Throw out the records from last year. Forget the hype that surrounds up and coming programs. Don’t count your chickens quite yet. Not so fast my friend…it is OldSkewler’s Big 12 North Preseason Prognostications. If you see something you don’t like just remember that I’m just some schmuck with nothing better to do than to recycle stats and make lame-brained predictions that are correct about 50% of the time. At least I use lots of pictures.
From as far North as the Niobrara river to as far South as Rio Grande, and West of the Mississippi to East of the Colorado the schools of the Big 12 are gearing up for what has been anticipated as one of the best seasons this young conference has experienced. The Big 12 enjoyed a stellar season last year with 3 top-5 teams throughout the year. Instant credibility is what Missouri and Kansas gave to the underperforming Northern Division. Kansas State and Colorado had a big win over a top 10 and top 5 teams respectively. The Wildcats beat up on number 7 Texas in Austin while the Buffaloes edged number 3 Oklahoma in Boulder. Texas Tech stunned us all with an amazing win over the unstoppable Sooners ranked number 4. Two years removed from the National Championship game over USC, Texas reminded us that they still have the PAC-10’s number when they beat up on Arizona State 52-34. OU came out on top in the Big 12 with a huge win over number 1 Missouri in the Big 12 Championship. That is all fine stuff, but it is yesterday’s news. The Big 12 has much to live up to this year. I have listed the teams in the order they finished last year in the Big 12 North. At the end of the post I give my predictions on where they will finish.
Missouri is the hands down team to beat this year in the North. Last year's Heisman finalist, Chase Daniel, is back for his senior season. The defenses of the Big 12 are preparing. Make no bones about it, Daniel is the QB everyone loves have on their team and everyone hates to play against. Another big-time returning starter is sophomore WR Jeremy Maclin. This kid is quick and fast. He can run tight routes and catch just about anything that gets near him. Good news for the Tigers, bad news for everyone else.
Missouri seems to have had some big losses at TE and RB, but the reserves are no slouches and should fill in nicely. The phenom Martin Rucker is gone at TE. Who is going to replace one of the biggest, strongest weapons the Tigers had? How about 6-foot 6-inch 245 pounder Chase Coffman. At the svelte weight of 245, chasing Chase may prove to be a difficult task. At 6-6, getting around that stiff-arm and bringing him down is a completely different problem. Cotton Bowl record holder at 281 yards rushing RB Tony Temple is also going to be missed. It seems to be a 2-horse-race between Jimmy Jackson and Derrick Washington.
The biggest obstacle Missouri has to overcome on offense is the loss of C Adam Speiker and LT Tyler Luellen. It seems that through graduation and early departures to the NFL Missouri has been left with a gaping hole at those two positions. Much of the success Missouri enjoyed on the ground was due to outstanding O-line play. If Missouri does not control the line of scrimmage, then it may be possible to rattle the unflappable Chase Daniel. Sophomore C Tim Barnes and Junior LT Dain Wise will try to shore up the holes.
Missouri’s defense is returning 10 starters. After a slow start last year, the Tiger defense came into its own during the middle of the season and played very well to the end. It should be much more difficult to score on the Tigers this year. The only loss the Tigers had was at NT. Lorenzo Williams was a disruptive force on the line of scrimmage. I believe that he will be missed. To replace him is the 300-pounder Jaron Baston. With 3 seniors on the D-line, they will be ok.
Interception receiver William Moore is back and ready to see if he can beat his own school record of 8 interceptions. He will have many chances in the pass-happy Big 12. The rest of the secondary is very solid. Their tackle totals are misleadingly low from last year. I attribute that to the outstanding D-line and LB play which will only get better this year.
Kansas is the biggest question mark in the Big 12 North. The only improvement on last season that the Jayhawks can have is an undefeated season. If the Jayhawks go undefeated this year, there will be no detractors saying that they had too easy of a schedule to be considered in the BCS. After the convincing win over Virginia Tech, I’m not sure how many detractors are still mouthing off.
Todd Reesing is back at QB for the Jayhawks. This mobile, accurate passer is a nightmare to cover and contain. Like Chase Daniel is for the Tigers, Reesing is the unchallenged leader of the Jayhawk offense. Try these numbers on for size as a sophomore: Passing yards – 3486, TDs – 33, INTs – 7, QB rating – 148.81. Not too shabby.
Kansas has to perceiver through some very key losses on the offense starting with the stand-out RB Brandon McAnderson. He will be tough to replace, but Jocques Crawford is ready to give it a go at RB. Crawford should do well to compliment the elevated passing acumen of Reesing.
The receivers should be fine. Dezmon Briscoe performed well at times, but he was inconsistent. He will be a good compliment to Dexton Fields. Losing Marcus Henry will have an effect on the big-play making abilities of the receiving corps as a whole.
The O-line is big, mean, and senior-laden. They played well last year and should continue. Three starters return on the line including standout senior center Ryan Cantrell. The tackle positions are the two that need to have new starters this year. The ever important LT position should go to senior Matt Darton. It is up in the air as to how he will do as the starter at LT.
The defense returns 6 starters, but none of them are named Aqib Talib. As far as I’m concerned, KU will have to prove themselves in the secondary in order to get over losing Talib. I don’t see them having as good a year overall considering the slew of returning passers in the Big 12 North. They will need to get lots of help from their D-line which as a gaping hole from losing James McClinton. D-line play was the weakest part of KU’s defense last year. It needs to make massive improvements this year if the Jayhawks plan to make a run for the Big 12 North again. If there is one bright spot in the defense, then it would have to be at the LB position. Linebackers Joe Mortensen and Mike Rivera should put up astronomical numbers this year.
If KU is the biggest question mark in the Big 12 North, then Colorado has to be a close second. Showing flashes of brilliance against Oklahoma and Texas Tech last year, the Buffaloes could be on the verge of a breakout season and may be the Tiger’s biggest competition in the North.
Coming back as the starting QB is Cody Hawkins. Hawkins is a smart player with a great deal of accuracy. His biggest knock is his arm strength. His other attributes more than make up for the lack of arm strength. Hawkins understands his role in the offense and he executes well. Cody needs to work on being more consistent. He has his top two receivers returning from last year in Scotty McKnight and Josh Smith to help him out with his consistency. Big things are expected from the 6-foot 2-inch redshirt freshman Markques Simas.
RB and the O-line are the biggest question marks on the offense. The O-line is young and unproven. Losing their 1,000 yard rusher in Hugh Charles will cause some problems for the Buffs. Colorado seems to be putting much of their faith in true freshman Darrell Scott. This kid may light it up, or he may flop. It has been my experience that when a team is exclusively counting on a true freshman to produce, they are actually screaming for help at that position. There are exceptions like Bernie Kosar and Maurice Clarett, but those are few and far between. Please don’t get me wrong here. A team can expect a contribution from true freshmen, but to start a true freshman seems a bit desperate.
Colorado enjoys having their best D-line in years and a battle tested secondary. The only loss on the line was DE Alonzo Barrett. True freshman Curtis Cunningham should make an impact along. NT Brandon Nicolas, DT George Hypolite and DE Maurice Lucas should be dominant in most games. Terrance Wheatley is gone and will be missed, but CB Gardner McKay will step up. DJ #### and Ryan Walters will start at strong and free safety respectively. By far, the biggest loss on the D-side will be LB Jordan Dizon. There is no one person in the country that could fill his shoes. Despite losing Dizon and Wheatley, this CU defense should be very good.
Kansas State was a bit of an enigma last year. KSU gave away an early win to Auburn, smoked Texas in Austin, and dominated Colorado all last year. Then, they dropped 4 straight to the likes of Iowa State, Nebraska, Missouri, and Fresno State. Huh? Taking a page right out of Bill Snyder’s “Quick Fix” book in the recruiting chapter, Ron Prince has brought on 19 JUCO transfers. WOW! Employing this kind of graduate school for junior colleges technique has worked well for Coach Snyder in the past. Personally, I don’t think you usually get a full year’s production from first-year starting JUCOs. Either it takes them a while to get adjusted to the level of play, or they don’t have the proper conditioning to last the entire year. But hey! What do I know?
