CollegeFootballNews: Big Ten Pre-Season Power Rankings

[BigRedBuster]

It's based on what we have been for the past 15 years..... A program on the verge of being great or being horrible. We have flashed moments of brilliance to only be destroyed in prime time on national tv.

We can talk, new system, coach, staff, etc, but the reality is we have shown nothing to deserve better. Start making the west a two horse show year in and year out (NU and Wisky) and have the rest fighting for scraps and we will start to get some love. Quit losing in embracing fashion and we will get to where we need to be.

Riley has the facilities, the staff, the QB's and the stars. Now he just needs to win.......

It doesn't matter what we've been for 15 years. How have they been better than us over that time?

There is nothing that anyone can point to to show they are better than us or going to be better than us this year.

 

[JJ Husker]

If we finish lower than 2nd in the west or 5th in the B1G I'll be leading the charge of villagers to the torch emporium.

9th in the B1G is just a stupid ridiculous prognostication. For predicting this season, I don't care what we've been for the last 15 years. Somebody has their head square up their arse if they can look at what we now will have at QB in this offense, take into account our DC change and factor in our recruiting and still come to this pathetic conclusion. If it really ends up being another step back, I'm done. I realize that has nothing to do with what will happen but I just can't possibly imagine it could be that bad. I really think it will be better than 2nd/5th. That would be the bottom of my threshold.

 

[RedDenver]

If we finish lower than 2nd in the west or 5th in the B1G I'll be leading the charge of villagers to the torch emporium.

9th in the B1G is just a stupid ridiculous prognostication. For predicting this season, I don't care what we've been for the last 15 years. Somebody has their head square up their arse if they can look at what we now will have at QB in this offense, take into account our DC change and factor in our recruiting and still come to this pathetic conclusion. If it really ends up being another step back, I'm done. I realize that has nothing to do with what will happen but I just can't possibly imagine it could be that bad. I really think it will be better than 2nd/5th. That would be the bottom of my threshold.

Something that has derailed past seasons is the starting QB going down with little to nothing behind him. I don't think that will be the case with POB and Gebbia coming off the bench.

 

[JJ Husker]

If we finish lower than 2nd in the west or 5th in the B1G I'll be leading the charge of villagers to the torch emporium.

9th in the B1G is just a stupid ridiculous prognostication. For predicting this season, I don't care what we've been for the last 15 years. Somebody has their head square up their arse if they can look at what we now will have at QB in this offense, take into account our DC change and factor in our recruiting and still come to this pathetic conclusion. If it really ends up being another step back, I'm done. I realize that has nothing to do with what will happen but I just can't possibly imagine it could be that bad. I really think it will be better than 2nd/5th. That would be the bottom of my threshold.

Something that has derailed past seasons is the starting QB going down with little to nothing behind him. I don't think that will be the case with POB and Gebbia coming off the bench.

Exactly. Tanner Lee instead of a can't pass TA and two or three actual backups. Plus factor in the good some quick hit passes and actually going through some progressions will mean for our line play. It's a no brainer IMO. And even if Diaco is unproven here, just look at what Banker offered. Could it not be better? Maybe I'm just a koolaid sippin fan but 9th? No friggin way.

 

[Nebfanatic]

If we finish lower than 2nd in the west or 5th in the B1G I'll be leading the charge of villagers to the torch emporium.

9th in the B1G is just a stupid ridiculous prognostication. For predicting this season, I don't care what we've been for the last 15 years. Somebody has their head square up their arse if they can look at what we now will have at QB in this offense, take into account our DC change and factor in our recruiting and still come to this pathetic conclusion. If it really ends up being another step back, I'm done. I realize that has nothing to do with what will happen but I just can't possibly imagine it could be that bad. I really think it will be better than 2nd/5th. That would be the bottom of my threshold.

Something that has derailed past seasons is the starting QB going down with little to nothing behind him. I don't think that will be the case with POB and Gebbia coming off the bench.

Exactly. Tanner Lee instead of a can't pass TA and two or three actual backups. Plus factor in the good some quick hit passes and actually going through some progressions will mean for our line play. It's a no brainer IMO. And even if Diaco is unproven here, just look at what Banker offered. Could it not be better? Maybe I'm just a koolaid sippin fan but 9th? No friggin way.

