The Media?s Choice for Best Barometer Game: Oregon

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Randy York N-Sider

Official Blog of the Huskers

What game on Nebraska’s 2016 football schedule will be the barometer for the entire season and why? That was my question last week for seven prominent members of Nebraska football’s media, and the favorite answer is…

…Oregon, which will visit Memorial Stadium to play Nebraska on Sept. 17 after the Huskers open their 2016 season hosting Fresno State on Sept. 3 and Wyoming on Sept. 10

The Ducks received three votes from our select media group, one more vote than Nebraska’s visit to Wisconsin on Oct. 29 to play the Badgers.

The only other barometer-related vote was Nebraska’s road game at Ohio State on Nov. 5, the week after the Wisconsin game.

One voter on our panel did not select a barometer game and had strong strategic reasons why.

The three media members who have circled Oregon on their schedule card are:

Eric Olson, Associated Press: “Clearly and without question, it’s the Sept. 17 game against Oregon. The Huskers absolutely must win this high-profile game against a Ducks’ team that’s coming off its worst season since 2007 and will be breaking in a new quarterback, plus has a defense full of question marks for new coordinator Brady Hoke to figure out. It’s the last of three straight home games to open the season and is the table-setter for the Big Ten opener the following week at Northwestern.”

Sean Callahan, Rivals.com/KFAB/KETV: “It starts with Oregon. If Nebraska beats Oregon in September, it will light a fire in the fan base and put a confidence level in this team going into the Big Ten. I also think the road trips to Ohio State, Wisconsin and Iowa are the other big measuring stick games. There really aren’t a lot of big home games after Oregon. Of Nebraska’s four Big Ten home games, today the Huskers would be heavy favorites in all of them, with three of the four teams breaking in first-year head coaches (Illinois, Maryland and Minnesota).”

Mike Babcock, Hail Varsity: “Oregon comes to Lincoln. That’ll be interesting in the non-conference season and could be a barometer for what the expectations should be going into the Big Ten Conference schedule."

Two Members of the Media Envision Wisconsin as the Barometer Game for 2016

They are:

Tom Shatel, Omaha World Herald: “I say this every year and I won't waver: Wisconsin. Why? Badgers aren't great, but this is a head game for Nebraska. I really feel once they beat these guys and beat them in their Camp Randall Jump Around Stadium, a lot of pressure will come off the program. Again, five road games, and Oregon at home, loom. But this is the sort of game that could change the season.”

Kevin Sjuts, KOLN TV, Lincoln: “October 29th at Wisconsin. Playing at Camp Randall Stadium hasn't been an enjoyable experience for the Huskers since joining the Big Ten. They Huskers need to exorcise those demons and beat a team that should challenge for a divisional title. On paper, Nebraska may have the better roster. Now is the chance to prove it, especially if the Huskers can stay healthy. The Wisconsin game should go a long way in deciding the Big Ten West. Not to mention, the Huskers go to Madison following three straight contests against sub-500 teams from a year ago. Momentum should be on the Big Red's side.”

In a League of Its Own? McKewon Says Ohio State the Big Ten Gold Standard

Here’s the strategic rationale for an opinion that’s in a league of its own:

Sam McKewon, Omaha World Herald: “Ohio State. That's the gold standard in the league and the team that Nebraska and every other Big Ten team – except perhaps Michigan State – wishes it were. Nebraska should measure itself against the best teams, for the closer it gets to those teams, the further away it gets from some others.”

And finally, here's:

Greg Sharpe, the Voice of the Huskers, who did not have a direct answer based on this: “The Huskers will have a handful of games that will determine their season in 2016. In this day and age of college football and more parity, it's very difficult to label just one game as the game as opposed to the old Big 8 days when you knew it would come down to Nebraska-Oklahoma.”

Now that you have the media’s input, feel free to share your own thoughts.

Send a comment to ryork@huskers.com (Please include city, state)

Follow Randy on Twitter at www.twitter.com/RandyYorkNsider

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Voices from Husker Nation

Nebraska's most challenging opponent will be the one looking in the mirror each and every week. The old adage: "We have seen the enemy, and it is us" rings true for this coming year. The doubt, trauma, and histrionic tensions over the last few years will continue to haunt this team until the level of play rises above the win/loss column. A purging is still in progress; the exorcising of repressed angst that still haunts the psyche of both player and fan. This is not a "glass-half-filled" observation, but rather an honest appraisal that games are not lost on the last play, but the many plays that preceded it. The number of wins this season is secondary to the level of competitiveness. Momentum, assured confidence, and belief that, in the realm of Roman metaphysics, that the football gods themselves have been roused is the bedrock of future wins and success. GBR. Andrew Russell, Carrizozo, New Mexico, where even the sunsets are ‘red’ here

p.s. I'm more loyal to the spirit of competitiveness than to any particular team at this juncture in my life, but I did spend my "formative" younger years in Nebraska, so that famous red "N" still hits me like that famous yellow "S" worn by that Kansas boy!