The very highly touted QB Josh Freeman is back. Without a doubt, he will be much improved this year. After getting thrown to the wolves during his freshman season and starting his entire sophomore season, this season he should break out and become the dominant, game-changing QB KSU needs. The Wildcats have a somewhat proven RB in junior Leon Patton. He will be helped by JUCO RB Daniel Thomas. WR Jordy Nelson will be missed tremendously, but big things are expected from JUCOs Aubrey Quarles, Attrail Snipes, and Brandon Banks, and Adrian Hilburn. Returning at TE is junior Jeron Mastrud. At 6-foot 6-inches and nearly 260 pounds, he is quite an obstacle to get through for a DE. LG Logan Robinson is gone and will be missed. He is being replaced by JUCO Wade Weibert. Weibert is expected to be very good and probably the best JUCO of the bunch.
Prince has brought in 11 JUCOs on defense to help shore up his secondary and D-line. There is some consistency at LB though. Reggie Walker, Olu Hall, and Antwon Moore are all very good. With the addition of the JUCO wonder Grant Valentine, the Linebacker position seems to be stocked and ready to go. The secondary needs some help. Second-Team All Big 12 CB Justin McKinney is gone along with CB Byron Garvin, CB Bryan Baldwin, and FS Marcus Watts. JUCO defensive backs Blair Irvin and Dustin The D-line is much the same story as the secondary. Many guys gone and lots of JUCOs like DL Daniel Calvin and DL Josh Berard.
Bo Pelini is seen by many as the savior of the Husker tradition that was thrown away by his predecessor, Bill Callahan. Many in the Husker Nation consider this to be a step in the right direction. So far, Coach Pelini has said all the right things to win the hearts and minds of Cornhusker fans across the country. All he has to do now is win, right? That may be harder than expected with a schedule that puts Nebraska up against Texas Tech and Oklahoma on the road. Not to mention Virginia Tech and Missouri at home. By the way, Missouri has not won in Lincoln since 1978. Nebraska doesn’t return many starters on either side of the ball. That is probably good news for the defense, but it is definitely bad news for the offense.
One bright spot on offense is that Joe Ganz will be starting at QB. His three starts for the Huskers last year were nothing short of outstanding. As a matter of fact, he enjoyed the most prolific day passing the ball for Nebraska ever. His 510 yard, 7 TD, and 0 INT performance against Kansas State last year was good enough to put him in the Nebraska record books. With the retention of the offensive coordinator from Callahan’s regime, Shawn Watson, Nebraska doesn’t expect to lose much in the way of a new coaching staff. Nebraska will be hardest hit at the receiver position with the loss of Terrance Nunn and Maurice Purify. WR Nate Swift is back and has proved himsel####ood possession receiver. WR Niles Paul has shown some promise as a deep threat, but that overall package that Purify provided is gone. RB Marlon Lucky will probably be the biggest impact player on the offensive side of the ball. Lucky is an all-around threat with the ball. He can catch. He can run. Watch Lucky run much more this year than last. He will be running behind one of the better O-lines in the Big 12 North. Senior LT Lydon Murtha, Senior LG Matt Slauson, and Junior C Jacob Hickman are all outstanding and have ample experience. Sophomore RT Jaivorio Burkes started 3 games last year; Senior RG Mike Huff has waited patiently.
On the D-line, everyone is back. Logic would dictate that there should be a dramatic increase in production from the D-line this year. Ndamukong Suh and Ty Steinkuhler are the tackles while Barry Turner and Zach Potter are the ends. And somewhere between the O-line and D-line is Baker Steinkuhler, the much heralded 5-star recruit. His role is still undecided, but it would seem that he could play either side of the ball effectively. There are no starting linebackers back from last year which may or may not be a bad thing. RB turned weak-side LB, Cody Glenn, has seemed to impress the coaches. Walk-on, Tyler Wortman (6-3, 235) also made an impression this spring. One can expect significant playing time from each of these two surprises. In the secondary, sophomore CB Prince Amukamara could develop into the lock-down corner Nebraska so desperately needs. Very solid play is expected from Armando Murillo at CB and Larry Asante at SS. Another notable is junior FS Major Culbert who will likely be sharing time with Rickey Thenarse. Overall, the secondary looks to be improved from last year.
Gene Chizik’s crew had a couple of great wins late in the season last year against Colorado and Kansas State. They also played OU to the wire only to fall flat late in the fourth losing 17-7. There seems to be some promise in this team this year. McCarney was able to get some decent talent when he was there. Chizik has this group headed in the right direction.
First and foremost, Iowa State is the only team in the Big 12 North that is breaking in a new Quarterback. QB Austen Arnaud got some very valuable playing time last year despite being 4-year starter Bret Meyer’s back-up. Arnaud is bigger and stronger than Meyer. There will be a learning curve to be sure, but Arnaud seems to be poised for a decent season. He is throwing to 2 of last year’s top receivers. WR RJ Sumrall and WR Marquis Hamilton are back, but the crew will miss last year’s number one WR Todd Blythe. There is some experience on this squad despite losing Blythe. Arnaud gets to hand the ball off to RB JJ Scales. He was suspended for the spring, but should have the starting job in the fall. ISU seems to be relatively deep at RB with Alexander Robinson and Jason Scales waiting in the wings. The offensive line may be the strength of the offense this year. They have a ton of experience coming back and they did well late last season despite learning a new system. The line is returning all but the RG. Senior Joe Blaes seems to be the choice to start at RG. There is not much depth behind him with 2 redshirt freshmen, so the Clones need to get the most out of Blaes as they can.
ISU has a decent D-line coming back. The new starting NG has some considerable playing time. Junior Nate Frere will fill in nicely for the departed NG Athyba Rubin. The biggest question on the line will be Sophomore DT Bailey Johnson. We will find out if he is indeed ready for the fire. Linebacker is where ISU was hit the worst on defense. Two of the top three tacklers from last year are now gone. Senior LB Michael Bibbs and Junior LB Josh Raven need to replace two of the best players on the ISU defense in linebackers Alvin Bowen and Jon Banks. Good luck. The secondary is returning just about everyone and should be much improved this year. They have a lot of room for improvement from last year for sure.
Finally, my predictions for the Big 12 North are as follows.
Missouri – They are the team to beat with Daniel and Maclin back to wreck any defensive coordinator’s Saturday afternoon. The defense comes back confident with the way they finished the year. Missouri is possibly taking over the Big 12 North for some time to come. Finally, Missouri kids from St Louis and Kansas City are staying in Missouri to play. Pinkel will be coaching the Tigers against OU, TX, or TxTech in the Big 12 Championship game this year.
Kansas – I don’t like putting Kansas here at the number 2 spot, but until Colorado can show some consistency on both sides of the ball, I have to give the slight edge to KU. I think that Orange Bowl win over Virginia Tech really stated that the Fighting Manginos are for real. I think their offense will be productive and consistent. I think their defense will be improved, except for the secondary. The loss of Talib will affect them more than people think. KU’s biggest problem is that this year everyone will see them coming.
Colorado – The more I think about it, the more I believe that CU may be the Mizzou’s biggest threat for Big 12 North supremacy. Hawkins will have this team as ready as they can be. Consistency is the key. I think the offense is potent and the defense can be dominant, but unless they are both playing well on the same day there will be some bad losses. I think the defense will carry CU through a couple games, but it won’t be able to carry them through the season. The running game has to get going from the start of the season unlike last year.
Nebraska – Bo Pelini’s first year as the head coach (not interim) has been much anticipated by many depressed and humbled Husker fans. The return of some position coaches has been a breath of fresh air. Blah, Blah, Blah. The fact of the matter is that it is Pelini’s first year as a head coach. Period. There will be mistakes. There will be disappointments. Nebraska will have to earn every one of the 6 wins needed for a bowl game. Virginia Tech, Missouri, Kansas, Texas Tech, Oklahoma, and Colorado do not make for a very easy schedule this year. I see Nebraska hanging tough with these teams, tougher than last year at least. Maybe there is an upset in there somewhere, but I am having a hard time finding one.
