Saunders

Lol, that triggers Northwestern fans so much. They totally don't get it.

2021 Game 6 “Expert” Picks: Northwestern @ Nebraska (-9) ————— CollegeFootballNews.com Why Northwestern Will Win Are the Wildcats figuring it out? Is this one of Pat Fitzgerald’s slow-starting teams that kicks it all in after the first few games are out of the way? Getting the running game going against Ohio isn’t all that big a deal – the Bobcats are having a rough time – but at least there’s some production. The defense isn’t its normal dominant self – Duke went off two weeks ago and Michigan State ran wild in the opener, but it’s been okay at getting into the backfield and Nebraska isn’t doing a whole lot to keep defenses from living behind the line. Why Nebraska Will Win The passing game is rolling with five straight 200-yard games to start the season. It might not always be consistent, but it’s putting up yards. Adrian Martinez has been great, and … It’s the other side of the ball that’s stepping it up. The Huskers haven’t been great at getting off the field – even though they give up too many third down tries – but controlling the clock isn’t a problem with an O that’s cranking out first downs by the bucket. Oklahoma and Michigan State both stalled a bit too often – the Spartans only came up with 254 yards last week – and now Nebraska gets a Northwestern offense that can’t get anything going with the downfield passing game. What’s Going To Happen Enough is enough. Scott Frost and Nebraska went from being a major disappointment, to winning two games they should’ve against Fordham and Buffalo, to coming up with two totally acceptable and gut-wrenching road losses to Oklahoma and Michigan State. This is one win the coach and program must win. The Huskers are playing well, but it has to translate into a relatively easy victory against a Northwestern team that’s a mere shadow of its 2020 self. A few early Big Red scores will force the Wildcats to press, and it won’t go well. It’s Northwestern – and it’s Nebraska – so there will be a bit of second-half comeback thanks to a few Husker mistakes. It won’t be as easy as it should be, but Nebraska will get the win with Martinez being the difference-maker to control the clock and the game in the fourth quarter. Nebraska 30 - Northwestern 20 ————— ESPN FPI Nebraska - 79% ————— DRatings Nebraska 26 - Northwestern 21 Nebraska - 68.1% ————— ESPN Bill Connelly SP+ Nebraska 30 - Northwestern 17 Nebraska - 77% ————— Bleacher Report Nebraska 31 - Northwestern 24 ————— Big Red Wrap-Up Mike’l Severe: Nebraska 30 - Northwestern 20 Damon Benning: Nebraska 30 - Northwestern 17 ————— More to come...

I'd love that to be the case. NW offense is almost 2019 bad, and their defense isn't a typical NW defense. And special teams aren't great either... not as bad as our trainwreck, but 94th ain't good. Plz win.

Right after the game winning FG by Sparty, my 11 year old got off the couch and headed to bed. I could tell he was upset, and when he turned around, it was everything he could do to not burst into tears. He said "Dad this sucks, why do we always lose like this?" I told him "Buddy, the things we love the most, also hurt us the most." He said "yeah, you're probably right." Why am I sharing this? I really don't know... But we're flying up for the Northwestern game this weekend, and my 8 year old gets to go to his first game, and my 11 y/o gets to go to his 2nd (1st was Iowa in 2015... yeah....) and they could not be more excited. Please football gods.... let us win.

