Greg McElroy explains what missing a bowl game again would mean for Nebraska
Many expect the current seven-year bowl drought to come to an end this season for Nebraska. However, what if that stretch did manage to get to eight in Lincoln?
Greg McElroy discussed that scenario during a recent episode of ‘Always College Football’ last week. He said that it would be a true blow if they were unable to win at least six games this fall. That’s certainly so considering how this season sets up for them and what year two has looked like at the past two programs led by Matt Rhule.
“It would be really disappointing,” said McElroy. “Just given Matt Rhule’s track record of building programs – what he inherited at Temple, what he inherited Baylor, how from year one to year two there was notable progress. Then, from year two to year three, it was like championship aspirations became real.”
“If Nebraska misses a bowl game this year? Looking at their schedule and looking at how everything might set up? There’s really only a few ways they can miss a bowl game, really,” said McElroy. “There’s only a few.”
Unfortunately for the Cornhuskers, both ways that McElroy shared were problems that have cost them as of late during this near decade. He included turnovers and close losses continuing this season as the obvious ways that they miss out on another bowl berth.
“One – they continue to be atrocious when it comes to turnovers. Last year, need I remind you for the 400th time this offseason, Nebraska was dead last in the country by turning it over 31 times. They were -17 in turnover margin,” McElroy noted. “They have been, in the last 20 years, the worst turnover program in the country. It’s insane – really insane.”
“They also probably continue to lose close games. We knew that that was a track record dating back to the Scott Frost era. How many times have we said, ‘Oh my goodness, another one-score game that goes away from Nebraska!'” continued McElroy. “Last year, they lost five games by one score. They have 30 one-score losses in the last six years. And, three times, they lost 13-10. Your offense can only materialize 10 points, your defense gives up 13 – you’d hope that you’d win that game. They’ve lost it three times.”
The other possible downfall could be what happens early in the career of QB Dylan Raiola. He could, even with his pedigree, certainly struggle as a true freshman in his first year at the collegiate level.
Even so, McElroy listed that slightly lower than the first two considering he still has to win the starting job and, frankly, he couldn’t be much worse than what Nebraska’s recent passing offenses have been
“If they don’t make (a bowl game), it’s probably because Dylan Raiola, who’s likely to be the starting quarterback? I know he’s entrenched in a quarterback competition but I do think, in time, his upside will be very appealing for Matt Rhule and who’s making the decisions offensively. Maybe he has some freshman struggles, okay,” said McElroy. “Maybe that’s it.”
“If you look at where they were last year, okay, Nebraska was in the bottom ten nationally in pretty much every passing category. They also threw more picks than touchdowns and not just by a little bit too. They threw 16 interceptions against just 10 touchdowns. The only schools that were more inept throwing the football were the service academies and Iowa,” said McElroy. “If Dylan Raiola has some freshman struggles, it’s probably not going to be as bad as it was because, statistically speaking, it’s hard to go down from where they were.”
Again, this would be serious setback if, with this team and schedule, Nebraska wasn’t in a bowl game for the first time since 2016. That’s why McElroy doesn’t believe this what-if scenario comes true this season for the ‘Huskers.
“I’d be shocked if this team didn’t make a bowl game this year. I’d be absolutely shocked,” McElroy said. “I think they’re going to be extremely dangerous for some teams with really high expectations this season.”