Kansas State – Prince has put all his eggs in the basket of JUCO players this year. Maybe it will work out, maybe not. It has worked for Snyder in the past, but I don’t know if 19 JUCOs is sane. Freeman will give them credibility on offense and probably make his receivers better than they are. If the running game can get going and they get some consistency and longevity out of the defense, then maybe they got another upset or two in the works this year.
Iowa State – Chizik will see improvement in his squad on the defensive side of the ball for sure. The question lies with how quickly QB Austen Arnaud can get up to speed as the only new starting QB in the Big 12 North. I think it will be a battle between Kansas State and Iowa State for the bottom of the division. How fitting that KSU is the last game on the schedule for Iowa State this year.
My fellow Huskers, be not afraid of the season upon us. Be relieved, and be assured that our future is bright. The last few years have been hard. We have sacrificed and suffered much under the tyrannical rule of our past leader. We have sacrificed many records and streaks that will take decades to rebuild. We have suffered defeat at the hands of those whom we have defeated many, many times over. We have suffered that defeat in a most embarrassing manner. I need not tell you that we have suffered and sacrificed much over the last few years. I need not tell you this because you know it to be true.
We were told that we would have to endure some pains caused by our philosophical change in our attack. We accepted that. We were told that in order to successfully make the transition to our new “air attack” we would need to bleed. We accepted that. For four long years we were told that we were improving in all areas. We accepted that. We are acceptant of change. We are tolerant of mistakes made. We have already proven this. I need not tell you this because you know it to be true.
I am, however, here to embrace our past in order to succeed in the future. I am here to reassure you that the longstanding traditions of old will be remembered and honored. I am here to tell you that we are on the right track. We are on the track to prosperity and success. We are on the track to regain our honor on the field. We are on the track to becoming the feared and respected opponent we once were. We are on the track and not in danger of getting hit by a train. We are on a train to becoming a great power that we once were. We are on the train to success. This train will need to be fed with the fuel that is hard work and respect for the game and others. Parts on this train will need to be replaced from time to time, and this will cause us to slow our progress. Let me assure you that our progress will be constant and improving. Let me assure you that our progress will be slow at times but will never stop or go backward.
Bravely, my fellow Huskers, into the future we will fearlessly know that the light that is Husker football is being held by a trusted and competent steward by the name of Bo Pelini. Bo knows the importance of our beloved program. Bo knows the reasons we, as Nebraska fans, love our team so dearly. Bo knows how important our traditions are to us. Bo knows how to win and succeed. Bo knows that it will take time, but the end result is inevitable. Bo knows. Let me assure you of that fact. Bo knows.
I need not remind the most knowledgeable and respectful fans in college football that our next few years will be filled with joys and disappointments. In our future there will be highs and lows. I will tell you that there will be times where it may seem that we are not improving. Let me assure you that those times will be followed closely by times of great improvement. To get better, we will need to bleed. We have bled much already, but it is inevitable that we will need to bleed to get better.
What doesn’t kill us will make us stronger. We have weathered a storm that has peaked. We have survived an earthquake of catastrophic proportions and we will have some aftershocks to deal with, but the worst seems to be over. We have survived the F-5 tornado that was Bill Callahan, and now we need to rebuild like our good neighbors are doing in Greensville, Kansas. We have survived to fight another day.
Go forth, my fellow Huskers, with a guarded optimism regarding our future in the college football world. Go forth and know we will be secure and safe. Our past is well documented and will be remembered and honored, but our future has yet to be written. Our future is what is important, and we are in good hands.
The all-time NCAA leading rusher (7,962yds), Danny Woodhead, finally got his wish. The ex-Chadron State running back is playing for Bill Callahan. Sure, it's not at Nebraska, but they are on the same team, the New York Jets.
Nebraska native, Woodhead, was over-looked again and again by former Nebraska head coach Bill Callahan. The only team Woodhead wanted to play for was Nebraska, just like all the other kids who play high school football in the state. Woodhead is 5'7" and from Nebraska . These were two facts that Callahan couldn't get past.
Bill Callahan was hired by the Jets after getting fired by Dr. Tom Osborne in November '07. Danny Woodhead signed a free-agent deal with the Jets. I wonder what Woodhead thinks of Callahan for not giving him a chance and at the same time ruining his favorite team in Nebraska? Is there any doubt that a running back with 4.38 speed, a vertical of 38.5", and 20 reps of 225lbs will have an impact on a team? The Jets and the rest of the AFC East will find out soon.
(For WarBeagle a good football fan who happens to like Colorado)
Why are BCS teams still afraid to schedule decent OOC (out-of-conference games)? What is the deal here? I am of the oldskewl belief that, win or lose, playing good teams makes your team better. There is no reason for a good team in a BCS conference not to schedule two good opponents OOC. Period!
It is embarrassing to fans of good teams to watch their team pummel Western Kentucky, Southeastern Louisiana, and Buffalo (sorry Turner) in consecutive weeks. There was a strategy before the advent of the BSC, but now it is moot. Teams in a BCS conference will get an automatic bid to a BCS game if they win their conference. It is as easy as that. A two-loss LSU proved that to be true last year and rightfully so, they were in the National Championship game. However, there is a reason to schedule nothing but patsies if you are a Non-BCS conference team. Example: 2007 Hawaii. I’m not trying to pick on the Warriors. I understand that Hawaii has been efforting to schedule better teams as of late, but who can not say that Hawaii was exposed last year in the BCS game?
Here are my thoughts on the OOC scheduling for the Big 12 this year. I am looking at the strength of the scheduling team, FBS (Div-1A), and current success of the scheduled team. I am not factoring in past schedules. In case you missed my other grades here are the links: ACC, Big 10(+1), SEC, Pac-10, and Big East.
