Big Ten football: 3 teams with breakout potential in 2022

The past two years of Big Ten football have been close to chaos from the top of the conference to the bottom. With upsets, comeback stories, and more, the Big Ten will undoubtedly be a conference to watch in the coming season.

Here are three Big Ten football teams that could have an unexpected breakout season in 2022 starting with a potential surprise in the West division.

3. Nebraska

Since joining the Big Ten in 2011, Nebraska football has had a drought of success. In the past 10 seasons, the Cornhuskers have had one 10-win season and four winning seasons altogether. Since 2015, Nebraska has had one winning season, and in the past five seasons, the Huskers’ best season ended 5-7.

As we cautiously enter the fifth season of Scott Frost, Nebraska football seemingly has a decision on its hands. If Frost does not perform, there is a good chance he does not return to Lincoln in 2023. As seen with Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh, being on the hot seat can occasionally work wonders (the Wolverines improved from 2-4 to 12-2 after Harbaugh was forced to take a significant pay cut).

Additionally, Nebraska will feature a new man under center: Casey Thompson, the transfer from the University of Texas. Unlike the past few seasons, this new QB could provide some stability and rhythm to the Cornhuskers’ offense and may lead to Nebraska turning some heads.

Though the team finished 3-9 in 2021, Nebraska football still played numerous top-ranked teams very close and only lost due to critical late-game mistakes. Few teams were as competitive as Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, and Nebraska was last season — if the Huskers can straighten themselves out, the school could be in for big things in the coming years.

For Nebraska, a breakout season should be defined as eight wins or more. After only winning six games this decade, the Cornhuskers should just be looking to get back to .500 on the season, though an 8-5 season may be enough to consider it a “breakout” year in Lincoln.