They are in! The post you’ve been waiting for! We’re all, well most of us, are excited for the season opener on Thursday! How does KSB think the season will shake out?
KAREN’S PREDICTION:
Every August, I sit down with my Husker schedule, a bottle of tequila Starbucks, and the eternal optimism of a fan who should know better. This year, I’m predicting something radical: progress. Not a playoff berth, not a Heisman, not a national title—just progress. (I know, how dare I dream so big?)
We start with wins over Cincinnati, Akron, Houston Christian, and—brace yourselves—Michigan. Yes, I said Michigan. Nothing would bring me more joy than watching Steve suffer through a Husker upset—like a discount Harbaugh: old, cranky, perpetually annoyed, but without the titles or the NCAA infractions to make him interesting. (Jordan will be there too, clinging to Michigan’s past glory like a barnacle on Steve’s khakis)
Of course, reality always comes knocking. Cue the “Michigan Hangover Loss” at Michigan State—karma for KSBers letting Matt stroll around in his Notre Dame gear, basically just a Michigan fan in rosary beads still living off Rudy reruns. After that, bounce-backs against Maryland and Minnesota, and another ugly Northwestern win.
Then November arrives, and so does pain:
USC? Loss. (And while we’re talking about the Trojans, let’s talk Amanda—our very own Trojan horse. She waited until after we hired her to confess she’s an Ohio State fan. That’s not fandom, that’s deception. Honestly, it’s the most Harbaugh move in this office.)
UCLA? Loss.
Penn State? Loss.
And Iowa? The turkey leftovers will taste better. Losing to Iowa is bad enough, but Tyler actually chose to go there for law school—proof some decisions haunt you forever. To make it worse, my son is dating an Iowa fan. Pray for me.
In November, even the beer in Memorial Stadium won’t be enough to dull the pain, but at least we won’t be sneaking Busch Light into suspiciously heavy lemonade cups. The lines will be long, the pours will be light, and the bathrooms a disaster—but hey, progress.
And don’t forget this season’s true victims: the kids banned from selling Runzas. Nothing says “Go Big Red” like killing the only reason anyone could justify paying $7 for hot cabbage. RIP pint-sized entrepreneurs—you deserved better.
So there it is: 8–4. Respectable, sure—but the real tragedy is me turning into the kind of optimist I usually mock Bobby. Honestly, I disgust myself.
STEVE’S PREDICTION:
You’ve heard it. I’ve heard it. Everyone has heard it. Year 3 under Coach Matt Rhule is THE year for transformation from plucky underachievers to a 10-win juggernaut. For the sake of the Cornhusker faithful who surround me, I’d love to believe. I mean, after 20+ years of making fun of Husker fans, it really does feel like I’m punching down. So is this the year the Cornhuskers finally break out and return to national relevance? Narrator: No, it is not!
I see 4 gimme wins on the schedule - Akron, Houston Christian (Community College? Choir? Daycare? Church League Softball Team?), Michigan State, and Northwestern. I also see 2 guaranteed losses - Michigan (of course!) and Penn State. The rest? It’s like walking into Jordan’s office. You have no idea what you’re going to find! I say the Huskers split with Cincinnati and Minnesota; split with Maryland and UCLA; and split with USC and Iowa. That leaves the Huskers with a 7-5 record, because mediocrity is the new tradition! Disappointing to some, but good enough for another bowl game. At least you can still say “Wait ‘til next year!” And, of course, Go Blue (9-3)!
BOBBY’S PREDICTION:
Ah, Vegas, you did it again. Another year, another betting line over/under 7.5 regular season wins. Re-rolling a $500 under bet for the last 10 years means you could buy a car at this point. But here I am, ready to get hurt again. Unlike some national pundits, I’m not close to predicting a playoff run, nor do I think one is necessary to see “progress.” I’m predicting 8-4 and a flurry of “was that success” discussions come Christmas. Candidly, I’m mostly just ready for preseason talking to end. The only thing I need more is the new Taylor Swift album to drop so I can stop hearing about all the theories from my wife, oldest daughter, and Instagram randos.
Cincinnati: I think we finally get that elusive week 1 win against a P4 opponent in a functional home game. They have a solid DL and a dual threat quarterback that will keep it a game until the 4th quarter. The Bearcats will test our young DL and remade OL and probably even lead in the second quarter, but we settle in and finally get a solid week 1 win. Bonus prediction: Jason Kelce is seen slamming beers in the suite wearing his old Bearcats jersey he eventually rips off when they score. Travis will be well behaved because he’s now pop culture’s first man. Talk about New Heights.
Akron and Houston Christian: A couple wins that will allow us to play the 2nd and 3rd stringers in the second half. I can see the headlines now. Back in the top-25 and “this year’s Indiana” stories abound, tied to clicks but not reality.