Colorado – Colorado State, Eastern Washington, West Virginia, Florida State. Colorado has managed to make their OOC schedule rather competitive. The rivalry game with Colorado State is always a tough game for Colorado. Eastern Michigan is a tune up game, and Eastern Washington is a patsy. West Virginia made minced-meat of the vaunted Oklahoma defense last year, but we must remember that Colorado also handed OU a loss last year. This year's WVU may not be quite as good as last year's with out R-Rod there. Florida State is loaded with talent and controversy. Grade: A
Baylor – Wake Forest, Northwestern State, Washington State, Connecticut. Baylor has a monster OOC schedule, but I think it may have been an accident. WF and UCONN are quality teams as of late, but PAC-10 Spoiler Washington State is not a patsy. Northwestern State is though. I am willing to overlook the Northwestern State game because it is Baylor we are talking about. Baylor will need to play better than they have in the past in order to get to conference play 1-3. Grade: A
Oklahoma – Chattanooga, Cincinnati, Washington, TCU. Chattanooga is a patsy and should not be on the schedule. Cincinnati has improved and they are coming off a stellar season, but for Oklahoma they should be no problem. Washington is a BCS conference team that may have a good game a few times a year, but they have not been consistently good since the early to mid 90’s. TCU is one of the most consistently good non-BCS conference teams out there. When I see TCU on an OOC schedule, I consider that a decent test for any team. The problem I have with this schedule is the Cattanooga game. You are OU. Schedule Div-1 teams. Grade: B-
Nebraska – Western Michigan, San Jose State, New Mexico State, Virginia Tech. Nebraska must subscribe to the philosophy that supports only scheduling one quality team OOC. Very disappointing, but with the way the Huskers played defense last year some of these game should be closer than expected. You have to give Nebraska credit for the VA Tech game. VA Tech has been in the Top-10 consistently over the past decade. That game is certainly a great OOC game. The pass-happy Aggies from NMSU have a legitimate shot at an upset here if the Blackshirts don’t turn it around. Any other year, for Nebraska, Western Michigan and (Do you know your way to) San Jose State would be considered patsies, but Nebraska can’t take any team for granted anymore. Grade: B- (that is all VA Tech)
Oklahoma State – Washington State, Houston, Missouri State, Troy. I must say that this is a reasonable attempt at a challenging OOC schedule. It is not very top heavy with the Cougars of Wash U at the top of the heap, but Houston and Troy are solid teams that will put up a fight. They will run out of gas by the 4th quarter, but they will put up a good fight. Troy may even threaten in the 4th. Not outstanding, but not too bad. Grade: C+
Texas – Florida Atlantic, UTEP, Arkansas, Rice. Texas likes to keep their OOC games close to home with UTEP and Rice. Both of which are bad teams, very bad. When this game was scheduled, I am sure that Florida Atlantic was considered just as bad as UTEP or Rice, but what a difference a few years makes. FAU is not a bad team. Not real good, but not bad. Arkansas is an old SWC rivalry we all miss. This year without McFadden, Texas should be able to handle the Razorbacks easily. I am sure Arkansas will be up for this one. Grade: C (only because FAU has turned it around)
Texas A&M – Arkansas State, New Mexico, Miami, Army. Like Nebraska, there is only one team on this schedule that is of any worth competing with a BCS conference school. New Mexico did shut out Nevada in a bowl that was created just for them last year. Arkansas State is a patsy. Army is a mismatch, but there is Miami. They are talent-laden and needing to make a comeback in a big way. Grade: C- (that is all Miami’s potential)
Missouri – Illinois, Southeast Missouri State, Nevada, Buffalo. Mizzou has scheduled a monster by accident with Illinois. How great was that game last year!?! Nevada is improving, but they still can’t hang with the big boys. SM St and Buffalo are patsies (sorry Turner). Missouri is set up really nice to repeat as the Big 12 North Champs, but it has nothing to do with their OOC scheduling. Grade: D (that is all Illinois)
Iowa State – South Dakota State, Kent State, Iowa, UNLV. Iowa State has not had much of a team for quite a while now. I don’t really blame them for going so soft, but it is disappointing when they can’t even beat the patsies on their schedule. South Dakota State should lose, but nothing is for sure. Iowa should win, but the Hawkeyes are having problems with the law in Iowa City. UNLV and Kent State have legitamate shots at getting a win over a BCS conference opponent here with ISU. ISU did come on strong at the end of last season, but there is no indication that they will carry that momentum into this year. Grade: D
Kansas – Florida International, Louisiana Tech, South Florida, Sam Houston State. Kansas tried really hard not to schedule any real tests OOC, but they got unlucky with South Florida. I guess 3-4 isn’t too bad. I will all but guarantee you that when South Florida was added to the schedule, they had never been ranked #2 in the country. Neither was Kansas. They both had spectacular years last year and I will be looking forward to this game. La Tech can score a bit, but they are still a patsy along with Sam Houston State and FIU. FIU is the only Florida team to get a bad rap from me. Grade: D-(dumb luck getting South Florida on the OOC schedule.)
Kansas State – North Texas, Montana State, Louisville, Louisiana-Lafayette. Louisville without Brian Brohm is no good at all. They proved that last year’s pre-season hype was just that. All these teams are patsies this year. K-State should change their mascot from the Wildcats to the Scaredycats. North Texas is ok sometimes. With the way Louisville played defense last year, KSU has a legit shot to get an OOC win over a BCS opponent. Grade: F
Texas Tech – Eastern Washington, Nevada, Southern Methodist, Massachusetts. Congratulations! We have a winner! The Red Raiders have managed to win the patsy lottery in their OOC scheduling. They were the only team to manage to avoid another BCS conference team and not get unlucky enough to get a team that has any potential at having a good season. The best team, by far, is Nevada. PEA-YOU!! This is very disappointing because they will have a great season and contend for the Big 12 this year. They will have to defend a constant onslaught of criticism over their OOC schedule. It serves them right. I am acutally getting physically ill looking at their OOC schedule. I'm going to go barf now. Grade: F-
Has anything really changed in today’s society that would cause our beloved young men to act like hoodlums and perverts while not totally focused on football? Has this kind of behavior been swept under the rug in the 70’s, 80’s, and much of the 90’s? Is it reasonable to hold the coaching staff responsible? Parents? Teachers? Students? Has anything changed in the last 15-20 years that could have caused this kind of outlandish behavior from our boys? The answer is YES! Yes to all of the above.
In my mind there are two separate, but related, main reasons for all the trouble. These two reasons are not the only ones, but I feel they are the main contributors to the problem; TV and the Internet. Hear me out here. I am not a total spasmodic, nut-case, dweeb. I think you may be surprised to hear my reasoning.
I believe the Internet is partly to blame, not for the porn or violence, but for the dissemination of information. We, as Americans, have to endure the full-disclosure philosophy of our media outlets. No matter what the story or implications, we have the right to have it rammed down our throats. Is it right or wrong? Who am I to say? I know that sometimes I wish I had not read what I read sometimes, but that does not mean it shouldn’t be our there.
I know some of you can remember back in the day where the morning and evening news, along with the newspaper, was our main source to stay connected with things outside of our immediate little universe. Our news was limited to a few pages delivered to our doorstep every morning, or it was limited to a half-hour of lamely produced narcissist drivel. The main point is that it was limited.
The internet is limitless in terms of the amount of information and news one can inundate oneself with. For every person looking for a story, there is a site, writer, or blogger more than happy to oblige. The information is instantly updated. The stories are emailed and posted.
Television is my next main culprit. Not because of the violence or porn, but because of the money. Over the last 20 or so years, college football has enjoyed a golden age. ABC, ESPN, CBS, FOX, FSN, TBS, and VS have all showed games or are currently contracted with the conferences to own the rights to show games on TV. That is a lot of games. That is a lot of exposure. Saturdays have turned from a game on the radio and a game on TV to a college football fans, all expense paid trip to nirvana. If it weren’t for TIVO or my wife, wouldn’t move from the couch all day long.
The commercialization of our beloved game is a dual-edged sword. While we enjoy easy access to many different games, we must endure mindless rule changes. More commercials make the games longer, not time stopping on a first down or a touchback. Fewer commercials mean less money. I’m getting off subject a bit.
Our kids are growing up seeing the college game just like the pro game. What is the difference to an 8 year-old? One plays on Saturdays, and one plays on Sundays. When these kids get to college, they are as close to celebrities as most are going to get. They are used to getting protected by adults all of their lives, first by their parents, then by their junior-high and high school coaches. The bad behavior is not as big an issue during the season because they are just too busy to get into trouble. Once the season is over, they are put on their own for a while. There are no parents around to make sure they are staying out of trouble. There are no coaches around to physically run you into the ground. They are filled with the notion that they are protected, but they are not.
My point is that because they are on TV in the fall, they may feel entitled to act as they want and not as they should. Because they have been looked after for all of their lives, they don’t see the ramifications of their actions.
Please don’t get me wrong here. I am not making excuses for these kids. I am all about accountability. I am just trying to come up with a few reasons, I can wrap my brain around, as to why it seems that there is an increase in off-the-field issues. OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler
Read this and this to know what I am talking about.
What is going on here? These kids are out of control. Nebraska has 1 in jail, 3 got ticketed over the weekend for being obnoxiously drunk, and another got a Minor in Possession ticket 2 months from his 21st birthday. Are the classes not hard enough to keep these kids’ focus away from drinking, having fun, acting like…well early twenty-somethings? These kids are all out of control like in “Footloose.”
OK, Sarcasm aside, there is an actual story here. Andy Christensen is in real trouble. Pelini has indefinitely suspended the Senior offensive lineman because the charges are “very serious in nature.”
Good. Didn’t we all learn that it was not acceptable behavior to put your hand up a skirt o####irl? I remember that lesson in the first grade.
The Nebraska fan in me wants to believe that there is more to the story than just simply a drunk grope, but the more I think about it the more I think he is as good as gone. But you may ask, “Isn’t he innocent until proven guilty?” Andy is a bright kid. He has been selected to the Big XII academic honor-roll a few times. How could a smart and gifted young man get himself into such a predicament? Could it just be a misunderstanding? Could it be a jealous or vindictive woman trying to hurt Andy?
An arrest like this one doesn’t happen unless there are others corroborating the accusation, right? I thought maybe it was an ex-girlfriend or even a current one, but even if that is the case, then it is still retarded behavior in public. I think the article implies that the action Christensen took towards this young lady was a bit more than a pat on the butt. That is what is getting me all fired up over this situation. A public bar, even The Brass Rail, isn’t a proper place to be acting out some demented foreplay fantasy. The advance Christensen made on this woman was probably unwanted due to the current charges, right?
