VectorVictor

This and working in the WRs more. With the exception of the Minnesota game, our young WRs have done a very good job so far this year. We *have* to work them more into the offense to take advantage of their speed and skill. If that means more bubble screens, short-yardage passes, and reverses, so be it--just so long as we give these WRs a chance to take the workload off of Rex and the young RBs.

A LSU vs. Okie Lite Sugar Bowl would be interesting, considering how Les Miles left Okie Lite (IIRC, it wasn't on the best of terms...) And Nebraska fans should have no problems with facing SEC teams--hell, we've won four of our five NCs against SEC teams in bowl games (LSU, 'Bama, Florida, Tennessee). If anything, we're getting back to our SEC-stomping roots.

Sorry, but I don't think people are on an 'emotional high' because of the Minnesota win. If anything, there were little to no surprises in Minneapolis, which is exactly what we needed. People are high on this team because they came back and won against an Ohio State team with a Top 20 defense who will revisit the Top 25 by the time December rolls around (they'll likely lose to Wisky, but win out, including against Penn State and Michigan). People are high on this team because, despite what was originally a sieve for a defense this year, our offense has been shouldering the load by sustaining drives. Sure, the offense isn't perfect (read; passing and red-zone short yardage situations), but it's year one of Beck's system, and we're already seeing a significant improvement over what we had last season. People are high on this team because it appears we may have found another playmaker in Jean-Baptiste for the secondary, which may finally allow our front seven to start teeing off on defenses. People are high on this team because the Crick injury is forcing us to rotate more kids on the D-Line, which will only help in future games and next year. Lemonade from lemons and such... Yes, I think Michigan State can come in and gash us early with the run, and our defense is good to give up at least one big play for a touchdown. But if the blue-hairs stand up and make noise like they did for Ohio State, and if the team follows their strengths and doesn't let a somewhat dirty Michigan State team goad them into mistakes, people are high on Nebraska winning this game, and understandably so.

No, the 11 a.m. game will follow GameDay and be nationally televised, our Minnesota game wasn't, necessarily. Let's just hope that we never see these guys again: Isn't the guy on the left the prohibition agent from Boardwalk Empire?

People graduate don't they? A "year ago" is irrelevant. The coaching staff doesn't graduate, though, per se. And we've historically had trouble playing down to teams that are vastly inferior to DoNU. Plus, let's be honest with ourselves--I believe we'll win this weekend, but if the game is much closer than we care for, is anyone going to be truly surprised, given our history? No, and that's what I believe Brian was alluding to. Mind you, this isn't a knock on talent. If anything, Bo is still a young coach that's trying to learn to be even-keel, regardless who the opponent is. This, while balancing the immediate look-ahead your team will do towards the upcoming teams that will decide whether your season is a failure or success. It's going to happen until Bo gets more years under his belt.

Thanks Carcross for the kind words. Stick around a while and pull up a chair. I do agree that MSU vs. NU is the Legends title game...but (huge but) that is assuming that MSU and NU take care of business elsewhere, as Iowa and Michigan have pillow-soft conference schedules and can easily make up any ground MSU or NU cedes to them. I do like that we have Iowa and MSU at home as well. Michigan on the road worries me because of their QB, but if history is any indication, he may be more than a little tenderized by the time the Blackshirts invade Ann Arbor. But other than MSU and MU, I'm worried about a Northwestern team that has Persa at QB. This could easily be Fresno State redux--a solid pocket QB that can throw on the run (when not gimpy) and doesn't make mistakes, and an offense that plays as a cohesive unit and is greater than the sum of their parts. Regardless, here's hoping we hang half a hundred on Minnesota, and we'll see who comes out of the NU/MSU match unscathed.

This isn't anything new, per se--we've known for a while that Scott and UT were as thick as thieves as far back as 2009. We didn't know they already had schedules completed for the six teams Texas wanted to take, which one can read as the Pac-10 and Texas thinking this was a slam-dunk. It is refreshing to see a non-Nebraska publication (save for Dodd's article some time ago about how Texas kicked this all off) placing Texas in discussions and laying the blame of the current environment directly at their feet. And, if anything, it appears that Texas may have overplayed their had with Larry Scott re: Bevo TV. I fully expect that Texas will have to ditch Bevo TV in order to move, should they feel it necessary in the upcoming years--that, or Texas will join the ranks of the independent--ranks which may thin soon enough.

Told ya Fro Daddy doesn't like to be reminded of this.

If ND is off the table, Delaney will stay at 12, and that's that. Remember, this is a conference that, for the longest time, operated with 11 teams and wanted nothing to do with a conference title game until 2010. I don't think it will break Delaney or the Big 10 to stay at 12 for a decade or so, and considering you have three of the top five programs of all time in your conference, the Big 10 isn't in any danger of losing any credibility or becoming another Big XII or Big East. And Badgerfan, one thing I forgot to point out (that Fro Daddy doesn't like to be reminded of) is that Kansas actually has been to a BCS bowl, whereas Missouri has not. While Kansas isn't known for football prowess, they did prove that given time and coaching talent, they can field a successful team. Perhaps having a Big 10 Network and Big 10 money can help Kansas obtain football competency, while the basketball program more than adequately masks any athletic shortcomings that Kansas may posess? It would, at a minimum, make the Big 10 *the* basketball conference of the NCAA, which would certainly make Delaney very happy.