2021 Game 5 “Expert” Picks: Nebraska @ Michigan State (-5) ————— CollegeFootballNews.com Why Nebraska Will Win Really … has Michigan State beaten anyone who’s any good? It’s an underground hipster theory about Alabama’s win over Miami to start the season – Miami might not be any good. Bama is obviously amazing, but it might not be Alabama like everyone thinks it is, at least based off that win. Michigan State beat the Canes. It also beat a bad Northwestern team and Youngstown State … oooooooh. The Huskers aren’t playing all that poorly. The Illinois game looks more and more like a loss that would’ve been avoided if the Fordham game came first to work out some of the kinks, and the 23-16 loss at Oklahoma might have been – relatively speaking – among the best games yet under Scott Frost. Why Michigan State Will Win The balance on the Spartan offense has been almost perfect – 791 rushing yards, 769 yards through the air. It’s finding ways to move the ball as needed, it worked out the passing game timing against Youngstown State, and it’s been able to run well in all three games so far. The O has been better than expected, and the defense has been a rock so far against the run. Nebraska’s Adrian Martinez is throwing well, and he leads the way in rushing, but the MSU D will take its chances with the ball in the air. As long as Martinez isn’t hitting the big home run with his legs, the Spartans should be okay. What’s Going To Happen Nebraska is playing better overall lately, but Michigan State is just too sharp, too balanced, and playing with too much confidence in all phases. Like the Oklahoma game, the Huskers will hang around and make it competitive, but they’ll come up just short when the chances are there to take over the momentum. Michigan State won’t exactly break it open late, but they’ll get the big fourth quarter drive to put it away. MSU 34 - Nebraska 20 ————— ESPN FPI MSU - 73.4% ————— DRatings MSU 28 - Nebraska 24 MSU - 62.7% ————— ESPN Bill Connelly SP+ MSU 27 - Nebraska 24 MSU - 55% ————— AP - Ralph Russo That bad loss in the opener at Illinois might be obscuring some real improvement by the Huskers MSU 27 - Nebraska 24 ————— Sporting News The Spartans continue to roll with Kenneth Walker III and a punishing rushing attack, and Nebraska is coming off another emotional loss against Oklahoma. The Huskers are 9-2 all time against the Spartans, but we're trusting the better team. MSU 30 - Nebraska 20 ————— Big Red Wrap-Up Mike’l Severe: Nebraska 27 - MSU 23 Jay Moore: Nebraska 24 - MSU 20 ————— CBS Sports Dennis Dodd: MSU Tom Fornelli: MSU Chip Patterson: N Barrett Sallee: MSU* David Cobb: MSU Shehan Jeyarajah: MSU Jerry Palm: MSU ————— USA Today Jace Evans: MSU Paul Myerberg: N Eddie Timanus: MSU Erick Smith: MSU Heather Tucker: MSU Scooby Axson: MSU ————— Dallas Morning News Scott Bell: N Chuck Carlton: MSU Corby Davidson: N Josephy Hoyt: MSU Ric Renner: MSU Selby Lopez: MSU Kevin Sherrington: MSU Brett Vito: MSU New Scruggs: MSU ————— Athlon Sports Kevin McGuire: MSU Steven Lassan: MSU Ben Weinrib: MSU ————— 247 Sports - Spartan Nation I think this is going to be a battle. I do. I think this one's going to be a big one, but I am not a person that looks down on Scott Frost. I know things are difficult, I know it's not gone as smoothly as everyone wants, but I think you saw a lot from them with that Oklahoma fight and with the absolute best environment and college football being what Nebraska is. I think at the end of the day on a last-second field goal, the Huskers win. Nebraska 20 - MSU 17 ————— Lincoln Journal Star Chris Basnett: MSU 23 - Nebraska 22 Parker Gabriel: Nebraska 23 - MSU 21 Clark Grell: MSU 30 - Nebraska 23 Nate Head: MSU 24 - Nebraska 20 Steven M Sipple: MSU 27 - Nebraska 24 ————— Lansing State Journal Las Vegas had the wrong underdog in MSU’s first two matchups against power-five conference programs. I think Vegas has it right in this one, with MSU a five-point favorite over the Huskers. It’s not that Nebraska can’t cause MSU some problems. But if you’ve watched these teams play through the first few weeks of the season, and trust your eyes, there’s no way you’re picking Nebraska. The Spartans have been balanced, dynamic, disciplined and dangerous offensively. The Huskers have lacked that discipline and efficiency. If these two teams are who they’ve been, the Spartans should win. MSU 31 - Nebraska 21 ————— Husker Extra This line started at a field goal and moved up quickly to five. What do the sharps know? I think I like Nebraska here in a close win, for once. Tough MSU crowd to deal with though. Nebraska 24 - MSU 21 —————

We’re a kicker away from being 4-0.

Edited my note, because the article posted above with NDT's quote isn't entirely correct. BUT..... In the rulebook, it further stipulates: Because he's moving it to someone behind him in space, it's backwards.

No, it has to matter, otherwise the option is impossible. The QB will almost always be moving forward when pitching the ball, which means the ball will be moving "forward" in relation to space, but not vector. If I throw a ball laterally or a backwards out of a moving vehicle, it's still going to be "moving forward" in space.

