So, 2022-25, minus-10, minus-9, plus-5, plus-8. If you combine the two. Clearly, NU’s improved.
Iowa, 2022-25: plus-18, plus-6, plus-16, plus-6.
Minnesota, 2022-25: plus-12, minus-11, plus-22, minus-3.
The Gophers’ 2024 and 2025 seasons — both 8-5 — teach us not all Big Ten schedules are created equal. Minnesota’s 2025 Big Ten wins were over Rutgers, Purdue, Nebraska, Michigan State and Wisconsin. Its 2024 Big Ten wins were over Southern California, UCLA, Maryland, Illinois and Wisconsin.
OK, now Ohio State, 2022-25: plus-39, plus-33, plus-28, plus-35.
Those differentials are almost entirely built off explosive plays. Over the last four seasons, OSU is just plus-13 in turnover margin.
Big plays matter. Raiola was only going to make them one way. And too often, he just didn’t pull the trigger until he’d made a few mistakes, his team fell behind and he needed to make something happen. (Like he did at Maryland.)
There isn’t any question that, in 2026, Colandrea’s going to make splashy plays.
He thinks a split second ahead of the action. He runs to elude rather than punish. And because he’s not that tall, he’s had to learn, like almost all short quarterbacks, how to function either by stepping up into the pocket or getting outside of it.
He’s a freewheeling, intuitive point guard. He’ll make plays. Nebraska is openly asking him to do so, because the offense needs that.
Can he avoid the mistakes that crush a team?
Better question: What’s the mistake threshold?