Not really. Been saying for a while now that Kansas is a value add for basketball, and would be a good companion piece to go with Notre Dame when (not if) the Big East collapses or ND gets tired of traveling to Houston and DFW for Olympic sports. Plus, Kansas would draw KC, and they have a national presence with their basketball program, not unlike ND or DoNU have with their football programs. And selfishly, it *would* be nice for DoNU to have their migration game back in Lawrence. Plus, Kansas' chancellor has publicly come out and said they're not tethered to K-State--they can do as they please. Why make that move unless you're willing to take an invite to a conference that doesn't want your (suddenly-competent in football) brother? And we know that Delaney is willing to sit at 12 until ND becomes available--he's said as much recently, though he hasn't called out ND specifically. Rutgers and Syracuse don't draw NYC--Notre Dame does. Hell, ND has their coach's show and university showcase on SNY--Rutgers and Syracuse don't even get that luxury on SNY, or any other NYC channel. The only other program I could see even possibly getting an invite with an available ND would be Maryland, and only for their media market presence in D.C. and Baltimore. But I would think a nationally-watched basketball power like Kansas would do more for expansion of the BTN, especially during basketball season, than a Maryland would. Basketball isn't even a blip on the conference expansion radar, that's the problem. If it was schools like Duke and North Carolina would be getting some major courting from the "winning" conferences. Heck, the UConn diss from the ACC should dispel any notion that basketball plays any role whatsoever in expansion. True, but the number of football-competent schools available for expansion purposes is close to nil already. Now remove all of the schools that are a national presence or carry a major (Top 100) media market, and you have about five viable candidates. At some point, if expansion were to continue (and it will for the Big 10 if/when Notre Dame becomes available and amenable) other revenue-generating sports (read: basketball) will start to take center stage. And there's significant gold in those basketball hills, if someone had the foresight to mine it--especially if you're majority owner of a conference network that needs a boost to basketball inventory. The other way to look at it is this--what school, if any, could you pair with Notre Dame into the Big 10 and have it make a significant splash? And believe me, Delaney is going to be smart enough to avoid the problems that an uneven conference roster will bring (see the SEC's efforts and the crux of this thread). Other than Maryland, there aren't any schools other than Kansas that have a national presence in a sport, carry part of a major media market, and could add value to a conference. West Virginia or Louisville? Not really on either count. Syracuse or Rutgers? If either were a net positive addition, they would have already been picked up, and neither school carries NYC like ND does. At some point, these commissioners, in the interest of revenue-positive expansion, will *have* to look to basketball for schools where it's a revenue generating sport, and the best of those that will be readily available (and willing) will be Kansas.

No, but they did expend precious human capital in defense of slavery, if you pick up what I'm layin' down. Plus, have you ever been to the Ozarks? It's like a meth-addled Appalachia that someone decided to build a country-western theme park city on. yet Branson and the Ozarks are visited often by NE residents. NE is always at or near the top of tourism visitors to that corner or my lovely home state. Nebraskans must crave something down there in SW missouri.... Probably adulation for having a full set of teeth that aren't rotting out of their skull?

If MSU and DoNU win, 2:30. If either MSU or DoNU lose this weekend, probably 11am.

Only PAC Soros has given to lately is the House Majority PAC, which reports a few million in funding. Americans for Prosperity (Koch) and American Crossroads (Karl Rove) will be dumping hundreds of millions into the election from just a handful of undisclosed plutocrats. People who live in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Florida are going to be bombed around the clock on every medium by PAC funded negative ads for the better part of a year. Agreed. One only needs to look at Detroit, MI, where the Koch Brothers were using their astroturf organization to steer development of a public bridge project into the pockets of one of their developer supporters: http://tpmmuckraker....iction_no_1.php I'm sorry if I offended... ...however, comparing a fringe political movement that revels in a 'convert or die', incendiary approach to politics that is ultimately a puppet tool for its' nefarious leaders and their twisted belief system to that of a fringe religious movement that revels in a 'convert or die', incendiary approach to religion that is ultimately a puppet tool for its' nefarious leaders and their twisted belief system seemed rather apt.