That was a textbook option pitch. The vector of the ball was backwards (look at the release), but because he was running forwards, it moved forward in space while still being a lateral. Refs don't understand Newton's laws of motion. An object at rest remains at rest, and an object in motion remains in motion at constant speed and in a straight line unless acted on by an unbalanced force.

2021 Game 4 “Expert” Picks: Nebraska @ Oklahoma ————— CollegeFootballNews.com https://collegefootballnews.com/2021/09/oklahoma-vs-nebraska-prediction-game-preview Why Nebraska Will Win The Huskers have turned it back around. They looked they needed a few tune-ups to start the season as they stumbled their way through a Week 1 loss to Illinois. Beating Fordham and Buffalo doesn’t change anything if they can’t roasted by Oklahoma and Michigan State on the road over the next two weeks, but there are improvements. QB Adrian Martinez has been sharper, the defense has held up, and the lines have played far better than they did against the Illini. The plays in the backfield are coming – they have to pressure Spencer Rattler from the start – and the downfield plays are hitting averaging more than 16 yards per throw. Oklahoma wasn’t tested against Western Carolina, but Tulane was able to get the O moving late in the comeback effort in a 40-35 loss. Martinez and the Husker attack will keep things moving. Why Oklahoma Will Win The offense is humming. It took its foot off the gas against Tulane, but Rattler has been every bit the passer he was supposed to be with his loaded receiving corps to work with, the downfield passing game is working, and best of all so far, the mistakes haven’t been costly – yet. The four turnovers in two games are too many, but the defense has made up for it with three takeaways in each of the first two games. Yes, Nebraska is playing better than it did in the opener, but it’s still getting hit with way too many penalties, the defense isn’t great on third downs. and while there are plays in the backfield against the run, there aren’t enough sacks. Give Rattler time, and there’s a problem. What’s Going To Happen This is the big moment for Scott Frost and Nebraska. A mediocre run so far – to be kind – can take an instant turn up with a shocking win on the road in in what used to be the biggest of big powerhouse rivalry games. The two haven’t met since Oklahoma beat Nebraska in the 2010 Big 12 Championship, but this matchup used to stop the sports world. To a whole slew of fans of a certain age, this is supposed to matter, but it only will if the Huskers really can play up to what the program should be. The problem is that Nebraska will be good in this, and it won’t be enough. The energy will be there, but Rattler and the OU offense will get off to a good start, go into a bit of a lull, and will pick it back up to pull away in the fourth quarter as the Husker mistakes start to pile up. Oklahoma 45 - Nebraska 23 ————— ESPN FPI http://www.espn.com/college-football/team/fpi/_/id/158/year/2021 Oklahoma - 91.8% ————— DRatings https://www.dratings.com/predictor/ncaa-football-predictions/1e3b560e-e5a6-54ee-83e9-036faa194b11 Oklahoma 42 - Nebraska 20 Oklahoma - 90.2% ————— Sporting News https://www.sportingnews.com/us/ncaa-football/news/college-football-picks-predictions-week-3-spreads/1gbm6v1srxp0c189k4nva1b14u This used to be the marquee game in the old Big 12. Now, the question is whether Nebraska can cover a three-plus TD spread? The Huskers are 6-4 ATS as a road underdog under Scott Frost, and the offense should put up enough points on the Sooners. Oklahoma 45 - Nebraska 24 ————— ESPN Bill Connelly SP+ https://twitter.com/ESPN_BillC/status/1438120586790723584?s=20 Oklahoma 39 - Nebraska 20 ————— AP - Ralph Russo https://apnews.com/article/sports-college-football-ohio-alabama-football-3ba28f42842512654fd2d569b684af2c Last meeting came in the 2010 Big 12 championship game; since parting ways, the Huskers are 80-60 and Sooners are 108-25 Oklahoma 45 - Nebraska 21 ————— More to come!!!

I learned that yesterday's officiating crew is rewriting the laws of physics, and that Sir Isaac Newton is a bum.

lol, fixed.