“You better git a lawyer son. You better git a real good one.” – Jon Wayne (The band, not the dead actor.) The Village #### The Village #### The Village #### The Village #### The Village #### The Village #### The Village #### The Village #### The Village #### The Village #### The Village #### The Village #### The Village #### The Village #### The Village #### The Village #### The Village #### The Village #### The Village #### The Village #### The Village #### The Village #### The Village #### The Village #### The Village #### The Village #### The Village #### The Village #### The Village #### The Village #### The Village #### The Village #### The Village #### The Village #### The Village #### The Village #### The Village #### The Village #### The Village #### The Village #### The Village #### The Village #### The Village #### The Village #### The Village #### The Village #### The Village #### The Village #### The Village #### The Village #### The Village #### The Village #### The Village #### The Village #### The Village #### The Village #### The Village #### The Village #### The Village #### The Village #### The Village #### The Village #### The Village #### The Village #### The Village #### The Village #### The Village #### The Village #### The Village #### The Village #### The Village #### The Village #### The Village #### The Village #### The Village #### The Village #### The Village #### The Village #### The Village #### The Village #### The Village #### The Village #### The Village #### The Village #### The Village #### The Village #### The Village #### The Village #### The Village #### The Village #### The Village #### The Village #### The Village #### The Village #### The Village #### The Village #### The Village #### The Village #### The Village #### The Village #### The Village #### The Village #### The Village #### The Village #### The Village #### The Village #### The Village #### The Village #### The Village #### The Village #### The Village #### The Village #### The Village #### The Village ####
**Please excuse the lame writing. All of my writers are on strike.
Congratulations to the winner of the “Kiss of Death Invitational.” Before I announce the winner, I would like to thank all the participants of this epic competition. It has been a dream of mine to be a part of something that will go down in the history books as an event that will have grandchildren hanging onto every word that ‘ol pappy is mumbling through his loose set of false teeth.
It was truly an honor to be in the same field of competition as I was. It was humbling and exciting at the same time. (Kind of like being paired up with the hottest girl in class as a lab partner that you have had a crush on since the 7th grade, but she keeps calling you by the wrong name. It’s like you don’t really care if she gets your name right. You just can’t believe that she is actually speaking to you.)
This year’s crop of games may not have been as good as they could have been…Ahem…Missouri…Ahem…but there were some great performances by teams that could have mailed it in. Michigan’s win over a young Florida team was phenomenal. West Virginia’s woodshed-like beating of an Oklahoma team, that many thought had a legitimate gripe over not being in the National Championship Game, was a testament to the will of young men. Overall, I would give this year’s bowl season a grade of ML (mildly lame.) That is not a bad grade, but there is definitely room for improvement…Ahem…Rose Bowl…Ahem.
Just in case you are not familiar with the “Kiss of Death Invitational,” I will give you the back story to this monumental event of epic proportions. It all started, years ago, with my bookie, Guido, and me. After I had taken a beating that would make the Tyson fights of the early 90’s look like a fight between two over-caffeinated 12 year-old girls at a Hannah Montana concert fighting over who is the bigger fan of “High School Musical.” (Actually, that could get pretty bad. Maybe I could have found a better comparison. Anyway you get the idea.) Guido said that some of the teams that I picked shouldn’t have lost. I said “Tell me about! It seems that if it weren’t for bad luck, I wouldn’t have any at all.” Guido then reminded me that if I didn’t have his money by Wednesday at 12:00 PM, then the beating I took over the games will look like a walk on the beach compared to the beating I was going to get from him. I thanked him for being so supportive.
The next week of games showed me no mercy. It was as if I was the best prognosticator in Bizzaroland. It was one of those colossal weeks where you have to say to your self “When did I get the idea that laying money down on games that I pick was a good idea?” Yeah, I’m having fun now! As much as I complained to Guido, he should have sent me a therapy bill. I was finally wearing him down a bit. I believe that he may have been starting to feel sorry for me, if only he had feelings.
Week after week, if I went only one or two games under .500, I saw it as a success. Then it happened, the week that changed my life forever. The unthinkable happened. What every sports gambler is always thinking of, but never speaks about. The ever dreaded “O’fer.” Granted it was a light week of games, but I missed on every single one. I should have been more embarrassed, but I was kind of proud. I mean, my friends actually know someone who picked more that 5 games and went O fer. I forget the exact number (yeah right) but I will tell you it was more than 5 and less than 13. 12 there! Are you happy?
Anyway, while I was on the couch with Guido we both came to a realization that my luck was so bad that I was actually affecting the outcome on some of these games. Could that be? Was it even possible? My picks were contributing to the end result of these games. It seemed logical. The odds of going 0-12 in football betting have to rival that of getting 5 out of 6 numbers on a Lotto ticket, right?
From that week on, I was asked my opinion on upcoming games by Guido himself. I was a bit surprised, but I like to talk so I obliged him. I went into the things I take into consideration when making a pick. I would go on about how some stats are for chumps like conference rival records, injuries, and short-week preparations.
After a while, my curiosity got the best of me and I had to ask Guido why on Earth he was asking me my opinion. Then, he said it. I can still hear his words echoing out of the telephone into my ears where my brain interpreted the tympanic reverberations. He said “You are the most consistent player I have. Everything you bet on goes south faster than a flock of geese in December.” “When I am unsure o####ame, I just ask you and go the other way.” “You are the Kiss of Death to any team you bet.”
Without further ado, here are your final results of the KODI 2007. The following records only include the final 24 bowl games. The competition was originally for Husker fans, but when asked we couldn’t in good conscience not let anyone who wanted to play, play. (I really need my writing team back from the picket line.)
Last Place:
bobn12dmw1216MoonDogLeft with a record of 15-9. All three of these contestants were never really in contention for first place. They kept a winning record throughout the tournament.
Sixth Place: HSKRSPAZ with a record of 14-10. HSKRSPAZ was in last place up until after the BCS games. He went 0-2 on the two games between the KU/VT game and LSU/OSU game. Congrats HSKRSPAZ on not coming in last.
Fifth Place: FlatulentOne with a record of 13-11. Flat dropped below me at the end of the National Championship game. We were neck and neck the entire way. Neither of us were more than a game apart.
Fourth Place: OldSkewler and Redburr with a record of 12-12. Redburr started out like he was going to be in contention for the title, but unfortunately he went on a late winning streak and ended up in the middle of the pack.
Third Place: Avsfreak24 with a record of 11-13. Avsfreak24 was the early favorite. I believe he was 1-9 at one point. Once I told him that I thought he was going to win this thing, he went on a winning streak of epic proportions (10-4.)
Second Place: DWINDY1 and mattp908, with a record of 9-15. DWINDY and mattp908 were flirting with taking this thing outright, but a couple ill-timed winning streaks put the kibosh on that quickly.
Honorable Mention: nostradomus with a record of 9-13. *nostradomus probably did not know he was playing. I extracted his picks from an earlier posting on his blog. He ended up strong, but he never really threatened first place like mattp908, DWINDY1, and Avsfreak24 did. Nost, gets the honorable mention because I couldn’t find his picks on 2 games.
Drum-roll please.
The out right winner of the “Kiss of Death Invitational 2007” is…bc525 with a phenomenal record of 8-16. It was a long and windy road, but after staving off late runs and close calls, bc525 has persevered through the competition and secured his place in “Kiss of Death” history. As the winner of the KODI, bc525 will be known by the moniker “Kiss of Death.” Congratulations bc525, you have earned it.
Texas Tech's head coach, Mike Leach, is either a genius or a complete tool. Whatever the case, he has cajones the size of my head. (I have a pretty big head like Mr Macky in South Park, Umm-Kay.)
My rather sizeable hat's off to Coach Leach. Any coach willing to take 2 safeties and go down by 14 by the end of the first half is ok in my book of sel####efeating imploders. That makes Miles' decision at the end of the LSU/Auburn game seem reasonable and safe. Mike Leach will be my favorite coach to watch next year. Bo Pelini being the only exception.