So you wish the students could just be thrown out? Except we're not talking about biodegradable fruit going to a landfill...we're talking about lives of human beings being thrown away into society. If you start running schools like a business and just chuck out the bad fruit when you don't want it because it's bad for business...you start employing administrators and board members who get too concerned with test scores and how much money the school has than actually educating students. Folks--this is exactly what has already happened in Texas--almost dead last in the U.S. states in terms of overall education scores, SAT scores, and ACT scores. Teaching from Grade 1 on is now explicitly about teaching kids to pass the test, to the exclusion of PE, Art, Music, or anything that isn't on the TAKS (now STARR) standardized tests. District funding is primarily predicated on TAKS testing results; as a result, the litmus test for "successful" Administrators and Superintendents are scores on these tests. Additionally, you have districts that can't even afford to purchase textbooks for Math, Social Studies, etc. because they're having to spend millions on the new test-taking supplement industry that has sprung up since Texas focused exclusively on standardized testing to determine school/student promotion and education funding. It's a $1 billion industry in Texas, and now one of the most powerful lobbyist groups in Texas re: education. So any time you have a candidate that sensibly suggests that we significantly reduce the role of standardized testing or remove it completely, that candidate suddenly has to deal with a number of faceless PACs that spring up overnight, hellbent on peppering that candidate as an anti-Education, evil Nazi candidate that will eat your children and the lunch you lovingly provided them in their Transformers lunchbox. What's sad is, going back to the disposable crux of the conversation, is that Texas currently enjoys a 33% dropout rate--highest in the Union, and even worse than that if you factor in the US territories. This is a direct result of districts pressuring (read: discarding) children because they're unable to pass the TAKS/STARR test (required to graduate). If the kid can't pass it, then the kid is in an educational quagmire that can only be navigated by either passing the test or leaving school completely. And while Texas does measure dropout rates, it has little to no impact on funding or overall assessment of the school district--schools with dropouts aren't penalized when scoring of the TAKS/STARR test takes place. This is also why movies like *Waiting for Superman* are so pathetically laughable. While it's great that there are parents willing to sit through a lottery to get into a taxpayer funded private/charter school, those schools aren't available for everyone, and the schools ultimately pick and choose who to enroll, and they have the power and ability to kick those kids out that under-perform, are disruptive, or have learning/cognitive disabilities--again, discarding children like rubbish back to the 'public' school system. Mind you, this is only part of the discussion that needs to happen regarding education. Revisiting how students with disabilities are mainstreamed, parental involvement and discipline, and how teachers spend classroom teaching time most effectively all need to come up. Of course, since they touch on subjects that people deem as taboo or people simply don't care to think or hear that their child is a problem or barrier to the education of other children, they decide to use their perception filters and blame the easiest scapegoat available.

Even if the word 'recent' is removed, the point is still valid--we've played down to the level of competition for teams we should, by all rights, blow out of the water. Here's hoping that Bo and Co. have fixed this problem going forward.

That dude has misleading skin. Beautiful, misleading skin.... Wait what?

I don't know about the rankings, but I do have a problem with their math--last time I checked, 3.2 million is not equal to or more than 2 * 1.8 million. We're right now at 1.797 million according to Google's public data tracker. And it took me all of ten seconds to check that. And people wonder why periodicals are dying off...

Not sure he's worth it, to be honest. But I suppose it's reassuring to see that the Raiders will continue Al Davis' tradition of making monumental personnel acquisition mistakes? Or maybe not...

I think it's a little bit of both. Remember, Utah has played the Pac-12 teams pretty close, despite the losses. A squad with one more year under their belt easily finds a way to turn those close losses into wins.

Not really. Been saying for a while now that Kansas is a value add for basketball, and would be a good companion piece to go with Notre Dame when (not if) the Big East collapses or ND gets tired of traveling to Houston and DFW for Olympic sports. Plus, Kansas would draw KC, and they have a national presence with their basketball program, not unlike ND or DoNU have with their football programs. And selfishly, it *would* be nice for DoNU to have their migration game back in Lawrence. Plus, Kansas' chancellor has publicly come out and said they're not tethered to K-State--they can do as they please. Why make that move unless you're willing to take an invite to a conference that doesn't want your (suddenly-competent in football) brother? And we know that Delaney is willing to sit at 12 until ND becomes available--he's said as much recently, though he hasn't called out ND specifically. Rutgers and Syracuse don't draw NYC--Notre Dame does. Hell, ND has their coach's show and university showcase on SNY--Rutgers and Syracuse don't even get that luxury on SNY, or any other NYC channel. The only other program I could see even possibly getting an invite with an available ND would be Maryland, and only for their media market presence in D.C. and Baltimore. But I would think a nationally-watched basketball power like Kansas would do more for expansion of the BTN, especially during basketball season, than a Maryland would.

No, but they did expend precious human capital in defense of slavery, if you pick up what I'm layin' down. Plus, have you ever been to the Ozarks? It's like a meth-addled Appalachia that someone decided to build a country-western theme park city on.

Well, I suppose now is as a good of time as any to go on a cocaine and hooker binge.

Yeah, I'm wondering if the Pac-12 is wanting a do-over on their invites. Utah, while competent, has underwhelmed, and Colorado is flat-out abysmal this year. I hope they kept their receipt.

FroDaddy--what are your thoughts on this? And I'll toot my own horn in saying I knew that Missouri was being too damn quiet during the A&M fiasco and that something was up. Missouri's admin operates like that hyper kid in first grade that has to tell the teacher *everything* going on because he didn't get enough attention at home. The kid isn't bad, but his behaviors born from his treatment don't exactly endear him to anyone.