2021 Game 3 “Expert” Picks: Buffalo @ Nebraska ————— CollegeFootballNews.com https://collegefootballnews.com/2021/09/nebraska-vs-buffalo-prediction-game-preview Why Buffalo Will Win The Bulls came up with a nearly perfect performance in the first game under Maurice Linguist. They ripped through Wagner 69-7 – getting up 62-0 before giving up a late score – and they’ve got the ability to pull this off against a very, very shaky Nebraska. Buffalo needed to get the passing game tuned up. Kyle Vantrease hit 15-of-19 passes. The running game had to show it could go on without Jaret Patterson. The 312 yards and seven scores weren’t a problem. The pass rush was dominant, there weren’t any turnovers, and the team was in total control. Yeah, it was against Wagner, but there wasn’t even the slightest bit of a blip. The team is ready. Nebraska had its own nearly-perfect performance last week in a 52-7 win over Fordham, but the playmakers still have to prove they can produce against a decent D. Why Nebraska Will Win Nebraska sure as shoot could’ve used the Fordham game before playing Illinois, instead of the other way around. That was the Husker team everyone has been waiting for, and it’s possible it just took a little bit to get the timing down and the live practice time in place. Again, yeah, it was Fordham, but the running game was great, Adrian Martinez was nearly perfect, and the downfield passing game clicked. Buffalo might have been great last week, but now it has to deal with Martinez – even with the loss to Illinois, he’s coming into his own. The Husker receiving weapons have started to emerge, RB Markese Stepp should get going early, and … What’s Going To Happen Be very, very careful with this, Nebraska. Yeah, the win over Fordham was a breeze, but the Rams came up with a few good runs, the Huskers probably won’t hit five yards per carry against the UB D, and this is going to be way more of a grind than the home faithful might like. It’s going to come down to the mistakes. Nebraska shot itself in the foot against Illinois, and it turned it over twice against Fordham. It’ll screw up just enough for Buffalo to stay in this late, but Martinez will bail the team out with one good late scoring drive to finally put it away. Nebraska 34 - Buffalo 27 ————— ESPN FPI http://www.espn.com/college-football/team/fpi/_/id/158/year/2021 Nebraska - 61.2% Win ————— DRatings https://www.dratings.com/predictor/ncaa-football-predictions/8df5aa1f-f2f3-54f6-af75-49d0f9754503 Nebraska 33 - Buffalo 28 Nebraska - 57% Win ————— Fox Sports https://www.foxsports.com/college-football/boxscore?id=34810 Nebraska - 80% Win ————— Big Red Wrap-Up https://nebraskapublicmedia.org/en/series-media/big-red-wrap-up/standalone-video-15847/buffalo-prediction-50016154/ Mike’l Severe: Nebraska 34 - Buffalo 24 Damon Benning: Nebraska 34 - Buffalo 20 ————— ESPN Bill Connelly SP+ https://twitter.com/ESPN_BillC/status/1435583527689535491 Nebraska 31 - Buffalo 23 Nebraska - 69% Win (nice) ————— Athlon Sports https://athlonsports.com/college-football/college-football-picks-expert-predictions-every-game-week-2-2021#:~:text=buffalo at nebraska Steven Lassan - N Mark Ross - N Ben Weinreb - N ————— More to come!!!

It should be available on the Fox app.

Added a bunch more picks.

Glad to see Matt Millen back in the booth.

Im all about a boring opener.

