Bo Pelini will have an awesome 2nd season

[Aim9]

I really, really like the way our schedule is looking next season. With probable wins coming up against KSU and CU and a bowl game against what will likely be the #4 team in the Big 10 or Pac 10 conference, (which are SO WEAK) I really like our chances of winning out. That leaves us with a 9-4 record, a top 25 ranking, and some momentum heading into next season.

 

I think in personnel we either hold steady or gain strength at all positions except for right guard (Slauson) and quarterback. Our WRs will be slightly less consistent but much more explosive next year. The absolutely critical link and biggest question mark on our team will be at quarterback. I like the talent that we have between Witt, Lee, and Green, but whether that converts to success on the field is yet to be seen. The following predictions are based on the next QB playing at roughly Ganz's level.

 

Here's my early breakdown of 2009:

 

W- 09/05 Fla. Atlantic @ Lincoln - Obviously you would expect a win here

 

W- 09/12 Arkansas State @ Lincoln - Another easy win

 

?- 09/19 Virginia Tech @ Blacksburg - This will be a VERY tough road game. Taylor will have more experience next year and the VT defense will be better as well. Possibly our toughest regular season game of the year.

 

W- 09/26 La.-Lafayette @ Lincoln - Another easy win

 

W- 10/03 Missouri @ Columbia - With Daniel, Coffman, Macklin and almost all of their offensive playmakers going pro and Barnett possibly leaving I like our chances

 

W- 10/17 Texas Tech @ Lincoln - We lost in a heart-breaker this year, but next year we play them in Lincoln and they will lose the backbone of their team in Harrell and Crabtree

 

W- 10/24 Iowa State @ Lincoln - Iowa State has little to look forward to next year

 

?- 10/31 Baylor @ Waco - Robert Griffin returns and we play Baylor at home. Baylor will not be a team that anyone wants to play next year. However, if Griffin is injured in the interim, we win this game easy.

 

W- 11/07 Oklahoma @ Lincoln - Another Big XII team ripe for the NFL draft picking. If, as expected, Sam Bradford, Demarco Murray, and the entire offensive line go pro I like our chances. Yes we got blown out this year, but if you take away that nightmare of a first quarter we would have played Oklahoma right down to the wire. I also like playing them in Lincoln

 

W- 11/14 Kansas @ Lawrence - Kansas will have another tough year next year with a difficult schedule and without Reesing. This reinforces what I've thought all along: that 2007 was an aberration of success for Kansas, not an establishment of a new power in the Big XII North.

 

W- 11/21 Kansas State @ Lincoln - Kansas State will be TERRIBLE next year. With Freeman likely going pro, a new coach, and awful talent, the Skers will roll.

 

W- 11/27 Colorado @ Boulder - Colorado will actually be a tough game next year, but lacking solid play from the quarterback position Nebraska takes the win.

 

Big XII championship game?

 

BCS title game?

 

Perhaps I'm drinking a bit too much kool-aid here, but I love the way next year stacks up for us in the Big XII. The NFL draft is our best friend, come from above to pillage the talent of our toughest Big XII foes.

 

Thoughts?

[BIGREDIOWAN]

It's obviously a little early to look forward to next season since we haven't finished this one. However, I'm not to sure if our schedule is going to be that easy next season? It all depends on who declares for the draft and the guys that replace them. It's hard to say..........................

[HuskerMack]

One thing that people fail to list is that we lose our QB and our 2 top producing WR's which work really well together. I would like to say we will be as good on offense as we are this year but you just dont know. It is way to early to say we will be anyone next year until we can atleast see the red white game next year. I think our D will be improved greatly which will keep us in more games but you still need to score.

[Igetbored216]

Way too early to be predicting next season. The fact is that the Huskers are still very inconsistent. And next year...

 

...the offense line will be missing some seniors, two of our best WRs will be out the door, a RB will be out the door, and (probably most importantly) we will be starting a QB with little-to-no in-game experience.

 

And who knows what we will actually have on D and how long it will take the new personnel to mesh.

 

All of this stuff is a BIG deal, so to go through and say that any of the games on that list are a W is way too premature. I will have to wait until spring time to see what Nebraska actually has before making ANY type of prediction and probably wait until the first two games (and possibly three games) to make any sense of our Big 12 schedule.

[zoogs]

One thing that people fail to list is that we lose our QB and our 2 top producing WR's which work really well together. I would like to say we will be as good on offense as we are this year but you just dont know. It is way to early to say we will be anyone next year until we can atleast see the red white game next year. I think our D will be improved greatly which will keep us in more games but you still need to score.

