Three reasons Why Nebraska Will Win; Three Reasons Why Nebraska Will Lose vs. Ohio

Nebraska, like most Power 4 teams, eases into its 2026 season with Saturday’s opener against Ohio University.

But the Huskers are playing the wrong OU.

But how cool would a Nebraska-Oklahoma, Saturday night opener sound? That matchup would be the biggest game of Week 1. A possible season-defining moment, national TV and, one could argue, a better measuring stick than playing Ohio U.

Whatever. We don’t make the schedules. We just pine for better ones.

Interesting conversation Huskers athletic director Troy Dannen had on “Sports Nightly” last week. He talked about the possibility of a 24-team College Football Playoff increasing the likelihood of the Huskers playing better competition in the non-league portion of their schedule.

Yay! Bravo! Let’s get a home-and-home going with Oklahoma. That would still leave two non-league cupcakes/games of the Huskers’ choosing.

It pads the bottom line but, really, how satisfying was last year’s 59-7 win over Houston Christian?

First up, Ohio University.

First games of the season always are interesting, no matter the outcome. It’s the first look at the Huskers against another opponent. It’s the first look at how individual players, touted through the summer, perform against real competition. The bizarre can happen: Rutgers was a 29.5-point favorite against UMass on Thursday night and lost, 37-21. It was UMass' first win after 16 consecutive losses.

Questions will be addressed. Does quarterback Anthony Colandrea seem to have the goods? How about the rebuilt offensive line? Will the defense stop the run? Stop Ohio in the red zone? Will the Huskers dominate their Mid-American Conference opponent?

And another dozen questions, or dilemmas, that will pop up during the game.

UNLV quarterback Anthony Colandrea is under pressure from the Ohio defense in the Frisco Bowl. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

There are a couple of cool footnotes about Saturday’s game.

In last year’s Frisco Bowl, Ohio defeated Colandrea and UNLV, 17-10. Ohio’s solid defense shut down Colandrea to the tune of 19-of-30 passes for 184 yards, zero touchdowns and one interception. But in 2026, only five of the 22 Ohio starters return.

After coaching Nebraska, Frank Solich coached Ohio for 16 seasons, from 2005 to 2020. | USA TODAY Sports

Frank Solich, the former Nebraska coach, led the Bobcats for 16 seasons from 2005-20. He had a successful career at Ohio, with a 114-82 record and 11 bowl games in the competitive MAC.

“I don’t think you can talk about a Nebraska-Ohio football game without talking about coach [Frank] Solich,” Rhule said this week about the coach who went 58-19 across six seasons (1998–2003) in Lincoln.

Each week, we’ll give you three reasons why the Huskers will win and why the Huskers will lose. Even if the odds seem insurmountable either way.

Why Nebraska will win

The talent thing

Nebraska, simply, has more talent. No getting around it. Enjoy the advantage; it won’t be there every week. FanDuel lists the Huskers as a 23.5-point favorite.

Ohio is ranked 96th by The Athletic. Nebraska is ranked 58th. The Huskers’ ranking isn’t worrisome to the rest of the Big Ten, but it’s likely impressive to a MAC team.

The Huskers need it more

Every team wants to win every game. Right? As the Huskers head into another season, you can feel the urgency. Matt Rhule is 19-19 in three seasons in Lincoln. His third-year “magic” didn’t exactly work out in 2025. A 7-6 record is a winning one, but more was expected.

Rhule says doesn’t want to hear any noise about the schedule, but everyone else does. Anyone can look at the 12 games, do realistic calculations, and figure out the math.

At a bare minimum, the Huskers have to sweep these first three home games to have any shot at a successful season.

Ohio is step one.

Emphasis on last season’s weaknesses

Nebraska put offseason emphasis on the offensive line and defense. The guess is that renewed focus will be evident and result in a Nebraska victory.

Why Ohio will win

MAC DNA

The Bobcats were 9-4 last season with the bowl victory. They aren’t Houston Christian. Ohio has won seven consecutive bowl games.

MAC teams always seem to pull an early-season shocker. It’s in their DNA. A quick start by the Bobcats could make uneasy the sellout — presumably — crowd and give Ohio momentum.

You never know.

New coach

Three head coaches in a little more than two years could be considered upheaval that could hurt a team. Or, maybe the Bobcats finally got it right. We’ll see.

John Hauser is the latest new coach after taking over as interim coach before the Frisco Bowl. Hauser is defensive minded and held Colandrea and a good UNLV team to 10 points in the Frisco Bowl.

Hauser has had an entire offseason to prepare for a game that could make the Bobcats’ season.

Ohio coach John Hauser is doused after the Bobcats defeated Anthony Colandrea and UNLV in the Frisco Bowl. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

New quarterback, solid defense

Senior Nick Poulos won the starting job toward the end of August. He’s big at 6-foot-6, 243 pounds, and is considered a dual-threat quarterback. It will be his first game as a starter.

With new starters, teams hope to minimize mistakes and win a low-scoring game. Ohio only allowed 22 points per game last season. For Ohio, that’s the road to an upset.

Ohio quarterback Nick Poulos is considered a dual-threat QB. He won the starting job in late-August. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

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