2011

[skerinKansas]

vs Tenn-Chattanooga

vs Fresno St

vs Washington

@ Wyoming

@ Wisconsin

Ohio State

off week

 

@ Minnesota

Mich St

Northwestern

@ Penn St

@ Michigan

Iowa

 

As has been mentioned, this a just a brutal schedule. My kool aid hangover says losses to Wisc and tOSU are about it, and the others should be wins...

 

My heart says NO WAY the Huskers lose any game, and the Buckeye match up gives us a preview of the first Big 10 Champ!!!

 

My gut says, with the staff and roster as is... 6-6 is a very real (and terrifying) possiblity.

 

All that said, this is a crucial offseason for the team. they need to come back together, no matter the means that need to be taken. If that means staff and/or roster changes, then so be it. But if we are devisive in any way next season, we'll get eaten alive. Find a way to gel, and the kool aid tastes all that much sweeter!

[HuskerBob4]

vs Tenn-Chattanooga - FAVORED

vs Fresno St - FAVORED

vs Washington - FAVORED

@ Wyoming - FAVORED

@ Wisconsin - SLIGHT DOG

Ohio State - SLIGHT FAVE

BYE

@ Minnesota - FAVORED

Mich St - FAVORED

Northwestern - FAVORED

@ Penn St - FAVORED

@ Michigan - FAVORED

Iowa - FAVORED

 

I am getting tired of all the talk about how tough this schedule is. We asked for this for years, and now we got it!

 

Does the Big 10 really scare anyone that much??? They just went 0-5 on New Years including 2 of the 3 "champions"!

 

We will be heavy favorites in the first 4 and I think slight dogs or a pick'em AT Wisconsin.

 

Then we will get OSU the following week at home. They will still be breaking in a bunch of new skilled position guys, because we all know they aren't coming back to sit out 5 games!

 

Minnesota = Cake walk

 

MSU graduates 25 or so players and a big chunk of those are starters. This was a magical year filled with "miracles", they are a perennial 7-5, 8-4 team with the occassional 9-3.

 

Northwestern = see game plan and recent destruction of spread attacks, like Mizzou

 

Penn State will be a "trap" game. They won't be that great next year but the energy will be electric. But again see game plan vs spread. We come out on top.

 

Michigan is interesting. Harbaugh won't have "his" guys but will put together a respectable year, BUT the season will be getting loooooong at this point for the Wolverines and they will be more worried about securing recruits and beating OSU.

 

Iowa = Cake walk!!!! Just joking, but seriously, they aren't a very good football team and I think they will begin a slow decline in the new format of the Big 10 because they wont be able to avoid 2 of the top teams each year.

 

With all that said, I see us again finishing at 10-2 and winning the Bo "Pelini" division and squaring off with OSU from the Woody side in Indy, and losing...

[BIGREDIOWAN]

I'm gonna say 7-5 or 8-4, I won't go any higher than that!

[junior4949]

Let's look at it a bit differently. Wisconsin after losing to TCU probably falls to at least where Okie State is maybe further. We beat Okie State. Ohio State even with a win stays consistent with OU. Michigan State got throttled. I'd say they're no better than Mizzou. Penn State is really nothing to fear. Michigan really isn't that great. Iowa is a toss up. They were good at times and bad at times. Really, I don't see next year's schedule being much different than this year. The best team we played was OU which is probably as good if not better than Ohio State. I doubt Wisconsin is any better than Okie State, and we beat them.

 

There's some people who think Oregon will get throttled because they didn't play anyone but crappy Pac 10 schools except for Stanford which again only played crappy Pac 10 schools. The Big 10 is pretty much the same. After the big three, everyone else sucked. The bowl season might very well be showing us that the big three in the Big 10 weren't really all that great. If Arkansas lays the wood to Ohio State, I must say I really like our chances next year.

[holvy83]

Still don't see what is so terrifying about the Big 10? Wiscy loses a lot and OSU is debatable. If anything we will match up very well with everyone. Michigan is still going down, of course you have your normal bottom feeders, Mich St will come back to earth and Iowa is about the only unknown, they were down this year but could come out swinging next. Who knows... but still do not see this as a terrifying schedule by any means.

[HuskerNMO]

vs Tenn-Chattanooga

vs Fresno St

vs Washington

@ Wyoming

@ Wisconsin

Ohio State

off week

 

@ Minnesota

Mich St

Northwestern

@ Penn St

@ Michigan

Iowa

 

As has been mentioned, this a just a brutal schedule. My kool aid hangover says losses to Wisc and tOSU are about it, and the others should be wins...

 

My heart says NO WAY the Huskers lose any game, and the Buckeye match up gives us a preview of the first Big 10 Champ!!!

 

My gut says, with the staff and roster as is... 6-6 is a very real (and terrifying) possiblity.

 

All that said, this is a crucial offseason for the team. they need to come back together, no matter the means that need to be taken. If that means staff and/or roster changes, then so be it. But if we are devisive in any way next season, we'll get eaten alive. Find a way to gel, and the kool aid tastes all that much sweeter!

 

Lots of time until then, but I don't see us losing any of the non-con games. Wisconsin loses 4 starting OL's, their QB, 3 of 5 WR's on the depth chart, starting TE, might lose Clay, 2 of their LB's, a corner, a safety and possibly JJ Watt to the draft. They will still be good, but they lose quite a bit.