 

 

Yes. I think we should all be more worried about next year. The amount of people we're losing is not trivial at all. Joe Ganz is not, on paper, an extremely talented QB but he's the key piece that's making our offense click. Likewise for Swift and Peterson. The correct word for these guys is "baller."

 

IF one of the QBs (such as Witt) pulls a Zac Taylor or Colt McCoy next year, then we can expect improvement. But barring that, I'm not even sure if we will do as well next year as we do this year.

[captain obvious]

We need to come out and destroy KSU and CU early on so some younger guys can get some experience.

 

I predict 300 rushing yards in the first half against the Grimace squad.

[HuskerTrucker]

It is totally ridiculous to be looking forward to next season already, and to assume anything. You put a whole string of total assumptions together Aim, which I would predict half of never materializes. We also don't have any idea what our player development will look like, or what other teams development will look like, who will step up, and who won't. We don't even know who our QB will be next year for that matter. It looks like you are making all these assumptions about other teams and who they are going to lose, and you are playing them with this years Husker team.

[blkskrts]

1. Isnt Reesing only jr so he will defintley back

2.TX Tech always can plug QB in and always have recievers

3. Baylor will b dangerous with griffin they prbly feel like that should of beat us in lincoln

4. Oklahoma is always pullin recruits and i think bradford will stay

[skersfan]

Read this slowly and carefully.

 

NO STARTING QB WITH REAL GAME EXPERIENCE. VERY YOUNG. TWO TOP RECIEVERS GONE.

 

A year similar to this year I would expect, but the following year your predictions seem realistic.

 

Not next.

[fro daddy]

this is really jumping the gun. On top of that it really lacks the vision to look at your oppenents with any sort of critical eye. Assuming because a team loses starters that "they have lost their backbone & you liking your chances" but then neglecting to mention that NE will lose almost the entire O-line their 2 best O-Linemen, the QB, both Wr's and TE. Thus leaving you with really only one or two proven players on O and a D that has only one big 'playmaker' in Suh. Not to mention obvious talent gaps.

 

It is WAY to premature to speculate. Who knows if a young CU team gels or folds. Who knows what a team full of upper classman do under a new coach at K-state. Mu will lose atleast 13 startes, but all the backups have had significant playing time this year, including QB, and have fared pretty well against others 1st teams. Kansas loses their LB's & a few lineman but returns almost everyone else, including Reesing. Iowa State- well I think you are right on, they do suck. But they could pull one out. They have played a number of teams close and lost, maybe those are wins next year.

 

Point being, dont count those chickens before they hatch. I would bet none of you had TT and OK-state in the top 10 before the season.

[huskerfaninbuckeyehell]

Read this slowly and carefully.

 

NO STARTING QB WITH REAL GAME EXPERIENCE. VERY YOUNG. TWO TOP RECIEVERS GONE.

 

A year similar to this year I would expect, but the following year your predictions seem realistic.

 

Not next.

[BIGREDFAN_in_OMAHA]

I'd agree with Skersfan that next season should be similar to this one since there will be a new QB. But I think Coach Pelini is laying the foundation for a great future!

[np_husker]

Too early to worry about next season, but having said that...

 

I am concerned about starting a new QB, and losing Swift & Peterson will hurt.

[Igetbored216]

this is really jumping the gun. On top of that it really lacks the vision to look at your oppenents with any sort of critical eye. Assuming because a team loses starters that "they have lost their backbone & you liking your chances" but then neglecting to mention that NE will lose almost the entire O-line, the QB, both Wr's and TE. Thus leaving you with really only one or two proven players on O and a D that has only one big 'playmaker' in Suh. Not to mention obvious talent gaps.

 

Like I said in my earlier post, it is way too early to spectulate, but how is Nebraska losing "almost the entire O-line"? Nebraska will return three of its starters to the O-line. They lose Slauson and Murtha. Returning three out of five starters is hardly losing "the entire O-line". And our senior TE hasn't really done much all year except get into trouble. He's three deep on the depth chart. McNeill is better and also keep an eye on Ben Cotton.

 

But nevertheless...still WAY too early to predict anything for NEXT year.

[billdozer15]

Stand down son! With as inconsistent as we have been i wouldnt predict us winning out this year. We have a road game left, CU at home who will be ready to ball and bowl games are usually good match ups. We still have to win 3 games to get to 9-4 and i would expect us to lose one of the three. As far as next year goes, other teams also improve, its just a matter of us outpacing their improvement. With breaking in a new QB and WR's i think next year will probably look pretty similar to this year maybe we get one more win. Hopefully i am wrong but we need to get through this season first and not get to crazy with expectations. Bo is a 1st time head coach and he is obviously going to have growing pains as well. Although NU in a BCS game does have a nice ring to it.