After a disappointing finish to the regular season, which saw the Nebraska Cornhuskers outscored 77-26 in their final two games against Penn State and Iowa, Matt Rhule’s team is still going bowling, having qualified with their seventh win against UCLA back on November 8th.
Now, the Big Red (7-5) await the final bowl game pairings. One popular matchup being predicted would be to the liking of Husker faithful everywhere. More than one publication has the Huskers playing in the Las Vegas Bowl and lining up across from their former starting quarterback, Jeff Sims and his Arizona State Sun Devils. The game is New Year’s Eve at Allegiant Stadium. Both USA Today and Sports Illustrated are predicting the NU – ASU matchup. Same goes for ESPN analyst Laura Rutledge.
Fans Eagerly Awaiting Bowl Matchups
College bowl game announcements won’t come out officially until December 7th after the College Football Playoff brackets are finalized and the remainder of the field becomes clear and available. But what is clear is that Sims, who transferred to Nebraska after a great start to his college football career at Georgia Tech, will be very familiar to Rhule and the Husker coaching staff. He was the starter for Rhule’s first Husker team in 2023 before a penchant for turnovers led to his benching in mid-season. He transferred at the end of that year. Deion Sanders hinted that Sims was considered as a possible replacement for Shedeur Sanders at Colorado, but ended up in Tempe instead.
Sims began his sixth season of college football as the backup, but took over under center for ASU (8-4) this season when starter Sam Leavitt was injured. He finished the regular season leading the Sun Devils to a 3-2 mark, including a win over nationally ranked Iowa State. He threw for 886 yards and seven touchdowns, but with five interceptions. His ESPN QBR was 55.8. By comparison, Nebraska’s backup QB, true freshman T.J. Lateef, posted a QBR of 54.7 in the five games (four TD’s no INT’s) he played in relief of injured Huskers star Dylan Raiola.
At Nebraska, Sims also played in five games, and turned the ball over 11 times, with five fumbles and six interceptions. This season, he had three turnovers against Colorado, but the Sun Devils overcame those mistakes and then some, rushing for 355 yards and beating the Buffaloes 42-17. Sims slipped in the season finale, a loss to arch-rival Arizona, tossing three interceptions.
Sims, Sun Devils Could Find Success on the Ground vs Nebraska
Of note, Nebraska’s rush defense has been porous this season, especially late in the year. They finished the season ranked 97th-nationally in run defense, something that cost them dearly down the stretch of Big Ten conference play. If Sims doesn’t turn the ball over, the Sun Devils could find success on the ground against the QB’s former team. On the flip side, the Huskers pass defense finished second in the country nationally, so it could be a tough day for Sims if ASU doesn’t establish the tough run game early on.
Other Bowl games predictions for Nebraska including facing Utah or Cal in Las Vegas, or perhaps being selected for the Music City Bowl to play Missouri. Even with five losses, Nebraska is an attractive bowl selection for any game, with a fan base that’s eager to travel and always shows up well.
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