5 darkhorse contenders for the 2024-25 College Football Playoff
Nebraska Cornhuskers
College football analyst Kirk Herbstreit made headlines recently by dubbing another Big Ten team, Rutgers, on 鈥淭he Pat McAfee Show.鈥� Nebraska finds itself in a similar position and could have an outside chance at a playoff berth as well in Matt Rhule鈥檚 second season. Year one in Lincoln wasn鈥檛 always pretty for Rhule as the Cornhuskers went just 5-7, but five of their six Big Ten losses came in one-score games. Better luck in close contests could help Nebraska reach its first bowl game since 2016 at the very least and the talent is in place for that to happen.
Perhaps the biggest wild card for Nebraska this season will be the performance of five-star freshman quarterback Dylan Raiola who looks poised for immediate success at the collegiate level under coaches Glenn Thomas and Marcus Satterfield. Raiola will need wideouts to step up around him, but a better run game should be expected in Lincoln with a healthy Gabe Ervin Jr. Meanwhile, Nebraska鈥檚 defense should remain solid under Tony White as it returns a majority of its leaders. If the Huskers win their Week 2 home game against Colorado, they could begin the year 7-0 before a road matchup at Ohio State. Winning at least one November road game at USC or Iowa would also go a long way in securing a playoff berth.
