at Penn State and Iowa.

That’s why the “M” games are so important. Good teams go 4-0 in that stretch. Playoff teams absolutely go 4-0.

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