Nice start to the Wisconsin game!
Mike Nolan
Cats take a 21 point lead into the locker room as the Wisconsin fans boo their team’s lackluster half.
Mike Nolan
If only he had played against Io_a or UNL.
Whatever the case, I dare say NO one in purple dreamt we would be playing for a bowl berth in our home finale next week.
What an amazing coaching job and what a terrific job by this team of sticking together through one crazy year.
GO CATS!!!
-SjT
STEPHEN J. TRUOG
sjtruog@yahoo.com
GO CATS!!! GEAUX SAINTS!!!
Nebraska needs to beat either Wisconsin or Iowa to get to a bowl game, Northwestern needs to beat either Purdue or Illinois to get to a bowl game, I’d say Northwestern’s more likely to get to a bowl game than Nebraska.
Before today there was talk that NU could even go to a bowl at 5-7 because academic credentials is one of the “tie breakers” should there be any bowl spots available after all the 6-6 teams are gone ( Mike you may remember Nebraska playing ucla in a bowl game out here in Santa Clara a few years back with one of the teams 5-7)
But with todays win , certainly should not be much chatter about 5-7!
As an aside my neighbor who is on the team ( but unfortunately doesn’t play) is dating a woman at NU whose father is head of the Alamo Bowl Too bad we are not in the running for that one!
Harry
Purdue has not been an ‘easy out’ for the Cats, though. (Nobody has been, to be honest.)
Illinois hosts Iowa next week, the Illini also need another win to be bowl-eligible.
Minnesota plays at Ohio State, Nebraska plays at Wisconsin, I think the Badgers are gonna be riled up for that one after today’s rather embarrassing home loss.
A lot of Husker fans are tagging their OC for today’s loss, the playcalling was awful at times. Satterfield ran a pass-first offense at South Carolina the last two years, but Nebraska hasn’t got a QB who can run that kind of offense, nor an OL or receiver corps for it.
Northwestern is still alive for the Big Ten West title, but needs a lot of help, here’s what was posted about it on the Husker List:
Iowa still needs to win one more of the last two against Illinois and Nebraska to clinch, though they can still win the division with some other help even if they lose out.
If Iowa loses out and Nebraska wins out, the Huskers take the title unless Minnesota also wins out against Ohio State and Wisconsin.
Nebraska wins the two-way tie. Minnesota wins the three-way tie. Both of those scenarios are decided by head-to-head results.
The winner of the Illinois-Northwestern game would also likely be part of the tie in these scenarios. (Northwestern would also have to beat Purdue.)
If Iowa and Nebraska finish in a three-way tie with either Illinois or Northwestern, Nebraska wins on the head-to-head sweep.
If Iowa, Nebraska and Minnesota finish in a four-way tie with Illinois, Nebraska wins on division record. Technically, Iowa would be eliminated first on head-to-head results by being swept by the other three and then Nebraska would win the remaining three-way tie based on division record.
If Iowa, Nebraska, Minnesota finish in a four-way tie with Northwestern, Minnesota wins on head-to-head over Nebraska after Iowa and Northwestern are eliminated on the four-way head-to-head results.
That covers all of the scenarios where both Nebraska and Iowa have a share of the title.
There are paths to victory for every team except Purdue if Iowa loses out, even for Iowa itself. For anyone else except Minnesota, their winning scenario involves Nebraska losing at Wisconsin as well.
Otherwise, Iowa can be tied by Wisconsin or Minnesota, but not both and possibly neither (if Wisconsin loses to Minnesota who loses to Ohio State). Similarly, Iowa can be tied by Illinois or Northwestern, but not both and possibly neither (if Illinois loses to Northwestern who loses to Purdue). That’s nine combinations, one of which is Iowa still winning outright at 5-4. The other eight combinations are Iowa plus:
Wisconsin and Illinois (Wisconsin wins on division record)
Wisconsin and Northwestern (Iowa wins on head-to-head)
Wisconsin (Iowa wins on head-to-head)
Minnesota and Illinois (Illinois wins head-to-head)
Minnesota and Northwestern (Northwestern wins on division record)
Minnesota (Minnesota wins on head-to-head)
Illinois (Illinois wins on head-to-head)
Northwestern (Iowa wins on head-to-head)
Northwestern is the longest shot, needing seven games to go right for them:
Northwestern beats Purdue
Northwestern beats Illinois
Illinois beats Iowa
Nebraska beats Iowa
Wisconsin beats Nebraska
Minnesota beats Ohio State
Minnesota beats Wisconsin
Of course, everyone else except Iowa needs a minimum of four games to go right for them.
One should never say never, but the only way we win is if Purdue beats Ohio State!!
Very, very unlikely! But honestly a bowl game would be very, very satisfying.
I’d like to win out, but if we have to choose one, I want to beat the Illini!!
Go Cats!! Great win yesterday! Hire Braun please. Fire Bajakian please.
Though I must say the play calling yesterday was much better than the Iowa game. It was evident at the goal line!
Great to have Ben Bryant back! If he plays like he did yesterday, I think we should win out.
KM
Win them one at a time!
There is an interesting question, though. If Braun is elevated to head coach, which assistants would he keep? One of the reasons he was named the interim coach, IMHO, is that he was considered the least tainted by the hazing scandals, having only been in Evanston since January.
Not sure what Ken is referring since OSU beat Purdue , but would be great to go to a bowl, even if it’s a “bad” one. It would be quite a statement for Braun and the players ; not to mention a little bonus for recruiting ,particularly in the area near the bowl location
Harry
Greg Newsome just had a pick 6 off a deflected Lamar Jackson pass to tie things up in the 4th quarter of the Ravens-Browns game…
My bad Harry, if Minnesota beats Ohio State!
Even more of a long-shot!
I haven’t quite figured out why MN beating OSU (unlikely as that may be) is a necessary part of the road to the Cats winning the division, but I’m sure there’s a reason.