What two Big Ten programs does ESPN analyst Greg McElroy think will bounce back this season?

ESPN analyst Greg McElroy singled out two perennial Big Ten powerhouses as ready to bounce back this season.

McElroy believes that Nebraska and Wisconsin are ready to take a step forward this season. Both Big Ten teams are in their second year under high-profile head coaches.

Last year, Matt Rhule guided the Cornhuskers to a 5-7 (3-6 Big Ten) record, their best finish since 2019. With several successful wins in the transfer portal and the nation’s top incoming freshman quarterback recruit in Dylan Raiola, expectations are certainly high around the blue blood program.

McElroy, speaking on the ESPN platform ‘Always College Football,’ thinks that the progress shown last year in their first season under Rhule can be furthered this season.

“I look at this year’s team and I think this could be a bounce-back season for the Cornhuskers with where their program is ultimately going to be,” McElroy said on ESPN’s ‘Always College Football.’

“I think Matt Rhule has them ultimately going in the right direction. I believe that. I think they’re going in the right direction, no doubt about it. But, how quickly can they get there? When you look at Matt Rhule’s tenure as a head coach – both Baylor and Temple….year one was really underwhelming. Year two was a big step in the right direction.”

As for Wisconsin, McElroy sees some of the struggles in Luke Fickell‘s first year as also ready to turn a corner. The Badgers finished with a winning record but with expectations high in Madison, McElroy thinks the pieces are in place for Fickell to continue the program’s development.

Their season ended with a 35-31 loss to LSU in the ReliaQuest Bowl.

“Wisconsin went 7-6 last year. New year, new regime. New everything under Luke Fickell heading into ’23. I felt really good about Wisconsin last year, I had it wrong….

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/two-big-ten-programs-does-120734133.html

Author : Rutgers Wire

Publish date : 2024-06-08 12:07:34

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