Michigan: As much as it pains me, we’re just not quite there yet. Sherrone Moore will be watching from Ann Arbor, but we lose this one courtesy of a not-yet-settled field goal kicking unit and inability to move the ball. Side note, who wouldn’t pay $25 million for a National Title? KGB references were not on my college football bingo card. Thanks, Connor (THE) Stalions.
Michigan State: Coming off a bye week, now we start the roller coaster only a fragile yet dedicated fanbase signs up for every year. I think we get this one at home, but it’ll be too close for comfort. Still, a win is a win.
Maryland: I have absolutely no clue what to make of this team, but I think Nebraska wins it. The narrative starts to pick up again with a 5-1 record, “also receiving votes” designation, and a “manageable” schedule through October.
Minnesota: I hate that I’m saying it, because there’s only one place PJ Fleck’s oar should be shoved. At Minnesota on a Friday night just doesn’t go our way. It’ll be an ugly, cold loss that stings as much as it should. Here starts the “what could have been” narrative.
Northwestern: A get-back game at home to reach bowl eligibility. With unease, people will say at least we made a bowl game for consecutive years for the first time in a decade. My goodness do people love story lines. It’ll feel super hollow, but it’ll become the narrative.
USC: Ugh. Another “not quite there yet” loss. We need to hope it’s snowing and colder than hell. I have no idea why Lincoln Riley is going to run it back with Maiava at QB. I didn’t see a Riley-esque star taking snaps when we played them last year, and I don’t think he’s “the guy” to take USC to the playoff. (But now that I’ve said it, congrats on your Heisman run, kid.) Black will be the uniforms, matching the color of Steve’s soul and the mood in Lincoln.
UCLA: I think they have this one circled after the debacle in Lincoln last year. We pull it out in LA, but it’ll be close. Raiola leads a game-winning drive to get to 7 wins, and Rhule talks about the mental improvement it takes to win close games. At the same time people start asking, “Where is this Matt Rhule year-3 jump?”
Penn State: I think they will be good, but not national champion good. Still, their depth pretty easily wins out this late in the season even though we have 2 weeks to prepare. We need to hope for an 11 AM kick to have a shot, because a night game at Coach Rhule’s alma mater just isn’t in the cards for us. I don’t think it is either way.
Iowa: Ah, yes, the annual “did they finally find a quarterback” roulette for Iowa continues. Our Aussie punter puts on a show in the cold and wind. Nebraska wins another ugly one at home to post 8-4, good enough for a “better” bowl game on a random Wednesday night in December. Then starts 8 months of “was 2025 a successful year?” banter across Nebraska.
SHARI’S PREDICTION:
It’s so great to have football back! In our house, we’re looking forward to strong Nebraska and Notre Dame seasons. Yes, we are Notre Dame fans. Go Irish!
Now for the Huskers! I think this might be their best season in a long time. I think Dylan Raiola will improve significantly this year and the changes in the coaching staff will all be big positives. Starting the season off on my birthday in Kansas City, they have to win, right? The next four home games will all be wins. Michigan will be a good game and we will have to listen to the KSB Michigan fans (boo Steve and Jordan) all week. But in the end the rest of us will have bragging rights when Nebraska pulls out the victory. Hitting the road to Maryland and Minnesota. I think we will win one - Maryland - and lose one - Minnesota. The Huskers return home and with the hometown crowd they will get a win against Northwestern. Our next loss comes against USC at home and that’s the start of the rollercoaster. Win, loss, win! We will beat UCLA, lose to Penn State, and then head home and win against Iowa. We will be set up perfectly for another bowl game. 9-3! Go Big Red!
COADY’S PREDICTION:
Hope Springs Eternal / Groundhog Day. Those are the feelings that I regularly experience as I write my annual predictions each year. Being hopeful because this is supposed to be fun (and not self-loathing). Groundhog Day because that (false?) hope has often proven unfounded in the past.
Still this year, I am genuinely optimistic that Nebraska has actually improved (especially on the offensive line), and that its growth will also show up in the Win-Loss column. See also Rhule, Matt (Year 3). Plus, having five straight home games*** and not having to hit the road for a true away contest until October 11, should give Nebraska plenty of runway to get some momentum going. I see only one sure loss on the schedule: Nebraska’s November 22 trip to Happy Valley. I am marking down wins against Cincinnati, Akron, Houston Christian, Maryland, Minnesota, Northwestern, and UCLA. I have the games against Michigan, Michigan State, USC, and [Tyler J. Coverdale’s] Iowa as toss-ups. I predict that Nebraska will go 9-3. Bring it on!
***Sorry, Cincinnati; Travis Kelce’s home stadium is going to look and feel more like Memorial Stadium South than a Bearcats . . . ahem . . . “home game.”