No ED I think you are more right than alot of the prognosticators. It's an interesting situation, it seems the outside predictions are really at odds with expectations within the program in a way I don't think we have experienced in awhile. I think over the past 10 years or so we have been able to look at the team coming out of spring and have a good idea of what they may do on yhe field. This year is more of a question mark then I have ever experienced as a husker fan. I think we are going to be much better than expected by many(not all, some prognosticators actually do like what we have) I really do believe we will be in Indy this year and if not we will have gotten damn close

 

[KingBlank]

Any QB will be an improvement. Loved Tommy, but a QB he was not. Yea he held the title, but the ability to manage a game, was never in either offenses a solid trait.A lot of questions, but it seems to me, we are making some headway on what we truly have. We were not world beaters with the prior coach, but he did win enough games to be in the golden boy light so to speak. Coach Riley has a very tough job. Brining Nebraska into the light, making a destination possibility for real talent. We are not there, and honestly it will take a better finish than predicted for it to continue to improve.I bought tickets to the Oregon game, headed to Canada and around the western states the month of September. We will know where we are at that game. Not expecting to win the game, but I am expecting it to be a great game. Nebraska just needs to show it is moving in the right direction, and as much as I like Coach Riley, I think we have to start seeing great improvement overall this year, maybe not in wins or losses, but talent hitting the field, and looking like they know what they are doing.No one other than Packman on XM/Siris is picking Nebraska to be good. He has them as a dark horse in the Big 10 and the National scene. Sure hope he is right.

They better win that Oregon game

 

[Saunders]

If we finish lower than 2nd in the west or 5th in the B1G I'll be leading the charge of villagers to the torch emporium.

9th in the B1G is just a stupid ridiculous prognostication. For predicting this season, I don't care what we've been for the last 15 years. Somebody has their head square up their arse if they can look at what we now will have at QB in this offense, take into account our DC change and factor in our recruiting and still come to this pathetic conclusion. If it really ends up being another step back, I'm done. I realize that has nothing to do with what will happen but I just can't possibly imagine it could be that bad. I really think it will be better than 2nd/5th. That would be the bottom of my threshold.

I mean, yeah, I personally think it's low... but it's not really that far fetched. Based on the pre-season predictions we've seen so far, you basically have the following groups:

Tier 1

Ohio State

Penn State

Michigan

Tier 2

Wisconsin

Tier 3

Iowa

Northwestern

Nebraska

Minnesota

Michigan State

After that, who cares. The reality is that in Tier 3, the difference between the top and bottom teams could be 1 win. NU has recruited better than all of those Tier 3 teams (even Sparty) for a really long time, and still has struggled. Until NU firmly supplants itself as an annual challenger for the Big Ten championship, we're going off of "hope."

Which is what we've been doing for too long.

 

[Toe]

^ I still feel like Michigan's Tier 1 status is as much Harbaugh hype than actual performance on the field. Are they ahead of Wisconsin because they're a better team, or because the names 'Michigan' and 'Harbaugh' are attached? Last year's matchup could easily have went either way.

OTOH, I have my doubts about Wisconsin as well. The article in the OP says "the defense won’t drop a lick"? Really? They've got depth to take over from last year's leaders, but do they have serious stars? Plus even if the scheme is the same, they're going to be breaking in a new DC this year - and unlike Il Diaco, their new DC has only been a coach for one freaking season and has never called a play before. And have people forgotten how weak their offense was last season? They were #89 in total offense. Then again, their biggest asset is probably their pillow-soft schedule. We're pretty much their only major road game, and Michigan (at home) is their only opponent that will start the season ranked.

 

[Kiyoat Husker]

This prediction doesn't bother me as much as Vegas's 6-win o/u. It will be interesting to see what the "sharps" do to the betting lines right before kickoff. The sharps typically win more than they lose.

 

[Mavric]

This prediction doesn't bother me as much as Vegas's 6-win o/u. It will be interesting to see what the "sharps" do to the betting lines right before kickoff. The sharps typically win more than they lose.

Already went up to 7.5 and the juice is heavily slanted to the over so pretty much 8 or maybe even 8.5.

 

[Mavric]

^ I still feel like Michigan's Tier 1 status is as much Harbaugh hype than actual performance on the field. Are they ahead of Wisconsin because they're a better team, or because the names 'Michigan' and 'Harbaugh' are attached? Last year's matchup could easily have went either way.

I would say that double-digit wins the last two year to go along with thumping last year's B1G champion and going toe-to-toe with the best team in the B1G last year is pretty good performance on the field.

 

[Landlord]

Michigan absolutely deserves to be Tier 1. They've put together two very high quality seasons under Harbaugh.

Wisconsin will always be the enigma that it is. They've never had a great offense, they've never had the star power, and yet they persist.