Big 10 West 2018 Predictions:

[Bryzzo]

My first pass guess:

1. Wisconsin - 8-1 / Loss at Penn St.
2. Iowa - 7-2 / Losses to WIS at home and at PSU
3. NW - 5-4 / Losses to MICH, at MSU, WIS, at Iowa
4. PUR - 4-5 / Losses at NEB, OSU, at MSU, Iowa, WIS
5. NEB - 3-6 / Losses at MICH, at WIS, at NW, at OSU, MSU, at Iowa
6. MINN - 3-6 / Losses to Iowa, at OSU, at NEB, PUR, NW, at WIS
7. Illinois - 0-9 / Losses to everyone

Iowa's Big 10 opener vs. Wisconsin will be a huge game.
If Iowa pulls out a W vs. WIS, they have a very realistic shot at getting to Indy.
WIS has a pretty brutal road schedule as they travel to Iowa, MICH, NW, PSU and PUR.

 

[kwik44]

Think we nip Wisconsin at home this year - will attack hard on the ground and open up some nice passing lanes later.

PSU will be a loss & then I'm going with @Purdue as the other one. 7-2 and take the West via tiebreaker with 7-2 Wisconsin.

 

[LarryMullenJr.]

A. we're better than we think we'll be
B. we're not as good as we hope we'll be
C. don't have much idea what to expect thanks to the new faces on D

 

[squeezebox]

PSU will be a crapshoot. Barkely nearly single handedly beat us last season. They lose their top two passing targets as well. Still have McSorley, however.

 

[MMoran]

Our season is going to depend on our WRs & LBs - not sure what to expect...

If Stanley and the WRs can connect that will give sometime for the LBs to get up to speed.
As I think that the offense turns the game into a track meet. The first 6 games Iowa is probably going to have to score in the 30s to win.

I think the LBs will be physically faster, I am not sure they will be reactively faster.
(meaning I think they can probably run faster (speed) then the LBs of last year, not sure they will see the plays develop as quickly as last years LBs - Hard to replace a AA and (2) 2 year starters.

 

[Wasnt-drunk-didnt-troll]

Need to beat Wisconsin this year. They are getting way to comfortable being able to tell recruits the west goes through Madison.

 

[bumpstock]

Northwestern, too...I always take Tums the week of this game.

 

[NevadaHawk]

I too think we get take down the badgers at home this year. Not saying it will be easy but a winnable game for the Hawks. PSU on the road will be tough. At least we won't have to deal with Barkley.

 

[haightt]

My first pass guess:

1. Wisconsin - 8-1 / Loss at Penn St.
2. Iowa - 7-2 / Losses to WIS at home and at PSU
3. NW - 5-4 / Losses to MICH, at MSU, WIS, at Iowa
4. PUR - 4-5 / Losses at NEB, OSU, at MSU, Iowa, WIS
5. NEB - 3-6 / Losses at MICH, at WIS, at NW, at OSU, MSU, at Iowa
6. MINN - 3-6 / Losses to Iowa, at OSU, at NEB, PUR, NW, at WIS
7. Illinois - 0-9 / Losses to everyone

Iowa's Big 10 opener vs. Wisconsin will be a huge game.
If Iowa pulls out a W vs. WIS, they have a very realistic shot at getting to Indy.
WIS has a pretty brutal road schedule as they travel to Iowa, MICH, NW, PSU and PUR.

In 2017, we had to play Wisconsin the Saturday after our emotional win v tO$U while the Badgers had a much easier schedule facing us. This year, I'd like to think the game might be similar to our playing PSU right out of the box.

 

[Bryzzo]

I agree. If the Wisconsin game is a night game in Kinnick and on ABC - I like our odds.

 

[whoboppin]

Doubt Nebraska loses all 5 road games. NW is basically a husker home game.

 

[Wasnt-drunk-didnt-troll]

My prediction: the winner of Iowa Wiscy wins the west. NW gets 3rd and likely beats #2 head to head. Scooter gets NUL to a bowl game.

 

[Suterman]

There was a pretty big gap between Iowa and Wisconsin last year. I'm not sure we can close that gap this quickly but we are at home. That game will decide the West and will define our season.

 

[CO_hawk]

I'm guessing they will be ranked, a good chance for Iowa to be undefeated and maybe a prime time night game.

 

[myteamcanbeatupyourteam]

Doubt Nebraska loses all 5 road games. NW is basically a husker home game.

