HuskerMax Predictions: Nebraska Football vs. No. 16 Indiana

The Huskers face their toughest test of the season with a road trip to Bloomington to take on the resurgent Hoosiers and new head coach Curt Cignetti.

Oct 5, 2024; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers tight end Nate Boerkircher (87) and tight end Ian Flynt (47) celebrate after a fake punt against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights during the fourth quarter at Memorial Stadium. / Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

The Nebraska Cornhuskers received its bye week at the perfect time as NU has been able to rest up following a 14-7 victory over Rutgers to finish the front half of the college football seaosn at 5-1 and only one win short of bowl eligibility for the first time since 2016.

Plus, it has given coach Matt Rhule and his second-year team time to prepare for one of their toughest games of the season with a road trip to No. 16 Indiana Saturday morning at 11 a.m. CDT. FOX's Big Noon will be on site with the famous tandem of Gus Johnson and Joel Klatt on the call.

The HuskerMax and Nebraska Cornhuskers SI crew make their predictions. The average score is 27-24 Nebraska.

The closest prediction for the Huskers' win over Rutgers was a four-way tie between Kaleb Henry (24-13 NU), Geoff Exstrom (20-17 NU), Tad Stryker (24-13 NU) and Redcast Honke (3-2 NU) as each was 16 points off the actual 14-7 total.

*Indicates closest in previous week's prediction and how many "wins" over the season. Ties will result in wins for all parties.

Prediction	Predictor
Nebraska 38-31	Kaleb Henry*
Nebraska 26-24	Austin Jacobsen*
Indiana 31-28	Eric Hess
Indiana 27-23	Geoff Exstrom*
Indiana 31-20	Josh Peterson
Indiana 33-28	Joe Hudson*
Nebraska 31-28	ThotDoc*
Nebraska 28-20	Enrique Alvarez-Clary
Indiana 31-28	Matt McMaster
Nebraska 35-28	Maren Angus-Coombs
Nebraska 27-22	Cole Stukenholtz
Nebraska 24-21	Jay Stockwell
Nebraska 35-31	Middle-Aged Ball Coach
Nebraska 21-17	David Max*
Nebraska 31-20	Tad Stryker*
Nebraska 21-20	Caleb Sisk
Indiana 31-20	Tanner Johnson
Nebraska 24-21	Bob Frady
Nebraska 35-24	Chris Fort
Indiana 27-21	Jeremy Pernell
Nebraska 35-17	Redcast Rob
Nebraska 28-21	Redcast Boomer
Nebraska 35-28	Redcast Abbie*
Nebraska 21-13	Redcast Honke*
Nebraska 28-17	Redcast Tyler

The Why

Austin Jacobsen: Toughest pick yet of the season and the least confident I've felt in Nebraska so far in 2024. I believe Nebraska's offense can get ugly and keep the game low-scoring, but Indiana will hit their shots when called upon. It will be up to Dylan Raiola to make big plays to answer the bell - I think he will.

Eric Hess: The Indiana offense is able to get it's points but the Huskers are able to keep pace. Huskers don't convert enough scoring opportunities due to special teams concerns.

Josh Peterson: Nebraska’s issues crop up at the worst times and Indiana adds a late score to cover the spread and move to 7-0 on the season.

ThotDoc: The Huskers are an underdog for the first time this year and go on the road to face a hot team also coming off a bye week. The Husker offense has still not put together four quarters of decent play. Here's hoping that the break creates an opportunity for that crew to shine and the defense keeps the Hoosier offense somewhat in check. Expect a reasonably high scoring contest that may be decided on the last possession of the contest.

Jay Stockwell: Big Noon Kickoff rolls into Bloomington which could produce a classic with the league's best offense going up against a stingy Nebraska defense.SMQ will bet the moneyline and the under predicting a 24-21 victory sending the Huskers to Columbus with a 6-1 record.

Middle-Aged Ball Coach: Indiana will score on big plays, but Nebraska's defense will tighten down as the game goes on. Nebraska will win the game in the trenches with a few big pass plays mixed in.

Tad Stryker: Dylan Raiola has a big bounce back game, using Banks and Neyor's height to full advantage. Blackshirts get a couple of key stops in the second half.

Bob Frady: The offense does enough and the Blackshirts show what a REAL defense looks like.

Chris Fort: Rhule uncorks the offense and lets Raiola prey on a suspect secondary. Defense makes enough stops for the Huskers to get the win.

Jeremy Pernell: This is Matt Rhule's most pivotal game since he's been at Nebraska. Who would have thought that in August? The team officially becomes bowl eligible with a win, and at the same time Rhule can change the narrative about this program. The Huskers are 10-26 away from Memorial Stadium dating back to 2017 and have lost 25 straight games to AP Top 25 teams. Nebraska can get a couple monkeys off their back in Bloomington. Lose, and you're staring down the barrel of 5-3 going into November again.I think Raiola could have a big game against Indiana's zone-heavy defense. But will the offense be able to capitalize on Indiana's side of the field? Not having a reliable field goal operation affects your game plan and handcuffs the offense. When you don't have 3 points in your back pocket when you reach the 25, it puts them in a difficult situation. Players can start to press because they feel like it's TD or bust - and that leads to mistakes. Nebraska has the better roster and I think they'll move the ball up and down the field. Can they take advantage in the red zone when they do?

Find more predictions at HuskerMax.com.

MORE: Nebraska Football a Tier 3 Team in the Big Ten Conference?

MORE: I-80 Club: How Has Indiana Done This?

MORE: McMaster's Big Ten Football Power Rankings After Week 7

MORE: Nebraska Football Preview: No. 16 Indiana

MORE: Stukenholtz: Halfway Home, But Toughest Miles Still Ahead

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