Three Reasons Why Nebraska Will Win; Three Reasons Why Nebraska Will Lose vs. Indiana

For all of the talk — and there has been plenty — about Nebraska having not played a tough opponent yet, the other team at Memorial Stadium on Saturday has played a schedule mostly full of cupcakes.

Yeah, those guys — the 5-0 Indiana Hoosiers.

Indiana’s early schedule looks a little better with Northwestern’s sudden emergence. But Indiana was a 19.5-point favorite over Northwestern. Check out the Hoosiers’ first five games:

* North Texas: 52-16
* Howard: 55-0
* Western Kentucky: 38-0
* Northwestern: 29-23
* At Rutgers: 47-15

Yawn.

Nebraska is 5-0 with Big Ten wins over Michigan State and Maryland. Nice wins, but nothing to move the national needle. The conference schedule is what it is. But the nonleague opponents were weak for both teams, leaving plenty of questions.

Fifteen FBS teams are undefeated. Three Big Ten teams are undefeated.

Something has to give.

Golden opportunity for Huskers

Nebraska can take care of some business and baggage with a win over the defending national champions. Matt Rhule, infamously, is 2-25 vs. ranked opponents.

Rhule is 0-9 against ranked teams at Nebraska.

Nebraska hasn’t defeated a ranked team since Sept. 17, 2016, vs. visiting Oregon, which was ranked 22nd.

Nebraska hasn’t started 6-0 since 2016. It’s been a minute.

Saturday’s game (11 a.m. CT, FOX) looks to be a curious matchup between two largely untested teams. Northwestern battled Indiana before losing, 29-23, in Bloomington. Nebraska trailed Maryland, 23-14, before scoring 34 consecutive points to win, 48-23, on Saturday.

Questions loom over these teams:

* Is Nebraska as good as it looks?
* Is Nebraska *back* as a national power, as some believe?
* Is Indiana playing at the national-title level of last year? Is that level of excellence necessary to win in Lincoln?
* How will each team handle adversity? Not a nine-point deficit in the first half against an inferior opponent, but a six-point deficit with four minutes to play and facing a third-and-7.

FanDuel has installed Nebraska as a 7.5-point underdog. This is the first time Nebraska has been an underdog this season.

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

Nebraska is ranked 33 in The Athletic 138; Indiana is ranked 7, its same ranking as the AP Top 25 Poll.

Why Nebraska Will Win

Motivation Might be Enough for the Huskers

The Huskers have been waiting forever for this opportunity. This game, simply, means more to the Huskers than it does to the Hoosiers. Not in rankings or polls, but in prestige.

Program restoration could be enough of a motivating factor to carry the Huskers.

The Huskers are on the fringe of getting back in the national conversation. Nationally, folks are waiting for that big win to validate the 5-0 record.

Often, underdogs need a player or two to play their best game of the season. Does Nebraska have that player? Quarterback Anthony Colandrea, for sure, will have to play superbly. How about his receivers? The offensive line? Running backs? The defense?

Dual-threat Nebraska quarterback Anthony Colandrea could present problems for Indiana's defense. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Taking an Early Lead

Every football team wants to score first. Duh. For Nebraska, which has been plagued with some slow starts, jumping ahead of Indiana might be crucial. Score early and feed off the crowd.

First, an early score sends a message. It tells the entire squad they belong.

Second, you keep the crowd engaged. A 14-0 Indiana lead will probably pull the plug on the crowd’s electricity and noise level. Memorial Stadium can be a huge advantage for the Huskers and an early lead might make the whole day uncomfortable for the Hoosiers.

Nebraska’s Defense

Indiana has a balanced and robust offense. The Hoosiers average 237 yards per game through the air (64th in the nation). On the ground, Indiana averages 252.6 yards per game (9th in the nation).

Nebraska has an aggressive defense that wants to get after people.

Nebraska defensive lineman Williams Nwaneri and his teammates face a challenge from Indiana's balanced offense. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Nebraska’s defensive numbers and national rankings:

* Total defense: 17th. Nebraska has allowed 265.8 yards per game. Indiana nearly averages that per game on the ground.
* Rushing defense: 30th. Nebraska has allowed 100.6 yards per game. With Indiana’s potent running game, this might absolutely be the most important element of the Huskers’ defensive game. If the Hoosiers get the running game going, the passing attack will look inviting for quarterback Josh Hoover.
* Passing defense: 22nd. Nebraska has allowed 165.2 yards per game.
* Third down conversion rate: 2nd. Opponents have converted only 13-of-61 third-down tries.

Nebraska’s best path to victory is its defense — getting stops and a turnover or two. Hoover has 15 touchdowns passes and zero interceptions. The Hoosiers have lost only one fumble.

Why Indiana Will Win

Curt Cignetti

College football’s all-time master builder took the sport’s historically worst team and, in two skinny years, won a national title.

Where can we buy some of that sauce?

Cignetti knows how to recruit, and on Saturdays he knows how to coach. His players believe and they go out and play like they believe. That’s powerful.

Indiana had eight players drafted by the NFL in April. In the eight years between 2017 and 2024, Indiana had seven players total drafted. Cignetti finds talent and develops it.

Indiana quarterback Josh Hoover has 15 touchdown passes this season with zero interceptions. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Nebraska’s Sloppiness

The Huskers rank 125th in the nation with 43 penalties (8.6 per game). Nebraska had 16 penalties against Maryland. Ultimately, while messy, the penalties didn’t hurt against the Terrapins. Against Indiana? They could.

Colandrea’s knock before Nebraska was his alarming number of interceptions. He had 29 picks in 33 games. So far in Lincoln, he has only two interceptions, along with 13 touchdown passes. Another important question: How will Colandrea handle the stronger competition offered by the Hoosiers?

Any amount of Huskers’ sloppiness could have a damaging effect. Nebraska can’t afford it. No team can play a perfect game. But Nebraska needs to play a relatively clean one.

Too Much Indiana

Indiana has a 21-game winning streak that dates to a 2024 College Football Playoff loss at Notre Dame. The fellas know how to win. That means something every time they play.

The last meeting, in 2024, was a 56-7 Indiana win. A revenge motive might make for a scintillating pregame speech but, ultimately, how far can that carry the Huskers?

Indiana simply might have too much talent and that could handle the business against the Huskers.

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