At Michigan, at Wisc, at NU, at OSU and at Iowa. I think the odds are pretty good they would lose all five.
Why would you doubt that? All five mentioned programs are better than Nebbie.

 

[beatdahuskers]

Doubt Nebraska loses all 5 road games. NW is basically a husker home game.

NU is every teams home game, not just Nebraskas.

 

[mikesright]

I think the theme this next year is that I don't think anyone will run away with the West this year like has happened in past years. We were 3 games back in the division last year before even playing Wisconsin. I would guess they aren't going to go 12-0 again due to the schedule (though I would expect a 9-3 or 10-2 record in the regular season). It should make for an interesting divisional race for once.

 

[ghostOfHomer777]

There was a pretty big gap between Iowa and Wisconsin last year. I'm not sure we can close that gap this quickly but we are at home. That game will decide the West and will define our season.

Look at the 2014 season heading into the 2015 season ... Wisconsin was coming off of a 11 win season ... of the games they lost during the regular season, each was determined by within a score. They followed that season up with an exceedingly strong team ... one that had a 10-win season.

If you look at the Hawks in '14 ... we looked decent on paper ... but we had a terribly disappointing season. If you were to compare Wisconsin and Iowa as programs heading into the '15 season ... Wisconsin was heading into that season with a whole lot more momentum. There perceived gap between the program was every bit as big back then as it might appear today.

However, if you look at the Hawks heading from the 2017 season to the 2018 season ... there are plenty of reasons to be hopeful. For most intents and purposes, the Hawks featured an all-new offensive staff last season ... and they were teaching players all-new schemes. If that weren't bad enough ... the Hawks were breaking in a new QB and the perception was that our schedule looked brutal. While many folks anticipated that we'd probably be better in 2017 than we were in 2016 ... many folks figured that we wouldn't see that improvement reflected in our W-L record. As it turns out ... we followed a somewhat disappointing 8-5 season in '16 ... with a mildly surprising 8-5 season in '17. Just as important as anything ... we also exited the '17 season with a bowl victory!

Justifiably, Wisconsin SHOULD be the favorite to win the west in '18. However, the Hawks COULD be poised to make it very tough on the Badgers!

 

[CDMXHusker]

At Michigan, at Wisc, at NU, at OSU and at Iowa. I think the odds are pretty good they would lose all five.
Why would you doubt that? All five mentioned programs are better than Nebbie.

LOL

 

[marlo81]

There was a pretty big gap between Iowa and Wisconsin last year. I'm not sure we can close that gap this quickly but we are at home. That game will decide the West and will define our season.

I think they’re too many variables go based off of last year. I think there’s only 3 teams that are capable of winning The west. wis, Iowa and Nebraska. And next year probably just Wis and Iowa. I never get the Northwestern hype. Regardless of what anyone says. No one in the West will recruit or coach better those three teams.

 

[milehighhawkeye24]

LOL

I also think this is funny, but probably for a different reason. I find it funny because it is factual and true, why do you find that to be funny?

 

[Johnsoda123]

LOL

Sane Nebraska fans know it will be a process. Frost was 6-7 his first year at UCF. Guess what, Tulane, Temple, SMU, Tulsa aren't on the schedule anymore.

 

[ghostOfHomer777]

A few thoughts ...

• Wisconsin should be stronger offensively ... but likely a slight notch down defensively. They have an exceedingly confident D ... and that confidence and knowledge of the game helps them to play fast. They return a QB with moxy, an incredible RB, and the arguably the best group of young WRs I've ever seen at Wisconsin. The Badgers are deservedly the favorites of the B1G west.
• Northwestern has a great QB and a great young stud LB ... and they're regularly one of the better teams in the B1G west on the merits of playing smart, tough football. In so many regards, the Wildcats are mirrors of our own Hawks. For the most part, I see Northwestern hanging steady from where they were at ... coming off of a pretty impressive 10-win campaign last year. Any given year - I see the Iowa vs Northwestern as essentially a push. You could see the relief wash over Pat last year when the game went into overtime ... you could tell that he felt that they had dodged a bullet (and they had).
• Purdue is not a team to overlook. They should be even more improved on O heading into the '18 season. However, they actually did lose a lot of experienced talent on D after the '17 season. While the Boilermakers are arguably on the rise ... I look for them to hold a little steady in '18 as they rebuild their D.

