Jim Harbaugh’s seventh Michigan Wolverines football team faces a Nebraska team desperate for a signature win for head coach Scott Frost. Here are reasons to believe they’ll get it, a few things that make it dicey and a prediction …

THREE REASONS TO BE OPTIMISTIC ABOUT A MICHIGAN WIN AT NEBRASKA

3. Michigan is simply a better football team. Other than quarterback, there’s not one area you can point to and say, ‘Nebraska has a distinct advantage here.’ We like their defensive line, but U-M’s is playing at a high level. U-M is playing outstanding team defense, the offensive line is much better (though it’s more banged up than some realize) and this is a disciplined football team, having protected the ball. It’s also forced turnovers, while Nebraska has been prone to cough it up quite a bit.

On a neutral field, we’d like the Wolverines nine out of 10 times — unless, of course, Sun Belt officials were on the job. Then, it’s a toss-up.

2. Nebraska’s special teams. They’re dead last in the country, have given up stupid plays in the return game, don’t return well, have trouble kicking field goals …

In short, if the ‘teams’ are really a third of the game, Michigan should have a huge advantage here. They have dangerous returners in Blake Corum (kick) and A.J. Henning (punt), have perhaps the top kicker/punter tandem in the Big Ten in Jake Moody and Brad Robbins.