Nebraska Football: 5 reasons why the Huskers will struggle in 2017

The Nebraska football team will have a solid group of running backs and defensive backs in 2017, but the rest of the team does not stack up as good.

The Nebraska Cornhuskers had their best season under head coach Mike Riley in 2016. Quarterback Tommy Armstrong had his best year during his college career as well. However, things do not look so good for the Huskers in 2017.

They also lose another key offensive weapon with the departure of wide receiver Jordan Westerkamp. Nebraska does not return a single tight end that got any playing time over the past few years. Cethan Carter, Sam Cotton and Trey Carter were the top three tight ends for Nebraska in 2016. None of those three players return in 2017.

Worse news for Nebraska is that the Big Ten, at least at the top, looks as good as ever. There’s four Big Ten teams in the top 10 in the Amway Coaches Poll. Those four teams are the No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes, No. 6 Penn State Nittany Lions, No. 9 Michigan Wolverines and No. 10 Wisconsin Badgers.

According to Land of 10, Nebraska loses pretty much all of their production at quarterback from one season ago. With Tulane transfer QB Tanner Lee coming in, he did not play with the Huskers in 2016 so he does not count as returning production for them. The departure of Armstrong and backup quarterback Ryker Fyfe pretty much depleted the returning experience for the Huskers at that position.

One of the few positives for Nebraska heading into the season includes a good trio at running back between Devine Ozigbo, Tre Bryant and Mikale Wilbon. They also get to compete in the Big Ten West instead of the East. The only team that should make a big push for the College Football Playoff in the West is Wisconsin. Other contenders include the Iowa Hawkeyes and Northwestern Wildcats, both of which Nebraska gets at home.

Now, let’s take a look at five reasons why the Nebraska Cornhuskers will stink in 2017.