Nebraska Football Facing SEC Teams in Latest Bowl Projections

Nebraska football could be facing some of college football's elite teams in the latest round of ESPN's bowl projections.

Nebraska wide receiver Carter Nelson celebrates after catching a 24-yard touchdown reception against Northern Iowa. / Kenny Larabee, KLIN

Nebraska football's hot start to the 2024 season has them projected to matchup with some of college football's finest.

ESPN released their latest bowl projections Sunday, following the conclusion of Week Three across college football. With only two ranked teams falling during the week, most of the college football playoff projections and bowl game predictions were only slightly adjusted.

The Huskers, however, could potentially be seated for a New Year's Eve bowl game. The projections also feature a Big Ten-Southeastern Conference showdown.

Sep 14, 2024; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers wide receiver Jacory Barney Jr. (17) celebrates at the end of a play against the Northern Iowa Panthers during the second quarter at Memorial Stadium. / Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

ESPN bowl guru Kyle Bonagura has the Huskers set to play on Dec. 30 in Nashville, Tenn as part of the TransPerfect Music City Bowl. Bonagura has the Big Red matching up against the Top 25 rated LSU Tigers.

The sports network's other bowl expert, Mark Schlabach, has NU aimed at a New Year's Eve date in Tampa, Fla., in the ReliaQuest Bowl. Schlabach's matchup brings back an old Big Eight rivalry, squaring Nebraska against Oklahoma.

Both analysts have 13 of the 18 Big Ten Conference teams in postseason play, including four in the College Football Playoff: Ohio State, USC, Oregon, and Penn State. The other programs included in postseason bowl projections feature Nebraska, Rutgers, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Michigan State, Washington, Maryland, and Iowa.

None of Nebraska's non-conference opponents are projected to make a bowl game.

Dec 30, 2016; Nashville , TN, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers quarterback Ryker Fyfe (17) hands the ball off to running back Terrell Newby (34) during the first half against the Tennessee Volunteers at Nissan Stadium. / Christopher Hanewinckel-Imagn Images

The Huskers' last stop in postseason play was at the Music City Bowl in Dec. 2016, when Nebraska visited Nissan Stadium in Nashville battling the Tennessee Volunteers. The Mike Riley-led Huskers would fall to the Vols, 38-24. Nebraska has not appeared in a bowl game since.

Nebraska is off to a strong start to the season, beginning their 2024 campaign 3-0 after wins over UTEP (40-7), Colorado (28-10), and Northern Iowa (34-3). The Big Red will face six conference opponents that are currently projected to make either a bowl game or the College Football Playoff.

The stretch begins on Friday as No. 22 Nebraska welcomes No. 24 Illinois to Memorial Stadium.

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