Kirk Herbstreit Makes Surprising Nebraska Pick for Big Ten Title Game

The ESPN analyst chose a team that went 3–9 last season to face his alma mater Ohio State in the championship game.

With the college football season nearly underway, ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit offered some predictions for the upcoming season.

One of his most surprising predictions was his pick for the Big Ten championship matchup.

One of the two teams he selected won’t turn many heads, as he unsurprisingly picked his alma mater Ohio State, who are the preseason favorites for the league title, as the winner of the East division and the conference.

“My sense is that Ryan Day is a master motivator,” Herbstreit said Thursday on the ESPN Herbie Awards show, per 247Sports. “Remember when they lost to Clemson at the end of the ’19 season and they felt they could have won and should have won, they were on a mission, even through COVID, to get Clemson. And they ended up playing them and dominating that game. I kind of sense the same thing with Michigan and the way they last up in Ann Arbor. It really fueled this team in the offseason. So they get Michigan at home. I think Michigan’s gonna have a great year, but coming to Columbus I think will be tough. I think Ohio State will win the East.”

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But, who does Herbstreit think will take on the Buckeyes in the conference championship game, which will take place in early December?

“And then I think, look at this, I got Nebraska,” Herbstreit continued. “Remember they were 3–9 last year, all nine losses within one possession. They found ways to lose games. I think Scott Frost can have a great year with Casey Thompson at quarterback.”

According to SI Sportsbook, the Huskers currently have the fifth best odds at +1400 to win the Big Ten championship. So, Herbstreit’s prediction might have been a bit of a stretch. But only time will tell if Nebraska can pull off what the analyst thinks they can.

Nebraska kicks off its season on Saturday, Aug. 27 in Ireland facing fellow Big Ten team Northwestern.

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