The above teams are the ones that I perceive as the main challengers to the Hawks in '18. One of the most improved teams in '18 might actually prove to be the Illini ... however, you cannot help but go up from the dumpster fire that the program was last year. The Illini were incredibly young last year ... however, their positioning for next year ought to be precarious ... because they're very inexperienced at QB and they don't have much depth at the position either (both of their most experienced guys transferred out).

Minnesota and Nebraska likely will field decent teams next year ... however, both are also have to break in new QBs. Furthermore, both programs are breaking in new staffs too ... to varying extents. While both teams will win games and pose challenges to their B1G foes ... I honestly don't view either team as being legitimate contenders to win the west this year.

The lesson is pretty simple for Hawk fans ... if the Hawks can nip the Badgers ... there's a chance for a B1G title. The Hawks will not be perfect in 2018. We need to see a lot of development and improvement made by the LBs for the D to be strong enough to be a contender. Furthermore, the OL and WR corps are inexperienced enough to have hiccups ... and that is enough to lose games.

The margin will be narrow ... but the chances are there to contend!

 

[myteamcanbeatupyourteam]

LOL

What's funny or wrong about that statement?

You do realize your program has become somewhat of a punchline, right?

 

[ghostOfHomer777]

At Michigan, at Wisc, at NU, at OSU and at Iowa. I think the odds are pretty good they would lose all five.
Why would you doubt that? All five mentioned programs are better than Nebbie.

Oddly enough, Northwestern tends to play Nebraska better AT Lincoln. In recent history, the road team has won ... the only exception was in 2013 (the Huskers won at home by a FG).

Michigan was pretty young in '17 and still fielded a pretty strong D. Presumably they'll be better on O this year ... their WR corps needed their own triage wing of a hospital last year. My guess is that the Huskers lose that one.

Wisconsin's D is too tough against the run ... too tall of an order for a new QB to pull off a victory at Camp Randall. My guess is that the Huskers lose that one too.

While I think that Northwestern fields a fine team ... Ryan Field is pretty crappy as home-field advantages go. While it will be an upset ... I'd pick the Huskers to win that one.

Ohio State likely will be pretty hungry after narrowly missing the play-off last year. The Ohio State coaching staff is like many of its SEC counterparts - an all-star ensemble. Furthermore, there is a ton of talent on the Ohio State roster. Ohio State rolls over the Huskers.

As for the Husker's game against Iowa ... both teams likely will have come a long ways from the first game to the last. Simply going off of line-play alone ... I anticipate that Iowa will hold the advantages in the trenches. That could be a recipe for victory for the Hawks.

Thus, naively, I would surmise that in those 5 games, the Huskers likely goes 1-4.

Another under-appreciated thing about the Husker schedule is that they also have to face off against Michigan State the week before they face the Hawks. It would appear to me that the Husker schedule could be a bit of a "tenderizer" ...

 

[Carlton]

A few thoughts ...

• Wisconsin should be stronger offensively ... but likely a slight notch down defensively. They have an exceedingly confident D ... and that confidence and knowledge of the game helps them to play fast. They return a QB with moxy, an incredible RB, and the arguably the best group of young WRs I've ever seen at Wisconsin. The Badgers are deservedly the favorites of the B1G west.
• Northwestern has a great QB and a great young stud LB ... and they're regularly one of the better teams in the B1G west on the merits of playing smart, tough football. In so many regards, the Wildcats are mirrors of our own Hawks. For the most part, I see Northwestern hanging steady from where they were at ... coming off of a pretty impressive 10-win campaign last year. Any given year - I see the Iowa vs Northwestern as essentially a push. You could see the relief wash over Pat last year when the game went into overtime ... you could tell that he felt that they had dodged a bullet (and they had).
• Purdue is not a team to overlook. They should be even more improved on O heading into the '18 season. However, they actually did lose a lot of experienced talent on D after the '17 season. While the Boilermakers are arguably on the rise ... I look for them to hold a little steady in '18 as they rebuild their D.

The above teams are the ones that I perceive as the main challengers to the Hawks in '18. One of the most improved teams in '18 might actually prove to be the Illini ... however, you cannot help but go up from the dumpster fire that the program was last year. The Illini were incredibly young last year ... however, their positioning for next year ought to be precarious ... because they're very inexperienced at QB and they don't have much depth at the position either (both of their most experienced guys transferred out).

Minnesota and Nebraska likely will field decent teams next year ... however, both are also have to break in new QBs. Furthermore, both programs are breaking in new staffs too ... to varying extents. While both teams will win games and pose challenges to their B1G foes ... I honestly don't view either team as being legitimate contenders to win the west this year.

