Minnesota Vs. Nebraska 2021 - Media Predictions Thread

[UpAndUnder43]

No you said this:


I pointed out that against Michigan they put up over 400 yds of offense and scored 29 pts. Is Michigan a shit team?? I rest my case.

Back to your original point. That against not shit teams, Nebraska's offense isn't good (this doesn't hold up by the way Top 50 scoring O, Total O, Explosive Plays, Yards Per Completion, etc.). Both teams have a good D, the difference is we have the weaker O, and it came against weaker competition to date. We need Nebraska to hurt itself (something they are prone to do), but if both teams play their best game, and mistake free, it favors Nebraska. Ugh

I think Nebraska played as well as they could against Michigan and lost. The Gophers haven’t played their best game yet.

 

[IceBoxGopher]

Here are the predictions from SB Nation websites.

Black Shoe Diaries (Penn State) are taking Nebraska to win
Minnesota was on a bye, but last time they played, they headed to Purdue and slogged their way into a win. Nebraska nearly took down Michigan, meanwhile, in another display of “close, but no cigar.” With each passing week, it becomes clearer and clearer than the Illinois game was simply a giant aberration. Not to mention, Minnesota is now down two running backs while Tanner Morgan continues to scratch heads. Nebraska covers easily.

Maize N Brew (Michigan) has Nebraska winning.
The Golden Gophers may have beaten Purdue two weeks ago, but were thoroughly outgained on offense and generally haven’t looked terribly impressive at any point this season. Colorado, who Minnesota shut out 30-0 in Boulder in September, is 1-4 now.

If Nebraska plays up to its potential, it should cover the spread and more pretty handily. I’d expect the Huskers, after a third gut-wrenching loss to a ranked team, to really want to take some frustration out on Minnesota. We’ve already seen what that can look like: Nebraska beat Northwestern 56-7 on Oct. 2 and the Gophers aren’t significantly better than the Wildcats.

Hammer and Rails (Purdue) has Nebraska winning 34-27
Is this a bowl elimination game? If Nebraska loses they would have to upset either Iowa or Ohio State to make the postseason. Minnesota has a much easier path with Northwestern and Illinois to go, plus only Iowa as a ranked team left.

A lot of the chatter is that Nebraska is a good team because they have played Oklahoma, Michigan, and Michigan State tough. They still lost, and lost to Illinois, which is… not good. They need this game or the season is a lost one for them.

At the Off Tackle Empire (Big Ten), 13 writers are predicting a Nebraska win, four are going with Minnesota

At the Daily Gopher (Minnesota) six writers are going with Minnesota, three are picking Nebraska.
Blake Ruane: Nebraska, 23-16. Both defenses are good, but I think it’s obvious that Nebraska’s offense presents more of a challenge than their counterpart on the opposite sideline. I’m sorry, but I think the Broken Chair returns to Lincoln.

GoAUpher: Minnesota, 24-21. I’m here for more Scott Frost Faces, brought to you by P.J. Fleck and the Gophers. This one isn’t about logic, or what team is playing better ball. It’s about Scott Frost having a sad and making up excuses for why he lost to a dude with slogans.

GopherGuy05: Minnesota, 31-30. I have no idea why I have faith in this happening, but it’s just a hunch.

GopherNation: Nebraska, 31-23. *negativity not explained*

HipsterGopher: Minnesota, 84-13. I absolutely do not think this is the likely score, but baby I’m typing it into existence. Finally revenge for 1983. NOTE: For the Huskers who read this are easily confused, Hipster’s bit is that he picks using scores from previous matchups between the teams.

Mowe0018: Minnesota, 27-24. With the Gophers coming off of a bye and the Cornhuskers coming off of a blood bath of a game against Michigan, I think Minnesota will just enough to sneak by. But it wouldn’t surprise me in the least bit to lose this game. Irving and Thomas need to be put in some open space and make some plays.

White Speed Receiver: Minnesota, 27-24. Happy Scott Frost Day!