I just trying to figure out how much Kharma and luck Leach used up in the second half against Virginia. That is of course assuming that Kharma and luck are finite and measurable. OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler OldSkewler
From as far North as the Niobrara river to as far South as Rio Grande, and West of the Mississippi to East of the Colorado the schools of the Big 12 are gearing up for what has been anticipated as one of the best seasons this young conference has experienced. The Big 12 enjoyed a stellar season last year with 3 top-5 teams throughout the year. Instant credibility is what Missouri and Kansas gave to the underperforming Northern Division. Kansas State and Colorado had a big win over a top 10 and top 5 teams respectively. The Wildcats beat up on number 7 Texas in Austin while the Buffaloes edged number 3 Oklahoma in Boulder. Texas Tech stunned us all with an amazing win over the unstoppable Sooners ranked number 4. Two years removed from the National Championship game over USC, Texas reminded us that they still have the PAC-10’s number when they beat up on Arizona State 52-34. OU came out on top in the Big 12 with a huge win over number 1 Missouri in the Big 12 Championship. That is all fine stuff, but it is yesterday’s news. The Big 12 has much to live up to this year. I have listed the teams in the order they finished last year in the Big 12 North. At the end of the post I give my predictions on where they will finish.
Missouri is the hands down team to beat this year in the North. Last year's Heisman finalist, Chase Daniel, is back for his senior season. The defenses of the Big 12 are preparing. Make no bones about it, Daniel is the QB everyone loves have on their team and everyone hates to play against. Another big-time returning starter is sophomore WR Jeremy Maclin. This kid is quick and fast. He can run tight routes and catch just about anything that gets near him. Good news for the Tigers, bad news for everyone else. 
Missouri seems to have had some big losses at TE and RB, but the reserves are no slouches and should fill in nicely. The phenom Martin Rucker is gone at TE. Who is going to replace one of the biggest, strongest weapons the Tigers had? How about 6-foot 6-inch 245 pounder Chase Coffman. At the svelte weight of 245, chasing Chase may prove to be a difficult task. At 6-6, getting around that stiff-arm and bringing him down is a completely different problem. Cotton Bowl record holder at 281 yards rushing RB Tony Temple is also going to be missed. It seems to be a 2-horse-race between Jimmy Jackson and Derrick Washington. 
Interception receiver William Moore is back and ready to see if he can beat his own school record of 8 interceptions. He will have many chances in the pass-happy Big 12. The rest of the secondary is very solid. Their tackle totals are misleadingly low from last year. I attribute that to the outstanding D-line and LB play which will only get better this year.
Todd Reesing is back at QB for the Jayhawks. This mobile, accurate passer is a nightmare to cover and contain. Like Chase Daniel is for the Tigers, Reesing is the unchallenged leader of the Jayhawk offense. Try these numbers on for size as a sophomore: Passing yards – 3486, TDs – 33, INTs – 7, QB rating – 148.81. Not too shabby. 
The receivers should be fine. Dezmon Briscoe performed well at times, but he was inconsistent. He will be a good compliment to Dexton Fields. Losing Marcus Henry will have an effect on the big-play making abilities of the receiving corps as a whole. 
The defense returns 6 starters, but none of them are named Aqib Talib. As far as I’m concerned, KU will have to prove themselves in the secondary in order to get over losing Talib. I don’t see them having as good a year overall considering the slew of returning passers in the Big 12 North. They will need to get lots of help from their D-line which as a gaping hole from losing James McClinton. D-line play was the weakest part of KU’s defense last year. It needs to make massive improvements this year if the Jayhawks plan to make a run for the Big 12 North again. If there is one bright spot in the defense, then it would have to be at the LB position. Linebackers Joe Mortensen and Mike Rivera should put up astronomical numbers this year.
Coming back as the starting QB is Cody Hawkins. Hawkins is a smart player with a great deal of accuracy. His biggest knock is his arm strength. His other attributes more than make up for the lack of arm strength. Hawkins understands his role in the offense and he executes well. Cody needs to work on being more consistent. He has his top two receivers returning from last year in Scotty McKnight and Josh Smith to help him out with his consistency. Big things are expected from the 6-foot 2-inch redshirt freshman Markques Simas. 
It has been my experience that when a team is exclusively counting on a true freshman to produce, they are actually screaming for help at that position. There are exceptions like Bernie Kosar and Maurice Clarett, but those are few and far between. Please don’t get me wrong here. A team can expect a contribution from true freshmen, but to start a true freshman seems a bit desperate.
The only loss on the line was DE Alonzo Barrett. True freshman Curtis Cunningham should make an impact along. NT Brandon Nicolas, DT George Hypolite and DE Maurice Lucas should be dominant in most games. Terrance Wheatley is gone and will be missed, but CB Gardner McKay will step up. DJ 
The very highly touted QB Josh Freeman is back. Without a doubt, he will be much improved this year. After getting thrown to the wolves during his freshman season and starting his entire sophomore season, this season he should break out and become the dominant, game-changing QB KSU needs. The Wildcats have a somewhat proven RB in junior Leon Patton. He will be helped by JUCO RB Daniel Thomas. WR Jordy Nelson will be missed tremendously, but big things are expected from JUCOs Aubrey Quarles, Attrail Snipes, and Brandon Banks, and Adrian Hilburn. Returning at TE is junior Jeron Mastrud. At 6-foot 6-inches and nearly 260 pounds, he is quite an obstacle to get through for a DE. LG Logan Robinson is gone and will be missed. He is being replaced by JUCO Wade Weibert. Weibert is expected to be very good and probably the best JUCO of the bunch. 
Prince has brought in 11 JUCOs on defense to help shore up his secondary and D-line. There is some consistency at LB though. Reggie Walker, Olu Hall, and Antwon Moore are all very good. With the addition of the JUCO wonder Grant Valentine, the Linebacker position seems to be stocked and ready to go. The secondary needs some help. Second-Team All Big 12 CB Justin McKinney is gone along with CB Byron Garvin, CB Bryan Baldwin, and FS Marcus Watts. JUCO defensive backs Blair Irvin and Dustin The D-line is much the same story as the secondary. Many guys gone and lots of JUCOs like DL Daniel Calvin and DL Josh Berard.
All he has to do now is win, right? That may be harder than expected with a schedule that puts Nebraska up against Texas Tech and Oklahoma on the road. Not to mention Virginia Tech and Missouri at home. By the way, Missouri has not won in Lincoln since 1978. Nebraska doesn’t return many starters on either side of the ball. That is probably good news for the defense, but it is definitely bad news for the offense.
One bright spot on offense is that Joe Ganz will be starting at QB. His three starts for the Huskers last year were nothing short of outstanding. As a matter of fact, he enjoyed the most prolific day passing the ball for Nebraska ever. His 510 yard, 7 TD, and 0 INT performance against Kansas State last year was good enough to put him in the Nebraska record books. With the retention of the offensive coordinator from Callahan’s regime, Shawn Watson, Nebraska doesn’t expect to lose much in the way of a new coaching staff. Nebraska will be hardest hit at the receiver position with the loss of Terrance Nunn and Maurice Purify. WR Nate Swift is back and has proved himsel
On the D-line, everyone is back. Logic would dictate that there should be a dramatic increase in production from the D-line this year. Ndamukong Suh and Ty Steinkuhler are the tackles while Barry Turner and Zach Potter are the ends. And somewhere between the O-line and D-line is Baker Steinkuhler, the much heralded 5-star recruit. His role is still undecided, but it would seem that he could play either side of the ball effectively. There are no starting linebackers back from last year which may or may not be a bad thing. 
RB turned weak-side LB, Cody Glenn, has seemed to impress the coaches. Walk-on, Tyler Wortman (6-3, 235) also made an impression this spring. One can expect significant playing time from each of these two surprises. In the secondary, sophomore CB Prince Amukamara could develop into the lock-down corner Nebraska so desperately needs. Very solid play is expected from Armando Murillo at CB and Larry Asante at SS. Another notable is junior FS Major Culbert who will likely be sharing time with Rickey Thenarse. Overall, the secondary looks to be improved from last year.