The lesson is pretty simple for Hawk fans ... if the Hawks can nip the Badgers ... there's a chance for a B1G title. The Hawks will not be perfect in 2018. We need to see a lot of development and improvement made by the LBs for the D to be strong enough to be a contender. Furthermore, the OL and WR corps are inexperienced enough to have hiccups ... and that is enough to lose games.

The margin will be narrow ... but the chances are there to contend!

Good analysis. As to Wisconsin, this might be the year that the offense carries the team. Looking forward to this Fall and getting a look at all the conference teams. Hope to get tickets for the B1G opener and Northwestern game at Kinnick.

 

[Hans81]

LOL

So, who in that list of 5 opponents would Nebraska be favored to beat?

 

[Hawks_Rock_12]

PSU will be a crapshoot. Barkely nearly single handedly beat us last season. They lose their top two passing targets as well. Still have McSorley, however.

LOL

 

[Gladeskat]

Oddly enough, Northwestern tends to play Nebraska better AT Lincoln. In recent history, the road team has won ... the only exception was in 2013 (the Huskers won at home by a FG).

Nebraska won on a last-second Hail Mary pass, a play that has been shown on BTN thousands of times. To say they won "by a FG" somehow sells the win short.

 

[ROCKY MOUNTAIN HAWK]

I don’t know where people think Neb will find 3 B1G wins.

 

[scarletred]

Sane Nebraska fans know it will be a process. Frost was 6-7 his first year at UCF. Guess what, Tulane, Temple, SMU, Tulsa aren't on the schedule anymore.

UCF was 0-12 the year before.... Yes it’s going to be a process. “Be better than the day before”

 

[HumbleP1e]

A few thoughts ...

• Wisconsin should be stronger offensively ... but likely a slight notch down defensively. They have an exceedingly confident D ... and that confidence and knowledge of the game helps them to play fast. They return a QB with moxy, an incredible RB, and the arguably the best group of young WRs I've ever seen at Wisconsin. The Badgers are deservedly the favorites of the B1G west.
• Northwestern has a great QB and a great young stud LB ... and they're regularly one of the better teams in the B1G west on the merits of playing smart, tough football. In so many regards, the Wildcats are mirrors of our own Hawks. For the most part, I see Northwestern hanging steady from where they were at ... coming off of a pretty impressive 10-win campaign last year. Any given year - I see the Iowa vs Northwestern as essentially a push. You could see the relief wash over Pat last year when the game went into overtime ... you could tell that he felt that they had dodged a bullet (and they had).
• Purdue is not a team to overlook. They should be even more improved on O heading into the '18 season. However, they actually did lose a lot of experienced talent on D after the '17 season. While the Boilermakers are arguably on the rise ... I look for them to hold a little steady in '18 as they rebuild their D.

The above teams are the ones that I perceive as the main challengers to the Hawks in '18. One of the most improved teams in '18 might actually prove to be the Illini ... however, you cannot help but go up from the dumpster fire that the program was last year. The Illini were incredibly young last year ... however, their positioning for next year ought to be precarious ... because they're very inexperienced at QB and they don't have much depth at the position either (both of their most experienced guys transferred out).

Minnesota and Nebraska likely will field decent teams next year ... however, both are also have to break in new QBs. Furthermore, both programs are breaking in new staffs too ... to varying extents. While both teams will win games and pose challenges to their B1G foes ... I honestly don't view either team as being legitimate contenders to win the west this year.

The lesson is pretty simple for Hawk fans ... if the Hawks can nip the Badgers ... there's a chance for a B1G title. The Hawks will not be perfect in 2018. We need to see a lot of development and improvement made by the LBs for the D to be strong enough to be a contender. Furthermore, the OL and WR corps are inexperienced enough to have hiccups ... and that is enough to lose games.

The margin will be narrow ... but the chances are there to contend!

Crazy accurate account here. Or, maybe I just agree. Lol.

My only disagree with prevailing opinion in this thread is I don't think we "have to" beat Wisky to win the West. Wisconsin won't run the table, and I doubt they avoid two Ls with that schedule. Maybe this isn't as supportable as I perceive, but I think we have to beat the teams we should beat more than beat Wisconsin. I'm unsure as to which games we'll be favored in, but if we go 8-1, we will win the West this year. Agree? We did this (won expected wins) a few years back and found ourselves in Indy. (Obviously, a different schedule.) Unfortunately, I have seen about as many Central Michigan or Northern Illinois losses as I have seen "upsets" of Michigan and PSU.

