Why Joel Klatt Expects Nebraska Football to Get ‘Much Better’ This Season

The FOX Sports analyst has coach Matt Rhule’s Huskers among his five bounce-back teams for 2024. Two of the four other teams on his list happen to be on Nebraska’s schedule.

Nov 11, 2023; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers defensive lineman Ty Robinson (9), linebacker Luke Reimer (4), and defensive back Isaac Gifford (2) celebrate after recovering a fumble against the Maryland Terrapins during the fourth quarter at Memorial Stadium. / Dylan Widger-USA TODAY Sports

FOX Sports college football analyst Joel Klatt expects Nebraska to be a bounce-back team in 2024, and he explained why Wednesday.

Answering a listener's question, Klatt listed five teams that underwhelmed in 2023 but have a good chance to rebound substantially this season: Utah, Miami, USC, Nebraska and Colorado.

He said this about the Huskers:

Nebraska is a bounce-back team for me. Nebraska is a team that I think could be really good. They were 5-7 a year ago. And you look at those seven losses and I'm telling you, like, it was all quarterback turnovers, almost all of it. They were very competitive — in fact, way more competitive in Matt Rhule's first season than their 5-7 record indicates. They get a little bit better quarterback play and namely just protecting the football, and they're going to be much better.

He's a builder, speaking of Matt Rhule. He did it at Temple, he did it at Baylor, I believe it's going to work at Nebraska as well. The defense was really good last year, and they bring a lot of players back. Dylan Railoa at quarterback: My biggest question is going to be who's catching the ball. I don't think that they're strong necessarily at the skill positions but that's going to be something that will play out.

They could be, if they were to beat my fifth team on this list (Colorado on Sept. 7), they could be undefeated 7-0 heading to Columbus in October for a game against Ohio State.

Colorado isn't the only team to appear both on Klatt's list and on the Huskers' schedule. There will be a second matchup of bounce-back teams when Nebraska faces USC in Los Angeles on Nov. 16.

Watch Klatt's complete segment below. His remarks about Nebraska begin at roughly the 3:23 mark.

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