 

I would expect us to be a 10 win team again, we will be playing in a division of teams that went 11-2 (Michigan St), 8-5 (Iowa), 7-6 (Michigan), 7-6 (Northwestern) and 3-9 (Minnesota). While while yes, we have to play the 3 best teams in our crossover games, we should still be able to go 5-3 at worst in conference which should give us a shot at the CCG. Then we'd only have to win either the CCG or bowl game for a 10 win season.

 

Michigan St- @ OSU, Wisc, @ NU, @ Iowa

Michigan- @ MSU, @ Iowa, NU, OSU

Iowa- @ Penn St, MSU, @Nebraska

[Haspula]

8-4

[ESPY]

If Watson remains, methinks we lose 4 games in the reg season.

If Martinez remains our starter, we lose 4 games.

If Green becomes our starter, we lose 4 games.

If another frosh leads the way at QB (Carnes, Turner, Starling), we lose 4 games.

 

Obviously there's a theme here. Regardless of who our QB is, we'll have trouble putting points on the board because our O-line is still the same and will struggle as long as Cotton is here. Therefore, I'll add this "If" scenario to cap it off.

 

If Cotton gets canned, we lose 3 games.

 

 

 

Basically I'm trying to say if we keep the status quo, we'll lose 4 games. And chances are good we'd lose those games on our own accord too.

[HotGrillonGrillAction]

I said it in a few posts for this season and I'll say it here about next season...

 

If NU can recap the effort they had for 4Q's against CU - the team is unbeatable.....that was the best all around effort I have seen from NU in over a decade. Whoever got them up for that game - PLEASE - do it again and don't fire that person. The opponent did not matter that day.

 

If, on the other hand, they continue to put the ball on the turf and play without that effort....8-4 at best and a scary situation to get to 9 with a bowl game....if even close to that good.

[Jay Green]

To be honest, I think we should proceed with caution. We don't know how much of a drop off there will be with Michigan State, Wisconsin, and Ohio State. Also, I'm not sure how much improvement there will be with Northwestern, Penn State, Michigan, and Iowa. Those teams are somewhat in the same boat we are in: the potential is there but the team isn't quite there yet.

[huskerscott]

I guess this is how i look at 2011 right now.... based on what NU looses, really dont know what the other teams losing but figuring Wisconsin and Ohio State are always gonna be good.

 

Nebraska looses a ton of playmakers on defense and what little playmakers we have on offense.... that has spit and sputtered with teams that have defenses.

 

 

Tenn Chatt- Win

 

Fresno State- Win.... gosh they looked terrible in the bowl game.

 

Washington- Win... they lose Locker, so we should take care business, but they still have Polk I believe.

 

Wyoming- Win

 

Wisconsin- Loss, even though I believe Clay is gone, the other 2 backs will run all over us.

 

Ohio State- Loss, Recent non success at home is reason enough alone to not to be confident going into this game. Their will be a ton of build up, nebraska has come out flat in recent big home games. See Texas 2010, Texas Tech 2009.

 

Minnesota- Win.... the gophers will be rebuilding with a new staff.

 

Michigan State- Toss Up. Michigan State loses a ton of talent, but again got to go back to coming out flat in home games.

 

Northwestern- Win. NW has played teams tough. But their spread attack plays right into the strength of our defense the last few years.

 

Penn State-Toss Up. Happy Valley will be rockin for this game... Penn State might not be better than NU on paper. But I could see this game turning out like A&M in 2010. If we loose this one.... it will be tough to swallow.

 

Michigan-Win. RichRod prob will be gone. Even if he isnt gone... their defense couldnt stop a Junior High team from scoring, 52 pts to Miss St.

 

Iowa-Toss Up. Even though Nebraska is better, Iowa has a pretty good defense. Iowa could be playing for alot more than Nebraska at this point in the season. Whether Iowa gets bowl eligible could depend on this game.

 

So best case scenario Im looking at 10-2 and a possible division crown. Worst case 7-5, if we absolutely no offense and our defense is shaky, which I think is more likely now based on recent history.

[irafreak]

What will be interesting this season is the teams not having any familiarity. The big 12 schools knew each other. Gameplanning for Nebraska is going to be a bear as every opponent on the schedule except washington will be from scratch.

[Ziebol]

Judging by how we closed the year losing 3 of 4 I can't honestly predict how we will do next year. Until I hear of different changes in offense and positions I will not sip any kool aid until I see some change.

[HuskerBob4]

What will be interesting this season is the teams not having any familiarity. The big 12 schools knew each other. Gameplanning for Nebraska is going to be a bear as every opponent on the schedule except washington will be from scratch.

 

Yeah but they all have 8 months to break down just us, whereas we have to break them all down!!!

[HuskerFowler]

I said it in a few posts for this season and I'll say it here about next season...

 

If NU can recap the effort they had for 4Q's against CU - the team is unbeatable.....that was the best all around effort I have seen from NU in over a decade. Whoever got them up for that game - PLEASE - do it again and don't fire that person. The opponent did not matter that day.

 

If, on the other hand, they continue to put the ball on the turf and play without that effort....8-4 at best and a scary situation to get to 9 with a bowl game....if even close to that good.

 

Cody Green...team loves him