My Pick... Nebraska 27 - Illinois 17

2021 Game 1 “Expert” Picks: Nebraska @ Illinois ————— CollegeFootballNews.com - https://collegefootballnews.com/2021/08/nebraska-vs-illinois-prediction-game-preview Why Nebraska Will Win The ground game should be able to take over right away. The passing attack might be a tad iffy until a few new playmakers emerge, but the Huskers have a good group of backs around QB Adrian Martinez, and the offensive front will be fine despite losing the two top parts from last year’s line. This isn’t going to be a top Illinois defense quite yet – if at all. There’s talent on the Illini side, but after finishing dead last in the Big Ten in total defense, there’s an overhaul being done. However … Why Illinois Will Win New head coach Bret Bielema and new defensive coordinator Ryan Walters should be able to crank up the pass rush and the pressure into the backfield. Nebraska has some good offensive parts, but most of them are untested and Martinez has yet to show any real consistency. The Illinois linebacking corps will be a massive plus and the line should be far, far stronger. On the other side, Illinois has a few good receiving transfers to bother the Husker secondary, and it should have a decent enough running game to at least keep things moving. What’s Going To Happen Nebraska might be having its issues under Scott Frost, but it won four straight over the Illini before last year’s 41-23 shocker in Lincoln. Both teams are going to come up with an ultra-intense effort in what should a game full of plenty of energy. It’s going to be ragged, full of mistakes, and there won’t be too much coming from the respective passing games, but it’s going to be a fun opener to the season and the Bielema era. Can the Nebraska passing game come up with the big plays needed to overcome a solid effort from the Illinois balanced attack? Martinez will have a hard time breaking free from the Illini linebacking corps, but Nebraska will be good enough on the ground in the second half to come up with the program’s first season-opening road win since rocking Iowa 42-7 in 1999. Nebraska 30 - Illinois 24 ————— ESPN FPI - https://www.espn.com/college-football/game/_/gameId/401282714 Nebraska - 64.8% Win ————— DRatings - https://www.dratings.com/predictor/ncaa-football-predictions/9bd354a3-f6b0-5c8e-bfb5-52060f179cff Nebraska 29 - Illinois 25 Nebraska - 63.3% Win ————— Fox Sports - https://www.foxsports.com/college-football/boxscore?id=34673 Nebraska - 70.7% Win ————— Big Red Wrap-Up - https://nebraskapublicmedia.org/en/series-media/big-red-wrap-up/standalone-video-15847/illinois-prediction-50016152/ Mike’l Severe: Nebraska 34 - Illinois 20 Jay More: Nebraska 32 - Illinois 21 Sean Callahan: Nebraska 27 - Illinois 21 ————— The Athletic: Nebraska at Illinois odds, expert selections, betting trends https://theathletic.com/2781368/2021/08/24/nebraska-at-illinois-odds-expert-selections-betting-trends-can-adrian-martinez-sour-bret-bielemas-illini-debut/?source=dailyemail&campaign=601983 Expert Selection Last year’s meeting between these two was the low point of Nebraska’s season and the high points of Illinois’. It was also the last start for Luke McCaffrey before Adrian Martinez took over the rest of the way. McCaffrey threw three interceptions against Illinois and Martinez was 3-for-4 for a touchdown in his limited playing time. With McCaffrey now at Rice and Martinez the unquestioned started for Nebraska, don’t expected a repeat of 2020. — Dan Santaromita Pick: Nebraska -7 ————— Illini Inquirer - https://247sports.com/college/nebraska/Article/Nebraska-Huskers-football-opponent-breakdown-Illinois-Illini-game-prediction-169559692/ I honestly think this is a pretty even matchup. I think Nebraska will have trouble containing the Illini running game, and I think Illinois has tough matchups with Nebraska’s talented (though a bit unproven) wide receiver and Martinez’s ability to run always poses a problem. I go back and forth on this one — and I may change my pick by Friday — but I’d probably side with Nebraska as a slight favorite, maybe something like 32-28. But it truly is a blind pick because I’ve barely seen Bielema’s Illini team practice. Nebraska 32 - Illinois 28 ————— Hail Varsity - https://hailvarsity.com/football/mailbag-game-week-predictions-for-nebraska-illinois-alliance-talk-and-more/ Brandon Vogel: Nebraska 34 - Illinois 24 Erin Sorensen: Nebraska 30 - Illinois 21 Jacob Padilla: Nebraska 31 - Illinois 21 Greg Smith: Nebraska 31 - Illinois 30 Steve Marik: Nebraska 27 - Illinois 24 Drake Keeler: Nebraska 24 - Illinois 20 Mike Babcock: Nebraska 35 - Illinois 31 ——— Bill Connelly's SP+ - https://twitter.com/ESPN_BillC/status/1430613309552795650 Nebraska 32 - Illinois 22 ——— Athlon Sports - https://athlonsports.com/college-football/college-football-picks-expert-predictions-every-game-week-0-2021 Steven Lassan - N Mark Ross - N Ben Weinreb - N ——— More to come!!!

Last year Nebraska was -5 in Turnovers against Illinois. Both players responsible for all 5 of those are gone. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I listened to Tom's reason on the CBS podcast, and the other guys dragged him for it. Basically, he believes in Fitz' magic.

If you're wrong, you're IP banned for life.

Maybe, maybe not. They could lose to MSU, Duke, and Ohio before they come to Lincoln. Then, they could lose 3 of 4 in October before they get Iowa and Wisconsin back to back.

My brother tried to get me to fly up from FL to the game with him for a birthday weekend trip, but on short notice I decided against it. Instead I'll probably be BBQ'ing and yelling at the TV.