Do you BO-lieve?
Can't you just feel the positive vibes coming out of Lincoln? The anticipation is palpable. There is a new sense of urgency, determination and commitment that has been sorely lacking for way too long. The ingredients are in place to take the Nebraska Cornhusker Football program back to its rightful place among the elite in college football. 8-4 or 9-3 is my projected outcome for this season, but much better days are ahead. One thing for sure is that we will see these Huskers playing their hearts out which is all that most of us have ever asked for. Qualities like hard work and effort are at the very core of what it means to be a Cornhusker. Based on what we have seen so far, these guys get "IT".
The season is finally upon us and it's time for my eerily prophetic preseason prognostications.
WESTERN MICHIGAN - WIN
A battle of 5-7 teams. This game will be much closer than many suspect, but in the end the Broncos won't have the horses to top the Huskers in Lincoln. This is the only PPV game currently scheduled that is worth paying $30 to see, in my humble opinion.
SAN JOSE STATE - WIN
This WAC patsy should allow for plenty of Patrick Witt playing time.
NEW MEXICO STATE - WIN
Another WAC patsy. Thanks for that, Mr. Pederson.
VIRGINIA TECH - WIN
A worthy test for these new edition Huskers. The Hokies will be fundamentally sound and very athletic but have some serious issues with their running game.
MISSOURI - TOSS UP
Both teams will be undefeated when the Tigers head into Lincoln for what should be a great game. Mizzou returns the foundation from a very good squad in 2007, but this game is in our house. This is a must see game.
TEXAS TECH - PROBABLE LOSS
The Red Raiders are loaded and will challenge for the Big 12 South title. The Blackshirts will be hard pressed to stop Tech's offensive onslaught unless Bo himself puts on the pads.
IOWA STATE - WIN
Good coach, bad team. Not this year, 'Clones.
BAYLOR - WIN
Why are these guys still members of the Big 12?
OKLAHOMA - LOSS
NU doesn't have the talent to hang with OU. Yet. The Sooners will be good and having Nebraska beat the hillbillies in Norman is too much to expect this season.
KANSAS - TOSS UP
KU had a great team in 2007 but benefited from a very favorable schedule. Not this season. The 'Hawks will be banged up and beaten when they roll into Lincoln. This is Nebraska's chance to restore things to their proper order.
KANSAS STATE - WIN
Prince is on the hot seat and getting spanked by Nebraska at home isn't going to help.
COLORADO - WIN
I really like Dan Hawkins and think he's got the pot smokers on track to compete with the likes of Montana State. Grab a turkey sandwich and enjoy, Husker fans.
4 comments:
Put down the crack pipe.
I know Wally likes this pick every game format to come to a season record, but I never have. It's just not very accurate. I always find it better to think big picture, because the big picture is more predictable, whereas any given Saturday, anything can happen. Just ask anyone ranked #2 last year. But this is how Wally has always done it, and I think he does it more for self efficacy than accuracy. It's a fun way to look back on things.
So I asked the wife what she thought of Wally's predictions. First, she thinks he needs to can the toss ups. Break with tradition and be a man! Pick Nebraska over those Hawks! She wants 9 wins, but sees 5 losses: OU, TT, VT, MU, CU. So 7-5 says the little lady.
My opinion: The offense could be great. Should be the best o-line since the Rose Bowl, and without surprise...that's Callahan's specialty. I can say a lot of bad things about the man, but this is one position where there is quality and depth, and its spread throughout the classes. Should be a great building block for several years, if we can continue to recruit and develop there. The backfield should be outstanding, if everyone back there plays within themselves. While I still have questions on Watson calling plays, I was impressed in the spring with the play design. Some very nice things going on, and I was envisioning a lot of great complimentary play possibilities. That's the hidden secret to helping QB's avoid making bad reads and forced throws: building in appropriate progressions into your routes. I liked what I saw in the spring there.
Receiver is the big question, and imo, if the little lady gets her wish of 9 wins, the depth chart has to turn upside down here. That's how teams ultimately win in college football is by finding skill players outside of the obvious. Niles Paul, Menelik Holt, Chris Brooks......these are the types of guys on this offense that can take it from good to outstanding. At least one of them has to make that rise over the season to the top of the depth chart. Look at a team like KU last year. They start out playing Talib a lot on offense, but that offense really takes off when the receiver corp gets good enough not to need him anymore. That's what Nebraska needs.
Defense is what we all want to know, right? I wish I had answers. I don't. Not till Saturday. And I'm not speculating, either. Just not enough to go on. But I'll say this: Pelini gets his success ultimately by taking imperfect players and getting all he can out of them. We have a lot of those players. Something to think about.
Can't wait till Saturday. And I think we have the perfect opening opponent this year, too. Good enough to win if we screw up, but disciplined enough to force us to win on technique. We should get a lot out of this game, and I think it will tell us a lot about what kind of team we can expect this year.
Good points, Mrs. Bro. I only do the preseason predictions because people have asked me to do it in the past. I prefer to wait until the week of the game because there are too many unknowns and intangibles before that. Hence the "Toss Up" category.
Don't worry, the weekly game prognostications have never predicted a toss up or a tie!
I will settle for a 7-5 record and a bowl game this year. Bo has four years of crap to clean up. It will be a big improvement if the Huskers play 100% on every down this season.
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