Bruce Feldman predicts Nebraska as a surprise Big Ten team in 2024

The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman picked Nebraska as the Big Ten’s surprise team in 2024, in what will be a new-look conference.

The first year under Matt Rhule had its bumps and bruises, but the Huskers knew this could be the right way to rebuild the program. Rhule’s done it before at Temple and Baylor.

That’s why Feldman is confident in Year 2 with the pieces acquired in the portal and recruiting.

“Keep an eye on Nebraska,” Feldman said on The Herd. “You know, like Matt Rhule struggles in his first (year at a place) and then he gets it going. Dylan Raiola is super talented freshman quarterback. He’s a legacy kid. And when I say kid he does not look like a kid … He was committed to Georgia, was committed to Ohio State, ends up kind of going home where he has family ties at Nebraska. Very talented.”

Raiola is the projected starter as a true freshman, although Rhule wants the competition to play out.

“Obviously, I’d like it before game week,” Rhule said. “What I don’t want to do is name someone the starter and then have second thoughts a couple weeks later. It’s like I tell guys in recruiting – take all your visits if you have to because when you commit to us, we want you here for four years, not just four weeks. It’s the same thing with this. 

“We’ll let them play it out and let them show off all the work they did this summer and see where we are.”

The Nebraska quarterback competition is certainly one to watch, but Feldman pointed out a terrific defense that could surprise this fall. That’s led by the defensive line of Ty Robinson, Nash Hutmacher and Jimari Butler.

“The other thing that was big for them is, you know, Texas last year, people couldn’t run on them very well,” Feldman said. “They had two great defensive tackles. Nebraska actually has, potentially, the best interior defensive tackle combination in the country. I mean, they have two studs in the middle of the defense, they’re gonna be physical. 

“I don’t think they have a ton of firepower, but I think they’ll be much better, a bunch of games that’ll (be) close. I feel like they’re a team that has a chance to sneak into the top 25.”

There’s a collection of talent for Nebraska to steadily improve in 2024. Maybe the Huskers aren’t a big secret anymore.