NU isn't "back"yet

[hskerprid]

Nebraska Isn't Back Yet

 

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By Mike DeArmond - Posted on 22 July 2009

 

Hello. My name is Mike DeArmond. And first off, understand that I never wanted to be meeting you like this. In the blogosphere.

 

Vlogs? Short for video logs, that has been another thing. As some of you well know. Particularly the ones who upon viewing my sometimes twisted perception of all things college football and basketball, are not shy about declaring that I simply must be drunk.

 

Let me say (burp), that I have not been drinking. Whether you believe that or not.

 

Anyway, back to the point. I never wanted to write a blog. For one reason. I always figured that if something was important enough to be mentioned in a blog, then it was important enough to be mentioned in a story that would be printed in The Kansas City Star.

 

Perhaps this blog will wind up there as well. Perhaps not.

 

Anyway, my bosses here at The Star have prevailed upon me - and the rest of the college writers - to join the blogosphere. And these days in journalism, when the boss prevails . . . well, the boss prevails.

 

So I will give it my best shot. From time to time, I will hit you with a factoid, a taste of what is coming in a future story. And some opinion, sometimes knowing that my opinion may really bring out the Jayhawk or the Cornhusker or the Sooner in you.

 

Go ahead, say that my opinion is no more valid than yours. You are correct. No more valid. No less valid, either. Just an opinion.

 

Here’s one: those people picking Nebraska to win the Big 12 North are abso-tooting-lutely nuts.

 

This would include the venerable Phil Steele of Phil Steele’s (Venerable) College Football Preview fame.

 

I wrote about Steele’s prediction of Missouri finishing fifth in the Big 12 North earlier in the summer. I neglected to mention that Phil also picked Kansas to finish fourth.

 

See, every time I - as the Missouri beat writer - drop a Kansas reference into a story I get tons of email from equal parts Missouri and Kansas fans, most of them reminding me of how much they despise each other.

 

Well, now Cornflake fans can fill up by email at mdearmond@kcstar.com.

 

The only reason I can see anyone picking Nebraska to win the North over either Kansas or Missouri this fall is they think Tom Osborne is recruiting and coaching the Cornhuskers instead of recruiting and being the athletic director and boss to Bo Pelini.

 

I can see a logical person - like myself - picking Kansas as the favorite. Todd Reesing is the most proven quarterback in the Big 12 North by a long shot.

 

KU also has one of the two best receivers in the league in Desmon Briscoe and a real gamer at wide out in Kerry Meier.

 

Sure, KU’s offensive line appears suspect. And all those linebackers have to be replaced. But you can see picking Kansas to win the North.

 

I think Missouri - the Big 12 North’s representative in the league title game the past two seasons - is a solid No. 2 pick.

 

Yes, the Tigers lost a ton on offense in Chase Daniel and Chase Coffman and Jeremy Maclin and Colin Brown and William Moore, etc., etc., etc.

 

Yes, the Tigers are replacing Daniel with a little tested if greatly hyped Blaine Gabbert at quarterback.

 

And a Missouri defense that so disappointed last year has to rely on a lot of new players coming through this fall.

 

But do you think the MU coaches forgot how to recruit after Daniel and Coffman and Maclin and the rest signed on?

 

Here’s where I shake my head in wonder at anyone picking Nebraska over Missouri but over Kansas as well.

 

The Cornhuskers have an inexperienced quarterback, lost just as much as Missouri on offense, don’t have a running back of the caliber of MU’s Derrick Washington. Shouting The Blackshirts Are Back! seems based more on t he hope that Bo Pelini is a defensive genius rather than a first-year college head coach that was simply better than Bill Callahan.

(An aside. Remember Nebraska fans, you can leave your thoughts here or email them to mdearmond@kcstar.com).

 

Surfing the internet last week I ran upon this contention put forward by Alex Ferguson at Bleacherreport.com.

 

“Didn’t Bo Pelini do well in his first year at Nebraska? Expect them to be a contender for the Big XII North title this year. The blackshirts are back!!”

 

Notice the double exclamation points.

 

Bleacherreport.com lists this statement in Alex’s bio:

“I'm Alex, I'm from London, and I have a job as a journalist. About insurance. If there’s anything that can drive the person truly mad, its years of writing about insurance.”

 

Here, really, is the main thing that leads me to believe Nebraska will NOT win the Big 12 North and could finished behind either Kansas or Missouri.

 

The schedule.

