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2015 Game 2 “Expert” Picks: South Alabama @ Nebraska ————— CollegeFootballNews.com http://collegefootballnews.com/2015/nebraska-vs-south-alabama-fearless-prediction-preview It’s the first game of the rest of Nebraska’s life. One pass away from getting out of the BYU opener with a win, now the Huskers have to pick up the pieces and try to start making everything work a little bit better. South Alabama struggled to get past Gardner-Webb, but it got the win. Now it’s time for the Jaguars to go big game hunting and try to take advantage of the wounded animal. Why You Need To Care South Alabama is going through a complete gut job having lost QB Brandon Bridge and almost all the key parts on offense, while the defense needs an overhaul after losing nine starters. That’s what the Gardner-Webb game was for. Was it enough of a tune-up? No, but it was still a chance to figure out what might work – and it’s not the passing game quite yet. Even so, there’s just enough athleticism on both sides of the ball to give Nebraska a really big push. The Jaguars can run the ball a bit, at least they’re expected to, and they might be able to catch the Big Red looking ahead. Nebraska gets to go to Miami next week, and it was hoping it was going to make the trip with a 2-0 start and with a chance to get really hot with Southern Miss and Illinois to follow. The BYU loss might have been devastating, but it was more than just the Hail Mary. The Cougars exposed the Husker secondary, and the offense didn’t really work like it was supposed to. Why South Alabama Will Win UAB transfer Cody Clements threw two picks in his debut, but he’s a good enough passer to keep the problems going for the Nebraska secondary that allowed 379 yards and three scores – it had problems before the pass. The receiving corps might not be explosive, but there’s enough talent and athleticism to stretch the field a bit. At the very least, USA has the ability to keep pressing. Why Nebraska Will Win How did Gardner-Webb keep it so close with the Jaguars? Turnovers. USA gave it up three times and made way too many mistakes overall. The defense did fine against the FCSer, and the offense was okay, but it was a rough outing. The offense couldn’t stay on the field, keeping the ball for just over 21 minutes. Nebraska should be able to grind this out with the running game and let the offensive line do all the work. Player Who Matters So how did Tommy Armstrong do in the new offense? More than fine. Could Nebraska turn into more of a passing team while still keeping the same sort of rushing pop from time to time? Armstrong was a bit erratic, but he threw for 319 yards and three touchdowns against BYU. What he didn’t do, though, was run, coming up with just two yards on nine carries. Expect that to change this week. What’s Going To Happen? Nebraska will come out fine. South Alabama will be outclassed from the start as the Huskers take out their frustrations after a rough week. The defense will shut down the Jaguars cold for long stretches. PREDICTION: Nebraska 44 - South Alabama 10 ————— BTN.com http://btn.com/2015/08/31/week-1-see-our-predictions-for-all-14-big-ten-football-games/ Tom Dienhart: Nebraska 30 - USA 13 Sean Merriman: Nebraska 35 - USA 17 Brent Yarina: Nebraska 44 - USA 14 Zach Osterman: Nebraska 38 - USA 17 ————— ESPN Big Ten Blog http://espn.go.com/blog/bigten/post/_/id/123269/big-ten-week-2-game-picks Brian Bennet: Nebraska Josh Moyer: Nebraska Dan Murphy: Nebraska Mitch Sherman: Nebraska Jesse Temple: Nebraska Austin Ward: Nebraska ————— SBNation/Football Study Hall http://www.footballstudyhall.com/2015/9/10/9297623/college-football-picks-predictions-tv-schedule Nebraska 45 - USA 18 ————— Big Red Wrap-Up http://netnebraska.org/interactive-multimedia/sports/big-red-wrap-south-alabama-prediction Kevin Kugler: Nebraska 35 - USA 21 Blake Lawrence: Nebraska 42 - USA 21 Sean Callahan: Nebraska 45 - USA 17 ————— Daily Nebraskan http://www.dailynebraskan.com/sports/dn-sports-desk-nebraska-vs-south-alabama-score-predictions/article_35d4b708-55d1-11e5-b9b3-5390611fe22c.html Josh Kelly: Nebraska 49 - USA 13 Brett Nierengarten: Nebraska 45 - USA 21 Nick Wilkinson: Nebraska 38 - USA 12 Michael Dixon: Nebraska 56 - USA 21 Vanessa Daves: Nebraska 35 - USA14 —————

