Barstool's Brandon Walker: Nebraska Will Be This Year's Indiana

We're about a month away from the start of the 2025 college football season, which means season projections are coming out from all media entities you can think of. However, on Thursday, Barstool Sports host Brandon Walker raised some eyebrows in Big Red Country.

He posed the question to himself -- who in 2025 can be the 2024 Indiana Hoosiers? As you might remember, Indiana shot out of a cannon last year, going 10-0 before a monumental showdown with Ohio State in Columbus. In the 10-0 start, Indiana tallied wins against a pretty soft slate of teams -- just listen to a few.

Blood flies from the hand of Indiana QB Kurtis Rourke as he throws a pass last season against Nebraska. | Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Charlotte, Western Illinois, Florida International, UCLA, Northwestern, Maryland, and yes...Nebraska. The Hoosiers solidified the start to their season with an absolute thumping of Nebraska to the tune of 56-7. That still hurts to just type, let alone relive. The one win of note for IU in that run was over Michigan in an ugly 20-15 victory. It was the epitome of "a win's a win."

Indiana went on to lose to Ohio State, but finished the regular season 11-1, earning a spot in the College Football Playoff. That resulted in a first-round exit at the hands of Notre Dame, but if you ask any fan in Bloomington, it was a season for the ages.

Notre Dame vs. Indiana — Notre Dame's Jadarian Price drags two Indiana defenders in the Irish win over the Hoosiers in the 2024 College Football Playoff. | Christine Tannous/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

"Who will be the team that's pretty good, really good actually, but their schedule makes them look incredible and better than they actually are?" Walker questioned. "I think it might be Nebraska."

Walker backed up his assessment with some figures.

Nebraska quarterback Dylan Raiola throws a pass against Boston College during the 2024 Pinstripe Bowl. | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

"Nebraska's bringing back a 5-star quarterback who got thrown into the fire last year, you've got a third-year coach in Matt Rhule who by his third year is usually pretty good," Walker said. "Defense-wise, the defense may need to be re-tooled, but schedule-wise, they might be favored in 10 games."

Walker then went through the schedule game by game with some light analysis. He called Cincinnati a "home game" with it being held in Kansas City, and he's not wrong. Ticket sales are surging for the game strongly in favor of Nebraska. (More on that here: Apathy to Arrowhead: Husker Ticket Boom an Indicator)

He pointed out that the next four games are at home for Nebraska, including the team's first two Big Ten games, which are against Michigan and Michigan State.

"I don't really respect Michigan or Michigan State that much this year," Walker said.

He then called Nebraska road games at Maryland and Minnesota "pretty friendly" before calling home contests against Northwestern and USC and a road game at UCLA "winnable games." Walker gave Nebraska its first certain defeat at the hands of Penn State in Happy Valley, and he's certainly not alone in ruling the Huskers out of that one before it even kicks off.

Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule celebrates with his team after the Huskers' Pinstripe Bowl win over Boston College. | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

"10-2 is on the table," Walker said. "They're going to be favored 10 times, maybe 11. This schedule is very doable for a team that should take a step forward. If you're looking for a 2024 Indiana, it's Nebraska in the Big Ten."

It sounds like the Kool-Aid delivery has been made at Barstool Sports.

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