 

Kansas plays arguably the top two teams in the Big 12, hosting Oklahoma and playing at Texas. The Border War game with Missouri is again in Kansas City, where the Jayhawks and Tigers have split the last two games. KU should be favored to win the rest of its league games, including Nebraska in Lawrence on Nov. 14.

 

Missouri’s toughest league road game will be at Oklahoma State. The Tigers play host to Texas, and play Kansas in KC. The Tigers should (I contend) be favored to win the rest of the games, including Oct. 8 in the league home opener against Nebraska. Often ignored fact: Missouri has beaten Nebraska three straight times in Columbia by an average of 23 points a game.

 

Nebraska plays host to Oklahoma, but running around in front of the home folk doesn’t mean much against the Sooners. A Nebraska team that isn’t Oklahoma plays AT Missouri and Kansas.

 

There now. I feel better. I’ve finished my first real blog. I don’t feel nearly as dirty as I thought I would.

[RedDenver]

He really just wants Husker fans to respond so he can show his bosses that he's got a large readership. And I won't be holding my breath for a retraction or correction during or after the season.

[95huskers]

You bring up some very valid points. I do not disagree with you on many of these things but i dont neccisarily agree either. You, as all of us, have the right to your own opinion. I think that you could be dead on. But the season is still a couple months out and who knows what is going to happen in college football. The last 2 years are proof of that. I think that nebraska could have a better season than last and still have the same record or 1 loss worse. They COULD also have an outstanding season with the ball bouncing there way in a few games this year as well. i.e. texas tech last year and vatech last year could have easily been wins with an inch here or there or a big play here or there. WHO KNOWS WHAT COULD HAPPEN????

[knapplc]

I'm missing the "uh oh" portion of this blog. You expected the beat writer for the Missouri Tigers to say Nebraska is back on top or something? Where's the "uh oh?"

[NUpolo8]

Not a lot those thingys in that article backing up his points. What are those things called? Oh! Evidence and facts! Oh well, he's got plenty of hearsay and conjecture, those are kiiiinds of evidence.

[hosker]

I'm missing the "uh oh" portion of this blog. You expected the beat writer for the Missouri Tigers to say Nebraska is back on top or something? Where's the "uh oh?"

 

 

i think the "uh-oh" is supposed to stem from the fact that alot of us Husker fans think we'll win the north, and now that he's "proven" that we won't.... we're supposed to say: "uh-oh, this flaming turd from KC is right"

[SOCALHUSKER]

I just forwarded the douche bag the Huskerboard thread for the Big 12 North predictions, maybe he'll join in on the conversation???

 

Big 12 North Predictions

[HuskerJen]

Opinions offered in July as to how a team will finish mean less than jack squat. Ergo, Nebraska will go undefeated this year, win the Big 12 and defeat Florida in the national title game. Take that bloggerboob.

[holvy83]

Stopped reading at "Beat writer for Mizzou" its his opinions big whoop

[95huskers]

Opinions offered in July as to how a team will finish mean less than jack squat. Ergo, Nebraska will go undefeated this year, win the Big 12 and defeat Florida in the national title game. Take that bloggerboob.

 

 

 

 

NIIICE

[shyndy]

its obvious this guy has an overinflated ego issue, from the "I'm above blogs" mentality to the fact that he apparently enjoys getting angry emails the way a supervillain enjoys watching newsfeeds. Then to top it off his "opinions" are flat out terrible at times. Personally, I agree that we have alot to prove still- we lost big time to mizzou at home last year. But he insinuates that they have an all big-12 type runningback returning while saying the huskers have no notable returning runningback...excuse me?

[Scarlet Overkill]

Opinions offered in July as to how a team will finish mean less than jack squat. Ergo, Nebraska will go undefeated this year, win the Big 12 and defeat Florida in the national title game. Take that bloggerboob.

 

Amen, sister!

 

[hskerprid]

I'm missing the "uh oh" portion of this blog. You expected the beat writer for the Missouri Tigers to say Nebraska is back on top or something? Where's the "uh oh?"

Need to turn on your "sarcasm" detector Knap. It's just drivel from a person who doesn't know any better. He obviously suffers from husker envy. Tim Griffin saw fit to post this in his blog...don't know why. I guess he's bored too!

[I See Red People]

[Hunter94]

this idiot has told us what we already know, lots of good players for MU, KU and NU are gone. the unknowns are who will step up and be effective enough to emerge on top, fair question, nothing out there makes for an obvious answer..at the end of the day, we have as good a chance as anyone. it will take more than a great QB to win the Big 12 north, it always has, it always will....a one man band can't play the party all night long and MU's running back is not that much better than Q or H.