2015 Game 1 “Expert” Picks: BYU @ Nebraska ————— CollegeFootballNews.com http://collegefootballnews.com/2015/byu-vs-nebraska-week-1-fearless-prediction-preview Considering the controversy surrounding Mike Riley and his days at Oregon State and how BYU is trying to figure out its standing in the world, this might turn out to be one of the bigger games on the schedule after all the dust settles. The Huskers have to get off to a hot start with Miami coming up in a few weeks, while there’s no room for error for a Cougar team that can’t afford a loss if it wants to have a fun year – especially this early in the season. Why You Need To Care It’s not like there’s pressure or anything at the Nebraska job. Either win the Big Ten title, and do it in a certain style that makes the folks happy, or it’s not going to work out. Bo Pelini was the type that didn’t work out, and now it’s up to Mike Riley to not only make the program a superpower again, but do it by not being so, so … Bo Pelini. He has talent returning, but he’s also trying to work some square pegs into some round holes to make everything fit what the new staff is looking for. There’s no grace period here – a loss would be absolutely devastating considering Miami, Michigan State, Wisconsin, and Minnesota are still there to deal with. BYU has its star back in QB Taysom Hill leading a talented group that should bring the firepower, but there are several question marks on defense along with concerns in an offensive backfield without star running back Jamaal Williams for the year. With Boise State, UCLA and Michigan up next, this game is either the start of a big run that could lead to some national noise, or, effectively, the end of the season with the bowl tie-ins already set for the program. Again, no pressure. Why BYU Will Win Is this whole offensive change thing going to work for the Huskers? The coaches have said they’ll adapt to the talent, but at the same time, they want Tommy Armstrong to be able to throw some more like a pro-style passer – at least at times. This is where a team like Nebraska really, really needed a tune-up game or two just to see what it has to work with, but it’s not going to get that. BYU has a good enough defensive line to keep the Husker ground game in check, while the secondary that allowed so many yards last season shouldn’t have to worry too much about the big play – Nebraska is figuring it out as it goes. However … Why Nebraska Will Win If Tommy Armstrong gets hot, look out. BYU’s secondary was a disaster throughout last season, allowing 300 yards or more in six of the final 11 games and getting roasted for over 700 yards and eight scores in the final two dates with Cal and Memphis. Making matters worse is the turnover with three new starters in the defensive backfield, and with just an okay pass rush – at least projected – to help the cause. No one’s thinking Armstrong is going to be Aaron Rodgers overnight, but if he can find a groove, then he might have a massive day. Player Who Matters America has seen Taysom Hill do big things before. He made a name for himself over the years with big wins over Texas, Georgia Tech and Boise State, and he was amazing to start out last season before getting knocked out with a broken leg. This is his return to the limelight as one of the nation’s top dual-threat quarterbacks, and it’s all on him to make the Cougar attack shine. There are other weapons around him, but BYU can’t win unless he plays at a whole other level. What’s Going To Happen? It’s going to be a bit rocky at times for the Nebraska offense, but the defensive front will be frothing at the mouth. Maliek Collins and the interior will keep the Cougar backs from doing anything consistently, and while Hill will get his big plays, he’s not going to outplay Armstrong enough to come away with the win. BYU vs. Nebraska Prediction Nebraska 34 - BYU 27 ————— FoxSports.com http://www.foxsports.com/college-football/story/michigan-alabama-ohio-state-notre-dame-tcu-auburn-texas-am-arizona-st-week-1-cfb-picks-090315 Stewart Mandel: BYU Bruce Feldman: Nebraska Joel Klatt: Nebraska Jim Ross (Yes that Jim Ross): Nebraska ————— BTN.com http://btn.com/2015/08/31/week-1-see-our-predictions-for-all-14-big-ten-football-games/ Tom Dienhart: BYU 28 - Nebraska 27 Sean Merriman: Nebraska 31 - BYU 27 Brent Yarina: Nebraska 34 - BYU 31 Bob Asmussen: Nebraska 31 - BYU 24 ————— ESPN Big Ten Blog http://espn.go.com/blog/bigten/post/_/id/122828/big-ten-week-1-game-picks Brian Bennet: Nebraska 38 - BYU 35 Josh Moyer: Nebraska 35 - BYU 27 Dan Murphy: Nebraska 33 - BYU 28 Mitch Sherman: Nebraska 27 - BYU 20 Jesse Temple: Nebraska 28 - BYU 27 Austin Ward: BYU 27 - Nebraska 24 ————— Athlon Sports http://athlonsports.com/college-football/big-ten-2015-week-1-predictions David Fox: Nebraska’s 29-game season-opener winning streak might end if we see the same Taysom Hill we saw at the start of last season. BYU 28 - Nebraska 24 Steven Lassan: This game isn’t generating the attention Ohio State-Virginia Tech or Louisville-Auburn are this week, but there’s intrigue here. BYU quarterback Taysom Hill is back after missing most of 2014 with a leg injury, and Nebraska opens the Mike Riley tenure looking to extend its winning streak in openers (29 consecutive victories). Nebraska 31 - BYU 27 Mitch Light: Nebraska has won 29 straight openers, the longest such streak in the nation. The Huskers will make it 30 — but it won’t be easy. Nebraska 27 - BYU 24 ————— Tulsa World http://www.tulsaworld.com/sportsextra/collegefootball/college-football-tulsa-world-s-week-picks/article_dcdfdb34-ef1e-59f8-86bd-046d16485fee.html Eric Bailey: Nebraska 30 - BYU 20 Mark Cooper: Nebraska 24 - BYU 21 Guerin Emig: Nebraska 20 - BYU 17 Kelly Hines: Nebraska 35 - BYU 28 John E Hoover: Nebraska 35 - BYU 27 John Klein: Nebraska 31 - BYU 21 Kendrick Marshall: Nebraska 26 - BYU 20 Michael Peters: Nebraska 28 - BYU 24 Patrick Prince: Nebraska 24 - BYU 21 ————— Big Red Wrap-Up http://netnebraska.org/media/media.php?bin=NET&vidgroup=40176356 Kevin Kugler: Nebraska 28 - BYU 27 Blake Lawrence: Nebraska 31 - BYU 24 Sean Callahan: Nebraska 31 - BYU 23 ————— Daily Nebraskan http://www.dailynebraskan.com/sports/dn-sports-desk-nebraska-v-byu-score-predictions/article_3e3a1096-4f87-11e5-b708-db98089231a9.html Vanessa Daves: Nebraska 28 - BYU 21 Josh Kelly: Nebraska 33 - BYU 28 Brett Nierengarten: BYU 34 - Nebraska 27 Michael Dixon: BYU 35 - Nebraska31 Nick Wilkinson: BYU 42 - Nebraska 35 ————— AP - Ralph D Russo http://collegefootball.ap.org/article/grand-opening-college-football-starts-playoff-talk-begins Upset special: We'll see how much Huskers fans love new coach Mike Riley after Taysom Hill and the Cougars come to town ... Upset special BYU 31- Nebraska 24. ————— What If Sports https://www.whatifsports.com/beyondtheboxscore/default.asp?article=201509050023 Nebraska 29 - BYU 27 ————— The Power Rank http://thepowerrank.com/predictions/ Nebraska will beat Brigham Young by 5.9 at home. Brigham Young has a 33% chance of beating Nebraska. —————

Some predictions for this weekend's tilt against Southern Miss. Everyone's predicting a handy Husker win. I'm not so sure... Rittenberg & Bennett from ESPN: SOUTHERN MISS at No. 17 NEBRASKA Adam Rittenberg: A more composed Taylor Martinez delivers an efficient passing performance and breaks off a 60-yard touchdown run to spark the Huskers in the second half. Ciante Evans records an interception as Nebraska starts slowly but finishes well. ... Nebraska 35, Southern Miss 17 Brian Bennett: The Huskers avoid a repeat of 2004 with encouraging outings by both the defense and an improved Martinez. The latter completes 65 percent of his passes, and Rex Burkhead runs for 150 yards to usher in the revamped Memorial Stadium in style. ... Nebraska 31, Southern Miss 14 The Athlon guys: Key season in Lincoln begins with C-USA Champs Bo Pelini has won at least nine games in each of his four seasons as the Huskers head coach and was literally seconds from a Big 12 championship in 2009. But he also lost at least four games every year for a team that expects not just conference titles but national championships. His defense has lost its edge since 2009 and a change at the coordinator position to John Papuchis will hopefully reenergize the Black Shirts. And the first weekend will feature an intriguing test against the reigning C-USA champion Southern Miss Golden Eagles. Even without head coach Larry Fedora or star quarterback Austin Davis, the Eagles should be able to score points this fall. Having said that, this USM team should be outmatched by Taylor Martinez. Any sign of struggle could be a dangerous omen for Pelini. Braden Gall - Nebraska, 34-14 Mitch Light - Nebraska, 34-20 Steven Lassan - Nebraska, 38-13 David Fox - Nebraska, 35-10 Sporting News: Southern Miss at No. 17 Nebraska, 3:30 p.m. Saturday Hayes: Nebraska 33, Southern Miss 16. If only we could have played this thing a year ago, when Southern Miss had an experienced, dangerous quarterback. Now, it could be true freshman Anthony Alford, who didn’t win the job (junior Chris Campbell did) but clearly has the most talent of the group competing for the job. Greenberg: Nebraska 27, Southern Miss 13. It’ll be tight into the fourth quarter, but a motivated defense will rise up and Rex Burkhead will close it out with a late TD. That’s a blueprint the Huskers wouldn’t mind following all season long. Ralph Russo of the AP is picking us for the upset: UPSET SPECIAL Southern Miss (plus 19 1/2) at No. 17 Nebraska Be careful Cornhuskers ... SOUTHERN MISS 28-24. Stewart Mandel from SI: Southern Miss at No. 17 Nebraska Nebraska 36 Southern Miss 13 Last year's 12-2 Southern Miss team might have posed a legitimate threat to the Huskers. The Eagles, however, lost head coach Larry Fedora and nearly every important offensive skill player. It's possible that defensive-minded coach Ellis Johnson will have a plan to frazzle Nebraska quarterback Taylor Martinez, but more realistically, running back Rex Burkhead will lead a rout. The BTN Guys: Southern Miss at Nebraska Tom’s pick: Nebraska, 30-17 – Offensive balance along with a quick and deep defense will overwhelm the Golden Eagles. Brent’s pick: Nebraska, 41-20 – Taylor Martinez and Rex Burkhead run away with this one early.