Nebraska Football: Can Huskers end bowl drought in Year 3 of Scott Frost era?

How will Nebraska football fare in 2020?

Nebraska will play eight games in 2020 with the Big Ten deciding to cancel non-conference play amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Huskers previously scheduled matchups with Central Michigan, Cincinnati and South Dakota State have been cancelled.

Here’s a look at how Nebraska may fare during the 2020 campaign.

• Game 1: at Ohio State (L) — With Justin Fields returning, Ohio State is among the favorites to win it all and a loss to Nebraska is highly unlikely.
• Game 2: vs. Wisconsin (L) — Wisconsin has not been kind to Nebraska and likely won’t be much kinder in 2020.
• Game 3: at Northwestern (W) — Pat Fitzgerald again has to rebuild Northwestern’s program after losing a lot of his stars to the NFL and graduation. The Huskers should take care of business here.
• Game 4: vs. Penn State (L) — Penn State will likely be back in a New Year’s Six bowl this season while Nebraska will be lucky to make a bowl.
• Game 5: vs. Illinois (W) — Illinois got back to a bowl in 2019, but the Huskers have enough to take care of business at home.
• Game 6: at Iowa (L) — For the first time since joining the Big Ten Nebraska’s rivalry matchup with Iowa will take place before Thanksgiving. That likely won’t change the recent results of the Hawkeyes absolutely dominating the series.
• Game 7: at Purdue (L) — With an explosive group of wide receivers and dominant pass rushers, the Boilermakers are not going to be easy to beat for a still inexperienced Nebraska team.
• Game 8: vs. Minnesota (L) — Minnesota has a chance to be even better than last season when they finished 11-2.

Prediction: 2-6

Nebraska might show improvement in 2020 as the roster finally begins to see the roster turnover from the Mike Riley era.

However, playing in the Big Ten means a brutal schedule as the West division features matchups with top 25 teams in Wisconsin, Minnesota and Iowa while the Huskers cross-division games feature Ohio State and Penn State.

Thus, it could be another long year in Lincoln that results in the team missing out on a bowl bid for the fourth straight season.