Couple breakdowns from me:
Hype Ratings for the B1G contenders:
Michigan - overhyped
tOSU - probably correctly hyped / slightly underhyped?
Michigan State - underhyped
Penn State - underhyped (just kidding, they aren't a contender)
Iowa - Overhyped
Wisconsin - overhyped
Northwestern - underhyped
Nebraska - hyped correctly / slightly underhyped
Nebraska in a nutshell this year is interesting.
They probably have the best WR corp in the B1G (or second behind tOSU), and maybe the best tight end too in Carter. But they have a QB who against P5 competition last year threw a pick every 30-31 attempts. No bueno. The Husker skill positions are stacked to a level that only the Michigan schools and tOSU compete with.
The offensive line should be solid over time, but it starts the season inexperienced right now and may not gel right away, plus the 2nd best lineman (LG) was lost for the season, his back-up is injured until maybe Oregon, and a walk-on or true frosh will be in that slot. That said, it returned the players that graded well, has one of the best OL in the B1G (Gates), and lots of young potential. Nebraska may be able to redshirt a full class of younger OL from this past class that are the foundation for solid future OL.
Defensive is tricky. LB was a huge problem last year but is now 6 deep and looks good. The secondary is strong and should be way better than last year but potentially thin with a drop off after the first 6 DBs or so.
DL is a problem for Nebraska in that it lost a ton of contributors to the NFL and transfer. It won't be bad, but it's the glaring weakness.
The ability to generate pressure on the QB will be tough. Last year Nebraska, despite having a good players at DT and shutting down most teams' running games, failed to generate much pressure with its defensive ends. Expect Nebraska to run 3-3-5 in nickel/passing down situations to keep its talented linebacker core on the field and disguise where it will send pressure from. How it manages to stop the run with the degradation of the DL positions will be something to watch, though improved LB play may cover some of that.
Special Teams should be better with the return of All-American Punt Returner De'mornay Pierson-El. Nebraska had to replace its punter who passed away, true frosh Lightbourn is good, but is still a frosh, so look for some shanks and other shenanigans you get with a freshman punting.
Tons of the team returns, and this team did lose 7 games last year, but by a total of 31 points. (yes, I know it lost to Purdue, but it was with a back-up QB so god damn nervous he couldn't remember any running plays and gave up five turnovers himself). Assuming some improvement, it could be a big jump. The schedule is tougher this year though (road trips to NW, Wisc, tOSU, Indiana, Iowa... plus Oregon at home).
Honestly it's all going to come down to Armstrong though. If he can find a way to limit the mistakes, Nebraska could take the division. But it could be another 7-8 win type season with multiple toss-up type games on the schedule (Oregon, Indiana, Iowa, Northwestern, Wisconsin, Minnesota and a probable loss at Ohio State). Figure they get a 50/50 split on the toss-ups, and it's 8-4 in all liklihood.
