Nebraska At Night In November Needs No Hype

“ Hell, there are no rules here – we’re trying to accomplish something…” ~ Thomas Edison

Leave it to Thomas Edison, an Ohioan and considered “The Father Of Invention”, to appropriately summarize the goals for the 2016 Ohio State football team. No rules – just accomplish something.

“Something” is a pretty vague and open concept. Considering how much talent Ohio State lost to graduation and the NFL Draft, considering how I have written throughout spring practice about how 44 players on Ohio State’s roster are either redshirt freshmen or true freshmen…Damn right, Mr. Edison. There are no rules. Ohio State fans are just looking to see what this team can accomplish against a much tougher schedule in 2016 than 2015, with tremendously talented, yet inexperienced, players.

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Nebraska Cornhuskers (Game 9)

2016 OSU Opponent Ranking: 7 out of 12

Players Recruited By Ohio State: N/A, surprisingly. Ohio State did recruit DL Greg McMullen years ago, but McMullen announced his intention to quit football earlier this spring.

Game Date: November 5, 2016

Kickoff Time: 8pm EST, telecast TBD on ABC, ESPN, or ESPN2

Location: Ohio Stadium

Rationale For The Ranking: Nebraska was truly snakebitten during 2015. Coming off a 5-7 season under Mike Riley, the Cornhuskers can only go up, right? Right?

Here’s a better reason why I think Ohio State will be in good shape for this game ~ Nebraska will be coming off another road game, at Wisconsin. Ohio State has a challenging game of their own the week before against Northwestern, but at home. Oh, by the way…This is a night game in Ohio Stadium. Do you think Urban Meyer may be wanting to send a message as November begins? I was in attendance in Ohio Stadium in 2012 the last time Nebraska visited; I have no doubt the crowd will be revved up for this one also.

Prediction: Ohio State will be coming off a home game against Northwestern, while who knows what kind of condition Nebraska will be in after a road game at Wisconsin. Look for many of Ohio State’s top recruits to be in attendance, as Coach Meyer always salivates at the opportunity to showcase Ohio State football in night games. This could be a preview of The B1G Championship Game in December, depending on how Nebraska responds after such a trying 2015 season.

Previous Rankings:

8 – at Maryland
9 – Indiana
10- Rutgers
11- Bowling Green
12- Tulsa