Kirk Herbstreit predicts Nebraska will win Big Ten West in 2022

Nebraska is one of the most talked about programs in the Big Ten this year as rumors and speculation swirl about Scott Frost’s future in Lincoln. But ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit thinks the coach can put all that to rest — in big fashion, too.

During College GameDay on Saturday, Herbstreit predicted Nebraska would win the Big Ten West. He acknowledged the shortcomings last season when the Cornhuskers went 3-9 in a season filled with one-score losses, starting with a Week 0 loss to Illinois, but he said the division is wide open this year. That’s why Nebraska will seize the opportunity, especially with the questions about Frost’s job security.

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“Week 0 last year’s really when it all started. They outplayed Illinois for the majority of that game, and then a turnover late in the game cost them and that became kind of the beginning and kind of a precursor of what was to come the entire year,” Herbstreit said. “So, I think we’re all kind of seeing and saying the same thing.

“I actually like Nebraska. In a wide open Big Ten West, I think they come out of it. I think there’s no way a team can have all this bad luck happen again this year. I think they get off to a good start in Dublin, Ireland, I think they beat Northwestern and I think they get to Indy this year. I like Nebraska to win the Big Ten West.”

In the Big Ten preseason media poll, Wisconsin was voted to win the West division, followed by Iowa and Minnesota. Nebraska came in fifth out of the seven teams in the division, just behind Purdue. It’ll all get started Saturday when the Cornhuskers take on Northwestern at Aviva Stadium in Ireland.