First and foremost, Iowa State is the only team in the Big 12 North that is breaking in a new Quarterback. QB Austen Arnaud got some very valuable playing time last year despite being 4-year starter Bret Meyer’s back-up. Arnaud is bigger and stronger than Meyer. There will be a learning curve to be sure, but Arnaud seems to be poised for a decent season. He is throwing to 2 of last year’s top receivers. WR RJ Sumrall and WR Marquis Hamilton are back, but the crew will miss last year’s number one WR Todd Blythe. There is some experience on this squad despite losing Blythe. Arnaud gets to hand the ball off to RB JJ Scales. He was suspended for the spring, but should have the starting job in the fall. ISU seems to be relatively deep at RB with Alexander Robinson and Jason Scales waiting in the wings. The offensive line may be the strength of the offense this year. They have a ton of experience coming back and they did well late last season despite learning a new system. The line is returning all but the RG. Senior Joe Blaes seems to be the choice to start at RG. There is not much depth behind him with 2 redshirt freshmen, so the Clones need to get the most out of Blaes as they can.
ISU has a decent D-line coming back. The new starting NG has some considerable playing time. Junior Nate Frere will fill in nicely for the departed NG Athyba Rubin. The biggest question on the line will be Sophomore DT Bailey Johnson. We will find out if he is indeed ready for the fire. Linebacker is where ISU was hit the worst on defense. Two of the top three tacklers from last year are now gone. Senior LB Michael Bibbs and Junior LB Josh Raven need to replace two of the best players on the ISU defense in linebackers Alvin Bowen and Jon Banks. Good luck. The secondary is returning just about everyone and should be much improved this year. They have a lot of room for improvement from last year for sure.
We have sacrificed and suffered much under the tyrannical rule of our past leader. We have sacrificed many records and streaks that will take decades to rebuild. We have suffered defeat at the hands of those whom we have defeated many, many times over. We have suffered that defeat in a most embarrassing manner. I need not tell you that we have suffered and sacrificed much over the last few years. I need not tell you this because you know it to be true. 
We were told that we would have to endure some pains caused by our philosophical change in our attack. We accepted that. We were told that in order to successfully make the transition to our new “air attack” we would need to bleed. We accepted that. For four long years we were told that we were improving in all areas. We accepted that. We are acceptant of change. We are tolerant of mistakes made. We have already proven this. I need not tell you this because you know it to be true.
remembered and honored. I am here to tell you that we are on the right track. We are on the track to prosperity and success. We are on the track to regain our honor on the field. We are on the track to becoming the feared and respected opponent we once were. We are on the track and not in danger of getting hit by a train. We are on a train to becoming a great power that we once were. We are on the train to success. This train will need to be fed with the fuel that is hard work and respect for the game and others. Parts on this train will need to be replaced from time to time, and this will cause us to slow our progress. Let me assure you that our progress will be constant and improving. Let me assure you that our progress will be slow at times but will never stop or go backward.
Bravely, my fellow Huskers, into the future we will fearlessly know that the light that is Husker football is being held by a trusted and competent steward by the name of Bo Pelini. Bo knows the importance of our beloved program. Bo knows the reasons we, as Nebraska fans, love our team so dearly. Bo knows how important our traditions are to us. Bo knows how to win and succeed. Bo knows that it will take time, but the end result is inevitable. Bo knows. Let me assure you of that fact. Bo knows.
Let me assure you that those times will be followed closely by times of great improvement. To get better, we will need to bleed. We have bled much already, but it is inevitable that we will need to bleed to get better.
Go forth, my fellow Huskers, with a guarded optimism regarding our future in the college football world. Go forth and know we will be secure and safe. Our past is well documented and will be remembered and honored, but our future has yet to be written. Our future is what is important, and we are in good hands.
The all-time NCAA leading rusher (7,962yds), Danny Woodhead, finally got his wish. The ex-Chadron State running back is playing for Bill Callahan. Sure, it's not at Nebraska, but they are on the same team, the New York Jets. 
Bill Callahan was hired by the Jets after getting fired by Dr. Tom Osborne in November '07. Danny Woodhead signed a free-agent deal with the Jets. I wonder what Woodhead thinks of Callahan for not giving him a chance and at the same time ruining his favorite team in Nebraska? Is there any doubt that a running back with 4.38 speed, a vertical of 38.5", and 20 reps of 225lbs will have an impact on a team? The Jets and the rest of the AFC East will find out soon.
Why are BCS teams still afraid to schedule decent OOC (out-of-conference games)? What is the deal here? I am of the oldskewl belief that, win or lose, playing good teams makes your team better. There is no reason for a good team in a BCS conference not to schedule two good opponents OOC. Period! 
Colorado – Colorado State, Eastern Washington, West Virginia, Florida State. Colorado has managed to make their OOC schedule rather competitive. The rivalry game with Colorado State is always a tough game for Colorado. Eastern Michigan is a tune up game, and Eastern Washington is a patsy. West Virginia made minced-meat of the vaunted Oklahoma defense last year, but we must remember that Colorado also handed OU a loss last year. This year's WVU may not be quite as good as last year's with out R-Rod there. Florida State is loaded with talent and controversy. Grade: A
Baylor – Wake Forest, Northwestern State, Washington State, Connecticut. Baylor has a monster OOC schedule, but I think it may have been an accident. WF and UCONN are quality teams as of late, but PAC-10 Spoiler Washington State is not a patsy. Northwestern State is though. I am willing to overlook the Northwestern State game because it is Baylor we are talking about. Baylor will need to play better than they have in the past in order to get to conference play 1-3. Grade: A
Oklahoma – Chattanooga, Cincinnati, Washington, TCU. Chattanooga is a patsy and should not be on the schedule. Cincinnati has improved and they are coming off a stellar season, but for Oklahoma they should be no problem. Washington is a BCS conference team that may have a good game a few times a year, but they have not been consistently good since the early to mid 90’s. TCU is one of the most consistently good non-BCS conference teams out there. When I see TCU on an OOC schedule, I consider that a decent test for any team. The problem I have with this schedule is the Cattanooga game. You are OU. Schedule Div-1 teams. Grade: B-
Nebraska – Western Michigan, San Jose State, New Mexico State, Virginia Tech. Nebraska must subscribe to the philosophy that supports only scheduling one quality team OOC. Very disappointing, but with the way the Huskers played defense last year some of these game should be closer than expected. You have to give Nebraska credit for the VA Tech game. VA Tech has been in the Top-10 consistently over the past decade. That game is certainly a great OOC game. The pass-happy Aggies from NMSU have a legitimate shot at an upset here if the Blackshirts don’t turn it around. Any other year, for Nebraska, Western Michigan and (Do you know your way to) San Jose State would be considered patsies, but Nebraska can’t take any team for granted anymore. Grade: B- (that is all VA Tech)
Oklahoma State – Washington State, Houston, Missouri State, Troy. I must say that this is a reasonable attempt at a challenging OOC schedule. It is not very top heavy with the Cougars of Wash U at the top of the heap, but Houston and Troy are solid teams that will put up a fight. They will run out of gas by the 4th quarter, but they will put up a good fight. Troy may even threaten in the 4th. Not outstanding, but not too bad. Grade: C+
Texas – Florida Atlantic, UTEP, Arkansas, Rice. Texas likes to keep their OOC games close to home with UTEP and Rice. Both of which are bad teams, very bad. When this game was scheduled, I am sure that Florida Atlantic was considered just as bad as UTEP or Rice, but what a difference a few years makes. FAU is not a bad team. Not real good, but not bad. Arkansas is an old SWC rivalry we all miss. This year without McFadden, Texas should be able to handle the Razorbacks easily. I am sure Arkansas will be up for this one. Grade: C (only because FAU has turned it around)
Texas A&M – Arkansas State, New Mexico, Miami, Army. Like Nebraska, there is only one team on this schedule that is of any worth competing with a BCS conference school. New Mexico did shut out Nevada in a bowl that was created just for them last year. Arkansas State is a patsy. Army is a mismatch, but there is Miami. They are talent-laden and needing to make a comeback in a big way. Grade: C- (that is all Miami’s potential)
Missouri – Illinois, Southeast Missouri State, Nevada, Buffalo. Mizzou has scheduled a monster by accident with Illinois. How great was that game last year!?! Nevada is improving, but they still can’t hang with the big boys. SM St and Buffalo are patsies (sorry Turner). Missouri is set up really nice to repeat as the Big 12 North Champs, but it has nothing to do with their OOC scheduling. Grade: D (that is all Illinois)
Iowa State – South Dakota State, Kent State, Iowa, UNLV. Iowa State has not had much of a team for quite a while now. I don’t really blame them for going so soft, but it is disappointing when they can’t even beat the patsies on their schedule. South Dakota State should lose, but nothing is for sure. Iowa should win, but the Hawkeyes are having problems with the law in Iowa City. UNLV and Kent State have legitamate shots at getting a win over a BCS conference opponent here with ISU. ISU did come on strong at the end of last season, but there is no indication that they will carry that momentum into this year. Grade: D
Kansas – Florida International, Louisiana Tech, South Florida, Sam Houston State. Kansas tried really hard not to schedule any real tests OOC, but they got unlucky with South Florida. I guess 3-4 isn’t too bad. I will all but guarantee you that when South Florida was added to the schedule, they had never been ranked #2 in the country. Neither was Kansas. They both had spectacular years last year and I will be looking forward to this game. La Tech can score a bit, but they are still a patsy along with Sam Houston State and FIU. FIU is the only Florida team to get a bad rap from me. Grade: D- (dumb luck getting South Florida on the OOC schedule.)
