IlliniHusker

Problem with Conference Champ Games - Pac12 - Stanford vs UCLA play tonight, Nov 24th. Next wkend, Stanford vs UCLA plays for Pac 12 title and trip to Rose Bowl. Thankfully this didn't happened in the BIG, but it could have. OSU vs Mich at end of year then 1 wk later, OSU vs Mich for BIG title game. I think that is nuts and horrible for the fans. Assuming we beat Wisky next wk, I'd rather play UCLA than Stanford. Reason - Stanford's D is really good.

Polls are only good for debates this early in the season. They become really significant as the season nears an end and the bowl arrangements are decided...... Wait..... the bowl pairing are decided by $$$ not poll rankings!

The move from the Big XII to the BIG was great for both NU and the most revered oldest conference. I think the benefits go both ways. NU has been a positive influence ..... think the PSU - NU game last year. Extremely emotional and I can't think of another confrontation that would have been as classy and as moving to heal to PSU. That prayer ceremony in the middle of the field would have been phony with just about any other school, but not with NU. I'm was as proud to be a Husker as if we had won a National Championship!

I'm surprised there is only one upset pick. The rest seem to think NU will win by a comfortable margin. Since Southern Miss lost a lot of players to graduation, I would think NU with a 2-3 TD victory margin is the most probable outcome.

My hope is that we use the non-conference part of the schedule and actually DEVELOP a back-up QB. There have been too many years when we let the 1st string QB get all the snaps and then have no confidence in anyone else. In TM's first year, he got hurt and Bo had no confidence to bring in Zac Lee. So we played with a hurt QB and lost critical games. In TM's second year, he got hurt again (turf toe) and we continued to play him almost 100% of the time. If we don't develop a reliable back-up I fear this will be another re-play where we are trying to win games with a QB who isn't 100%.

Looks like lots of competition in the BIG. Should be a fantastic season.

I've only watched a few NU women's volleyball games in the past, but now I can get to see them on BTN. The UCLA victory was one of the most exciting games I've seen in years! I plan to follow NU women's volleyball much closer!

I think OSU will be stronger next year and the NU game in Columbus should be great. Bo will look at this as a "home coming" and I think he will try his best to pull out a win. It will be even better if both teams are unbeaten going in.

One of my great memories was seeing Helu break the all-time single game rushing record against Mizzou. Hope he continues to prosper in the NFL.

I think the NU - Mich game could develop into a GREAT rivalry. After graduating from NU and moving to Illinois for a job, I ran into a lot of Michigan fans & watch quite a few bowl games with them. I learned to respect their intensity, loyalty and decency. Some fans from other schools seem to show that they are mean-spirited when they lose. Michigan fan never did that. Admittedly a small sample, but I always respected Michigan. Having said that, I hope NU dominates the series!

What is the pecking order for the B1G bowl games? Assuming one team goes to Rose Bowl and another to a BCS game, I think the next pick is the Capital One Bowl (Orlando). What is the order after that?

Of the 3 teams that beat NU this year, I'm most afraid of Michigan (by far). Wisconsin without Russel Wilson would have been vastly different this year. I suspect they will struggle on offense a little next yr. NW was a fluke loss and Persa graduates. Of the teams we beat - I'm most concerned about Ohio St. They will have a new coach, but lots of talent to work with.... AND we play the Buckeyes in Ohio next yr. Michigan St ...??? Who replaces Cousins? Penn St .... new coach, lots of unrest. Overall, I think our chance of a conference championship is better next yr. but far from easy.

I like a lot of the football decisions that Bo makes, but there is one trend that I dislike. We almost never seem to play our back-up QB. So if something should happen to Martinez, our second string QB - Brion - has essentially ZERO game experience. That trend didn't start this year, but its a continuing pattern for all 4 years that Bo has been our coach. I would really like to see Brion get in many more games.

This turned out better than I expected. B1G teams seem to use trophies a lot. This is better looking than that stupid Paul Bunyon or Oaken Bucket trophy. The tradition will have to develop over time.

The BTN football forum speculates that NU goes to a bowl game in Florida, because NU has not been in Florida for a number of years.

With Martinez turning into a better passer AND our receivers continuing to drop passes that should be caught, we REALLY need some WR's that can hold onto the ball! I believe that Jordon W is the only WR recruit so far.

NU 34 Iowa 21 Rush 205 Pass 205

That prayer circle before the game was the highlight of the afternoon as far as I am concerned. I can't remember when I've been more proud of the University of Nebraska. Ron Brown is a great asset to our program -- he was in the right place at the right time. I was also very encouraged with Bo Pellini's post game interview. Bo's comments about priorities and coaches being part of the education system was spot on. I suspect that Nebraska was the best team in the whole country to arrive at Penn State after that week of scandal. I couldn't be more proud.

I think the best rivalry games are those where a mutual respect develops based on many years where great athletes, exciting games, battles for conference champs and national honors all enter in. In other words NU - OU. Such a rival may develop with NU in the B1G, but it must be grown over many years. Its too early to foresee if PSU will be that team.

The team has got to stay focused on the next game. The fans can enjoy speculating (dreaming?) of bowl games. My only comment is this - 2 teams from the PAC12 is NOT a lock. Next wk Oregon hosts USC. The Trojans can't go to a bowl this year. This is their bowl game. They would like nothing better than beating Oregon. Two weeks from now Stanford plays ND; a hungry improving team with THREE loses. Its possible that both Oregon and Stanford could lose another game. That's what makes college football so interesting.

NU 21 PSU 14 Rushing 175 Passing 235

Wow those BTN girls are something else. I haven't seen them during the football game coverage. Do they cover other sports... like maybe swimming? :)

MJSkers mentioned that JoePa is probably focusing on the game for some reason of personal glory. I read somewhere that if he coaches in the upcoming game, he will pass Amos Alanzo Stagg's record for coaching in the most games ever. Presently JoePa is tied with Stagg. One must wonder about JoePa's priorities!

JoePa announced his retirement at the end of the season. He reportedly talked to the PSU team for about 20 minutes then broke down crying. The team gave him a standing ovation. SO - this is the senior's last home game AND JoePa's last home game. Gee, will they go all out and try to win the last one for JoePa in front of their home fans? I think we are in a world of hurt! My only hope is that their emotions are so high they get penalized a lot and try things they can't execute.

One of the key marks that separates great teams from very good teams is their ability to get "up" for every game regardless of the opposition. When I looked at the schedule this year, the Northwestern game looked like the perfect "trap" game to me. We were coming off a crucial game against MSU and then had to play Northwestern before the HUGE final 3 games - PSU, Michigan and Iowa. I'm disappointed that we lost, but not highly surprised.