JORDAN’S PREDICTION:
I don’t like the taste, but I have to admit that I’m drinking the Rhule-aid this year. While I have to hope that the Maize and Blue will provide at least one early season disappointment for the blackshirts, a soft schedule should bring Nebraska into the USC game with at least 6 wins. Assuming they can go .500 down the stretch, we’re looking at an 8 to 10 win season for the ‘Skers. If they’re lucky, they might even get a second crack at the Wolverines in December. In any event, this season should be like a cold, fruity, umbrella-ed cocktail to a fat man at the end of a marathon (or at least a walk around the Lincoln office.)
TYLER’S PREDICTION:
Five years ago, I was in a fantasy football league where a league member did not have sufficient time to properly research his decisions, and thus left all decisions to fate. Fate being, of course, the quarter he found in his car that he flipped for every single decision.
So this year, rather than delve into the blogosphere of Huskermania which is a scary and confusing place to this former Hawkeye, I am instead going to do absolutely no research whatsoever and resign the Huskers to the ultimate decider—the 2015 penny I found under my desk this morning.
Methodology: Opponents are heads, Huskers are tails. Each game is the best 2/3 flips. Clearly I did not flub results or the last game would be different.
Looks like it’s going to be a rough three game stretch in late October/early November since heads came up six times in a row. Also the Penny must have been carried around by the rare Akron/Houston Christian double alumnus for a period of time.
5-7 and a pretty standard year where the Huskers lose to Houston Christian then beat the Wolverines the next week, and later beat their eastern rival by a score of 9 to 4 or some other nonsense that is typical in those painful-to-watch games (I dropped the coin twice during this match so there will probably be a lot of turnovers in that one).
SARA’S PREDICTION:
As the KSB resident Husker realist (because nothing screams “millennial coping mechanism” like drafting football predictions while sipping a hazelnut latte and rewatching Gilmore Girls for the 50th time), I’ve reviewed the 2025 Nebraska schedule with all the rigor of a Taylor Swift fan decoding hidden Easter eggs. August kicks off with Cincinnati in Kansas City, basically a road trip that feels like a “Cornhusker Eras Tour” opener. Wins pile up early (Akron and HCU, bless your hearts), but then Michigan rolls in like the villain in every Marvel reboot, reminding us that pain builds character. The mid-season stretch? Let’s just say Northwestern is our “You Belong With Me” moment, while USC and UCLA are the part where the stadium playlist shifts to “All Too Well (10 Minute Version).” The Taylor Swift references, by the way, are in honor of her new album dropping right in the heart of football season, maybe she will give Karen and I royalties for free advertising? (Yes, we know many of you have been personally subjected to the artistry of Taylor Swift music on a webinar with us. Hey T. Swift - if you happen to be reading, I have Venmo!) In true millennial fashion, I’m predicting we’ll end up at a solid 7–5: not too shabby, not too legendary, but just enough to justify buying another Husker crewneck sweatshirt I don’t need. #gobigred
Ps. Don’t worry, I predict the Huskers will make a bowl game this year. It won’t be anything fancy, but think of it like the streaming equivalent of landing on Hulu instead of Netflix; still solid, still watchable, but with lower expectations of entertainment value.
AMANDA’S PREDICTION:
Rookie year of predictions? Not bad—I came out of the gate stronger than Nebraska usually does in the fourth quarter. Now in my sophomore season, I’m back at it, taking another swing at calling the Cornhuskers’ fate.
This year, I’m penciling Nebraska in at 7–5. Respectable, bowl eligible, but not exactly striking fear into the Big Ten. Think of it as a season where the fans convince themselves it’s the start of a turnaround—before remembering that The Ohio State still runs the neighborhood. So, how do I see those wins and losses breaking down? Nebraska wins against Cincinnati, Akron, Houston Christian, Michigan State, Maryland, Northwestern, and Iowa. Nebraska will unfortunately take the “L” against Michigan, Minnesota, USC, UCLA, and Penn State.
Seven wins means the Huskers move the chains a little farther down the field this year. Progress counts—even if the Buckeyes are still marching toward the end zone.
MATT’S PREDICTION:
Another great year for the HUSKERS!!!!
Looking at the schedule maybe 6-6. That’s being nice!
They lose the opener to Cincy 34-28, but blow out wins against Akron and HCU. Next, Big Ten play! Nebraska will lose to Michigan, beat Michigan State because the Michigan State offense is bad and can’t score. Maryland was bad last year and will be at the bottom of the conference again, so the Huskers beat them. Minnesota will be a good game, I'm thinking 35-31 and the Huskers get the win. Northwestern is terrible, so another blow out win for the Huskers, but I think the wins stop and they lose to USC, UCLA, Penn State, and also lose a close one against Iowa, like always. Great news Husker fans, another bowl appearance.