Kansas State – North Texas, Montana State, Louisville, Louisiana-Lafayette. Louisville without Brian Brohm is no good at all. They proved that last year’s pre-season hype was just that. All these teams are patsies this year. K-State should change their mascot from the Wildcats to the Scaredycats. North Texas is ok sometimes. With the way Louisville played defense last year, KSU has a legit shot to get an OOC win over a BCS opponent. Grade: F
Texas Tech – Eastern Washington, Nevada, Southern Methodist, Massachusetts. Congratulations! We have a winner! The Red Raiders have managed to win the patsy lottery in their OOC scheduling. They were the only team to manage to avoid another BCS conference team and not get unlucky enough to get a team that has any potential at having a good season. The best team, by far, is Nevada. PEA-YOU!! This is very disappointing because they will have a great season and contend for the Big 12 this year. They will have to defend a constant onslaught of criticism over their OOC schedule. It serves them right. I am acutally getting physically ill looking at their OOC schedule. I'm going to go barf now. Grade: F-
In my mind there are two separate, but related, main reasons for all the trouble. These two reasons are not the only ones, but I feel they are the main contributors to the problem; TV and the Internet. Hear me out here. I am not a total spasmodic, nut-case, dweeb. I think you may be surprised to hear my reasoning. 
I know some of you can remember back in the day where the morning and evening news, along with the newspaper, was our main source to stay connected with things outside of our immediate little universe. Our news was limited to a few pages delivered to our doorstep every morning, or it was limited to a half-hour of lamely produced narcissist drivel. The main point is that it was limited. 
Our kids are growing up seeing the college game just like the pro game. What is the difference to an 8 year-old? One plays on Saturdays, and one plays on Sundays. When these kids get to college, they are as close to celebrities as most are going to get. They are used to getting protected by adults all of their lives, first by their parents, then by their junior-high and high school coaches. The bad behavior is not as big an issue during the season because they are just too busy to get into trouble. Once the season is over, they are put on their own for a while. There are no parents around to make sure they are staying out of trouble. There are no coaches around to physically run you into the ground. They are filled with the notion that they are protected, but they are not. 
What is going on here? These kids are out of control. Nebraska has 1 in jail, 3 got ticketed over the weekend for being obnoxiously drunk, and another got a Minor in Possession ticket 2 months from his 21st birthday. Are the classes not hard enough to keep these kids’ focus away from drinking, having fun, acting like…well early twenty-somethings? These kids are all out of control like in “Footloose.” 
OK, Sarcasm aside, there is an actual story here. Andy Christensen is in real trouble. Pelini has indefinitely suspended the Senior offensive lineman because the charges are “very serious in nature.” 
Good. Didn’t we all learn that it was not acceptable behavior to put your hand up a skirt o
Congratulations to the winner of the “Kiss of Death Invitational.” Before I announce the winner, I would like to thank all the participants of this epic competition. It has been a dream of mine to be a part of something that will go down in the history books as an event that will have grandchildren hanging onto every word that ‘ol pappy is mumbling through his loose set of false teeth. 
It was truly an honor to be in the same field of competition as I was. It was humbling and exciting at the same time. (Kind of like being paired up with the hottest girl in class as a lab partner that you have had a crush on since the 7th grade, but she keeps calling you by the wrong name. It’s like you don’t really care if she gets your name right. You just can’t believe that she is actually speaking to you.) 
Just in case you are not familiar with the “Kiss of Death Invitational,” I will give you the back story to this monumental event of epic proportions. It all started, years ago, with my bookie, Guido, and me. After I had taken a beating that would make the Tyson fights of the early 90’s look like a fight between two over-caffeinated 12 year-old girls at a Hannah Montana concert fighting over who is the bigger fan of “High School Musical.” (Actually, that could get pretty bad. Maybe I could have found a better comparison. Anyway you get the idea.) Guido said that some of the teams that I picked shouldn’t have lost. I said “Tell me about! It seems that if it weren’t for bad luck, I wouldn’t have any at all.” Guido then reminded me that if I didn’t have his money by Wednesday at 12:00 PM, then the beating I took over the games will look like a walk on the beach compared to the beating I was going to get from him. I thanked him for being so supportive. 
Anyway, while I was on the couch with Guido we both came to a realization that my luck was so bad that I was actually affecting the outcome on some of these games. Could that be? Was it even possible? My picks were contributing to the end result of these games. It seemed logical. The odds of going 0-12 in football betting have to rival that of getting 5 out of 6 numbers on a Lotto ticket, right? 
bobn12
dmw1216
MoonDogLeft with a record of 15-9. All three of these contestants were never really in contention for first place. They kept a winning record throughout the tournament. 
HSKRSPAZ with a record of 14-10. HSKRSPAZ was in last place up until after the BCS games. He went 0-2 on the two games between the KU/VT game and LSU/OSU game. Congrats HSKRSPAZ on not coming in last. 
FlatulentOne with a record of 13-11. Flat dropped below me at the end of the National Championship game. We were neck and neck the entire way. Neither of us were more than a game apart. 
OldSkewler and 
Redburr with a record of 12-12. Redburr started out like he was going to be in contention for the title, but unfortunately he went on a late winning streak and ended up in the middle of the pack. 
Third Place: 
Avsfreak24 with a record of 11-13. Avsfreak24 was the early favorite. I believe he was 1-9 at one point. Once I told him that I thought he was going to win this thing, he went on a winning streak of epic proportions (10-4.) 
Second Place: 
DWINDY1 and 
mattp908, with a record of 9-15. DWINDY and mattp908 were flirting with taking this thing outright, but a couple ill-timed winning streaks put the kibosh on that quickly. 
Honorable Mention: 
nostradomus with a record of 9-13. *nostradomus probably did not know he was playing. I extracted his picks from an earlier posting on his blog. He ended up strong, but he never really threatened first place like mattp908, DWINDY1, and Avsfreak24 did. Nost, gets the honorable mention because I couldn’t find his picks on 2 games. 
The out right winner of the “Kiss of Death Invitational 2007” is…bc525 with a phenomenal record of 8-16. It was a long and windy road, but after staving off late runs and close calls, bc525 has persevered through the competition and secured his place in “Kiss of Death” history. As the winner of the KODI, bc525 will be known by the moniker “Kiss of Death.” Congratulations bc525, you have earned it. 
My rather sizeable hat's off to Coach Leach. Any coach willing to take 2 safeties and go down by 14 by the end of the first half is ok in my book of sel