It wasn’t that long ago that Nebraska
was the most dominant college football
program in the country. In the mid-1990s
the Cornhuskers won three national titles
in a four-year span. Compare that with
last season: Nebraska lost its first six
games, running its losing streak to 10—
which is the longest in school history.
One of the stars of those Cornhuskers
title teams of yesteryear was Scott
Frost, who took over as coach before
last season. Despite the awful start,
Frost led the team to four wins in its
final six games, including a victory
over Michigan State and a tight loss to
Ohio State. That finish—plus a roster
brimming with talent—has Nebraska fans
dreaming of returning to a bowl game for
the first time since 2016.
Much of that optimism is due to
QB Adrian Martinez. As a true freshman,
he completed 64.6% of his passes for
2,617 yards and 17 touchdowns. He’ll
have several weapons at his disposal.
Junior JD Spielman, who had a team-high
eight touchdown catches, is back.
If there’s a problem, it’s the defense,
which ranked 97th in average yards
allowed. But Martinez provides enough
firepower to win high-scoring games—
and put Nebraska back on a path to
national relevance.When Brock Purdy arrived in Ames, he
was part of a very crowded quarterback
group. Behind senior starter Kyle Kempt,
the Cyclones had a sophomore, a
redshirt freshman, and two true freshmen,
including Purdy. It took five games to
determine who was the future of the
Iowa State program, and now there’s little
doubt: It’s Purdy.
After the Cyclones began the season
1–3, Purdy came off the bench to lead
his team to a 48–42 win over nationally
ranked Oklahoma State, throwing
for 318 yards and four touchdowns.
Iowa State lost just once more in the
regular season.
Purdy, who set the school record for
single-season completion percentage,
wasn’t just a great passer. He was also
second on the team in rushing. He
should get a little more support this year,
as junior Kene Nwangwu will assume a
bigger role at running back. Nwangwu
clearly has the ability to make big plays;
he led the Big 12 conference in kick-
return average (25.7 yards).
The Cyclones had the top D in the
Big 12 last season, and eight starters
will return. Under coach Matt Campbell,
Iowa State has made two straight bowl
games. The school record is three—a
mark that will certainly be tied this winter.
2018 RECORD: 8– 5 2018 RECORD: 4– 8 2018 RECORD: 9– 5
Similar to Washington, Northwestern
will pin its hopes on a quarterback who
decided to return to his roots. Back in
2017, Hunter Johnson of Brownsburg
(Indiana) High was rated as a better
prospect than current Heisman favorites
Tua Tagovailoa (Alabama) and Jake
Fromm (Georgia). Johnson elected to
go to Clemson, where he saw action as
a backup in 2017. But when the Tigers
inked superstar recruit Trevor Lawrence,
Johnson decided that his best opportunity
was to return to Big Ten country and play
for the Wildcats. After sitting out a year
because of the NCAA’s transfer rules, he
will take over an offense that could sneak
up on opposing defenses: Isaiah Bowser
gained 866 yards on the ground last year,
the third-highest total by a freshman in
program history.
Last year Northwestern got off to a
1–3 start. (Two losses were to Duke and
Akron.) The Wildcats rallied to win their
last seven conference games, earning a
berth in the conference championship
game. They might not challenge the
powerhouses (Ohio State, Michigan, and
Penn State) in the Big Ten East, but they
have the most talent of any team in the
West. And if Johnson can hit the ground
running, another title-game berth
is a possibility.QB
ADRIAN
MARTINEZ
SCO
TT
(^) WI
NT
ERS
/IC
ON
(^) SP
OR
TSW
IRE
/GE
TTY
(^) IM
AGE
S (^) (
PUR
DY
); (^) J
AM
IE (^) S
AB
AU/
GET
TY
(^) IM
AGE
S (^) (
MA
RTI
NEZ
); (^) D
AN
IEL
(^) BA
RT
EL/
ICO
N (^) S
PO
RTS
WIR
E/
GE
TTY
(^) IM
AG
ES
(BO
WS
ER)