Nebraska Football: Ranking Cornhuskers’ 2020 opponents by toughness

Let’s face it, Rutgers isn’t very good and it’ll be a while before Greg Schiano turns things around in Piscataway. The 2020 season will be much more of the same as years past for Rutgers and that could mean anywhere between 1-4 wins, but it’d be a shock if the Scarlet Knights won more than that.

The Scarlet Knights do return 15 starters total, but that doesn’t mean much when they finished 2-10 a year ago with a winless Big Ten slate. They also ranked No. 129 nationally in total offense and 98th in total defense and 123rd in scoring defense. This should be an easy win.

This could end up being a battle for positioning in the Big Ten West, but Northwestern is coming off a disappointing 3-9 season and will have yet another new quarterback on its hands heading into the season. Hunter Johnson didn’t quite work out a year ago, but Peyton Ramsey transferred in from Indiana and he has a proven track record.

Most of the offensive production returns from a lackluster unit that ranked No. 124 a year ago and the defense should be solid with nine starters back from the nation’s 25th-best group.