Again, if we go 8-1, we win the B1G West. Win the games you are supposed to win. We're among the very best at the art of the upset, especially at home. I don't know enough about PSU to say whether we should win/lose that...likely favored to lose. We have historically performed well in Happy Valley though. As has been posted, it probably hinges on how quickly our development and health allow us to perform in game 4. Wisky will be very good at that point I expect. Everything points up in my opinion with the program currently, and I'm excited to see what our current staff and roster can do.

 

[ghostOfHomer777]

Nebraska won on a last-second Hail Mary pass, a play that has been shown on BTN thousands of times. To say they won "by a FG" somehow sells the win short.

Just a figure of speech to indicate that the game was decided by 3 points. Thanks for the correction though ... I remotely remember the events as you wrote them.

 

[ghostOfHomer777]

Crazy accurate account here. Or, maybe I just agree. Lol.

My only disagree with prevailing opinion in this thread is I don't think we "have to" beat Wisky to win the West. Wisconsin won't run the table, and I doubt they avoid two Ls with that schedule. Maybe this isn't as supportable as I perceive, but I think we have to beat the teams we should beat more than beat Wisconsin. I'm unsure as to which games we'll be favored in, but if we go 8-1, we will win the West this year. Agree? We did this (won expected wins) a few years back and found ourselves in Indy. (Obviously, a different schedule.) Unfortunately, I have seen about as many Central Michigan or Northern Illinois losses as I have seen "upsets" of Michigan and PSU.

Again, if we go 8-1, we win the B1G West. Win the games you are supposed to win. We're among the very best at the art of the upset, especially at home. I don't know enough about PSU to say whether we should win/lose that...likely favored to lose. We have historically performed well in Happy Valley though. As has been posted, it probably hinges on how quickly our development and health allow us to perform in game 4. Wisky will be very good at that point I expect. Everything points up in my opinion with the program currently, and I'm excited to see what our current staff and roster can do.

Through the last 3 years, Penn State has just lost one game at Happy Valley. It will definitely be a really hostile environment ... however, at least I expect that we'll see a much better outing than we had at Camp Randall in 2017. Penn State lost a lot from the '17 squad (and they lost their great OC too) ... but they return a very accomplished QB and their DL is crazy-deep. On top of all that, Franklin's recruiting at PSU has been lights-out ... so the talent level at Penn State has been very good.

I'm not expecting a victory ... but nor am I expecting a loss.

 

[CDMXHusker]

I don’t know where people think Neb will find 3 B1G wins.

LOL

 

[RogerKint]

I don’t know where people think Neb will find 3 B1G wins.

Exactly. They only play Illinois once.

 

[FreddyUI]

To win the West we need to beat Wisconsin and Northwestern and win the games we should win. That has been true the last few years and it will be true the next few years.

 

[Johnsoda123]

UCF was 0-12 the year before.... Yes it’s going to be a process. “Be better than the day before”

But also look at what UCFs record was the two years before they were 0-12. They were good. Frost inherited a ton of talent at UCF. I expect Frost to be successful, but the American Conference isn't the B1G. Expect 6-7 wins this year and maybe 8-9 the year after.

 

[myteamcanbeatupyourteam]

LOL

Pick your three wins. (I'll do my picks)

At Michigan (loss)

Purdue (loss, Purdue is MUCH improved)

At Wisconsin (loss)

At NU (flip a coin, I'll give UNL the win)

Minnesota (Win, MInnesota is still a bigger joke)

At Ohio State (You kidding? I will say that OSU punts this year, though. HUGE loss)

Illinois (Win)

Michigan State (loss)

At Iowa (loss, probably yet another blowout)


I found three BIG wins for ya! But only three.

6-6 overall but I'm tempted to say Colorado beats you so maybe 5-7 overall.

 

[ghostOfHomer777]

UCF was 0-12 the year before.... Yes it’s going to be a process. “Be better than the day before”

UCF had O'Leary before Frost ... O'Leary was a fine coach. In '13, UCF finished with a 12-1 season and in '14 finished with a 9-4 season. Thus, before you start spouting revisionist history ... Scott Frost had far from a empty cupboard when he joined UCF.

Similarly, the Huskers have talent for Frost to work with ... but it likely WILL be a process.