Minnesota vs. Nebraska prediction: Mystery of Cornhuskers could help them 'steal' a win

Nebraska will hope to get the Matt Rhule era started on a good note when it kicks off the 2023 season Thursday against Minnesota. The Cornhuskers are eager for a fresh start after five straight losing seasons under Scott Frost (plus another before he arrived), and there’s plenty of optimism in the direction things are headed.

However, change doesn’t happen overnight. This year’s team features plenty of new pieces, including former Georgia Tech quarterback Jeff Sims and Virginia receiver Billy Kemp, and the question is how it will all mesh together with the returning players.

The Golden Gophers enter favored by a touchdown but also have questions following the departures of quarterback Tanner Morgan and running back Mohamed Ibrahim, the program’s all-time leader rusher. On3‘s JD PicKell and Andy Staples broke down the matchup and each made their predictions. PicKell went with Minnesota, saying he feels it has the more established program at this point.

“Matt Rhule, I think the question isn’t so much what they’re gonna be this year, but when he gets his guys in there and builds it up,” he said. “He did a lot through the portal. Jeff Sims gonna be the guy at quarterback for them. I’m gonna go ahead and pick Minnesota just because of what you said. We know a little bit more about them. They still have some question marks too with what they’re gonna be at quarterback and no more Mohamed Ibrahim and all that.

“But I just think from a ‘How far along is your program?’ standpoint I like where Minnesota is compared to Nebraska. Nebraska’s gonna be good long term. I even think Nebraska makes a bowl game this year. But I don’t think they win this one.”

Staples disagreed, stating that he believes the mystery of what Nebraska can be with a new quarterback and head coach could play into its favor. Sims is a dynamic player who threw for more than 4,000 yards and rushed for another 1,000-plus in three seasons as the Yellow Jackets starter.

Staples made the point that Rhule has also been flexible with his offensive systems in his previous stops. So while Minnesota might not know what the Huskers will be, Nebraska does know what the Gophers will do. Minnesota ranked 16th in the country last year in rushing yards per game and should again lean on the run despite the loss of Ibrahim.

“They’re gonna control the ball,” Staples said. “When their running game works, they can have an explosive passing game. …You know what, though? I think I’m taking the Cornhuskers here. You’ve given me a touchdown. Matt Rhule has had all this time to get them ready. They have tape on Minnesota. They’re pretty sure they know what Minnesota is. Minnesota does not know what Nebraska is gonna be because Matt Rhule is kind of a chameleon. He doesn’t have a ‘This is my system. This is my style’ on either side of the ball.

“So they’re watching South Carolina tape from last year because that’s where the OC was. Very similar in the way that I talk about Florida stealing the win against Utah last year because Utah didn’t have tape on Billy Napier’s offense and Anthony Richardson running it; Jeff Sims in this offense they don’t know what that looks like yet and they’re gonna have to adjust to it. So give me Nebraska at least to cover but maybe to win outright.”

Nebraska also returns its top three tacklers from 2022 as well as leading rusher Anthony Grant. That, combined with the 14 transfer additions, gives Rhule more to work with in his first year than many other coaches taking over a new program.

“Rhule has a way of getting his teams up,” Staples said. “He’s said this feels more like Year 2 at Temple or Baylor than Year 1 at either one of those schools. That suggests to me that he feels like he inherited some talent. We know that under Scott Frost that talent wasn’t always focused in the right direction, but now it is.”

Kickoff between Nebraska and Minnesota is set for 7 p.m. CT on Thursday in Minneapolis.