WildCatToo: Minnesota, 27-24. CHAIR! CHAIR!! CHAAAAAAIR!

ZipsOfAkron: Nebraska, 31-21. The only thing I’m confident in on Saturdays is that I will consume a lot of beer and ultimately be disappointed by the outcome of the football game.

 

[IceBoxGopher]

Buckeyes Wire (USA Today) has two writers picking Minnesota and one taking Nebraska.

Ralph Russo, Associated Press, has Nebraska winning 21-14

Omaha World-Herald has Nebraska winning 28-21
If Nebraska is the team it thinks it is — and says it is — it’ll find a way to keep the Gophers from sitting on the ball and grinding out a small, low-scoring win. NU could stand to bring a little more heat on D and force a couple more turnovers, too. Minnesota is down to its No. 3 running back.

Iowa site Hawk Central has Nebraska winning 31-20
For being below .500, it's astonishing that Nebraska is outgaining its opponents by an average of 152 yards per game. Poor special teams, penalties and ill-timed turnovers have haunted the Huskers. An Iowa win and Minnesota loss on Saturday would give the Hawkeyes a 2½-game lead in the West.

Saturday Tradition has Nebraska winning 30-17
Don’t let the records fool you, Nebraska has played much better than Minnesota this season. That’s why I’m taking the Huskers to break this 2-game losing streak to the Golden Gophers and stay on track to becoming bowl eligible.

Go Iowa Awesome is predicting a 31-13 Nebraska win
Nebraska’s well-balanced attack should be able to flummox that Gopher defense into giving up yards and points, but one never knows how many times the Huskers will shoot themselves in the foot. So I’m leery of this pick, but I will take a desperate Scott Frost over a less-desperate P.J. Fleck.

 

[MNVCGUY]

It would be really interesting if all these predictors were asked to assign confidence points to their picks. I would guarantee that the confidence in this one would be extremely low due to the unpredictable nature of both teams. Or I guess in many ways the predictable nature of Nebraska and the way they invent new and fantastic ways to lose.

 

[IceBoxGopher]

It would be really interesting if all these predictors were asked to assign confidence points to their picks. I would guarantee that the confidence in this one would be extremely low due to the unpredictable nature of both teams. Or I guess in many ways the predictable nature of Nebraska and the way they invent new and fantastic ways to lose.

I think it's definitely one of the harder games to predict. It's easy to look at how well Nebraska has played against top teams like Oklahoma and Michigan.

However, I think as Gopher fans we know almost winning against a top 10 team doesn't translate to being really good. In 2015 we played TCU, Michigan, Ohio State and Iowa all pretty well, but lost them in close fashion.

I think that's why a lot of the predictions by some of the people listed have been somewhat close, with the Huskers winning by a field goal or a TD. There's confidence there with Nebraska's team, but it's a cautious optimism.

 

[Go Gophers Rah]

On the road, I would say this would be a loss. At home, though, the Gophers have won 53% of their Big Ten games (versus winning 35% of the road conference games).
I also think that the early start always favors the home team.
Just my two cents.

 

[TheCasualGopher]

It would be really interesting if all these predictors were asked to assign confidence points to their picks. I would guarantee that the confidence in this one would be extremely low due to the unpredictable nature of both teams. Or I guess in many ways the predictable nature of Nebraska and the way they invent new and fantastic ways to lose.

this has to be a low confidence pick ... this game has been wildly unpredictable the last 4-5 years.

 

[Great Plains Gopher]

Nebraska will make a lot of big plays Saturday, so to win the Gophers - last in the B14 in passing - will have to throw the ball, which hopefully will open up the running game. Nebraska has been strong in the second half, shutting down MSU completely and outscoring Michigan (because they make good adjustments at half-time?). Minnesota is terrible in the second half when behind at halftime (because the coaches don't make good adjustments? Consider Bowling Green - PJ should have suited up himself to get his team moving in that lethargic second half - ditto Miami of Ohio). If we are behind at the half, worse may be on the way.

 

[Bayfield Gopher]

34-20 Huskers