Next year's schedule

[MinnwiscowaSker]

I went on to Rivals and looked up all of the depth charts for each opponent for next year, and the three B1G teams we don't play. Some of these were created earlier in the year, so they may not be completely accurate. I listed how many underclassmen are on offense and defense and labeled them as returners. Obviously some could leave the program or enter the draft. I also listed the QB and what year they are this year. The number in parentheses is the total offense and total defense from this year. This is yardage, not scoring. I listed DONU first.

 

Nebraska

O: Return 8, including JR QB Taylor Martinez. Abdulah a returner (24)

D: Return 3 (22)

Total returning starters: 11

 

Wyoming

O: Return 7, including SO QB Brett Smith (76)

D: Return 8 (108)

Total returning starters: 15

 

Southern Miss

O: Return 5, including FR QB Anthony Alford (106)

D: Return 8 (83)

Total returning starters: 13

 

UCLA

O: Return 7, including FR QB Brett Hundley (20)

D: Return 6 (72)

Total returning starters: 13

 

S. Dakota State

No depth chart

 

Illinois

O: Return 9, including JR Nathan Scheelhaase (119)

D: Return 5 (55)

Total returning starters: 14

 

Purdue

O: Return 6, QB is third string JR Rob Henry (59)

D: Return 7 (70)

Total returning starters: 13

 

BYE

 

Minnesota

O: Return 10, including FR QB Phillip Nelson (111)

D: Return 6 (29)

Total returning starters: 16

 

Northwestern

O: Return 7, including JR Cain Colter & SO Trevor Siemian (63)

D: Return 6 (51)

Total returning starters: 13

 

Michigan

O: Return 6, including JR QB Devin Gardner (80)

D: Return 6 (11)

Total returning starters: 12

 

Michigan State

O: Return 9, including JR QB Andrew Maxwell (89)

D: Return 8 (4)

Total returning starters: 17

 

Penn State

O: Return 8, QB is backup SO Paul Jones (54)

D: Return 6 (32)

Total returning starters: 14

 

Iowa

O: Return 6, QB is backup FR Jake Ruddock (114)

D: Return 8 (46)

Total returning starters: 14

 

Other B1G Teams

Ohio State

O: Return 9, including SO QB Braxton Miller (48)

D: Return 6 (36)

Total returning starters: 15

 

Wisconsin

O: Return 9, including FR QB Joel Stave (62)

D: Return 7 (13)

Total returning starters: 16

 

Indiana

O: Return 10, including SO QB Cameron Coffman (36)

D: Return 9 (104)

Total returning starters: 19

[MinnwiscowaSker]

Here's my takeaways, just based on these statistics:

 

Our offense should be great. Our defense will take a step back.

 

Nothing surprises me going down the list until Michigan, just returning 12 starters. I know they have a lot of young talent, but they lose five starters on each side of the ball. Gardner seems good.

 

Michigan State returns A LOT. This scares me.

 

Ohio State and Wisconsin scare me because they are already good, and don't lose much.

 

Indiana should be improved, but still Indiana in a division that gets tOSU back.

 

I think based on just these stats, we could/should be 8-0. The Michigan schools will be big games. Obviously a B1G title game scares me too, if we get there.

[kchusker_chris]

Here's my takeaways, just based on these statistics:

 

Our offense should be great. Our defense will take a step back.

 

PS: I don't know if they will be great - but I think they can be consistently average. In which case I think they will end up better overall. It's like going from BC to Bo. It can't be any worse can it?

[NebraskaHarry]

Is this even the same schedule now that Maryland and Rutgers are in our conference? Things are gonna be tweaked conference wise now right?

[presidentjlh]

If the schedule doesn't change, anything outside of 11-1 is fairly unacceptable, imo.

[jnguyen]

Is this even the same schedule now that Maryland and Rutgers are in our conference? Things are gonna be tweaked conference wise now right?

 

One more year before that takes place, I believe.

[NothingToSeeHere]

8/31 - Wyoming - W

9/7 - Southern Miss - W

9/14 - UCLA - L

9/21 - South Dakota State - W

10/5 - Illinois - W

10/12 - @ Purdue - W

10/26 - @ Minnesota - W

11/2 - Northwestern - L

11/9 - @ Michigan - L

11/16 - Michigan State - L

11/23 - @ Penn State - W

11/30 - Iowa - W

 

Nebraska is returning not much from a below average defense. They will be worse next year.

 

UCLA will come to Lincoln with a lot of talent and they're a team that's obviously getting better.

 

Colter returns for Northwestern and Fitzgerald will use him much differently next year than he did this year. The Wildcats had Nebraska dead to rights this year and blew it. Flat out blew it...two INT's dropped on the final Nebraska drive and a missed FG at the end of the game.

 

If Gardner is still at QB in Ann Arbor, Nebraska will be gutted in similar fashion to every other mobile QB they've played under Pelini. Keep in mind...Michigan was going in to score late in the first half to make it a 10-7 game when Robinson got hurt.

 

Michigan State...another team that had Nebraska dead to rights. An INT return gets called back that would've put the game out of hand and a blown defensive pass interference call that should've gone against Kenny Bell...Michigan State's defense will be stout and Martinez will turn the ball over three times.

[ADS]

I think the young LB's and young defensive lineman will actually be an upgrade from the ones we had this year. Rose, Brown, Afalava, Curry, Valentine, McMullen, Moss, Anderson (if his knee heals properly) will all be upgrades in overall athletic ability.

[HuskerT]

I think the young LB's and young defensive lineman will actually be an upgrade from the ones we had this year. Rose, Brown, Afalava, Curry, Valentine, McMullen, Moss, Anderson (if his knee heals properly) will all be upgrades in overall athletic ability.

Agree! They might have a hard time adjusting to Bo's ridiculously complex defensive system, but at least we should have better athletes on the field.

[ADS]

I think the young LB's and young defensive lineman will actually be an upgrade from the ones we had this year. Rose, Brown, Afalava, Curry, Valentine, McMullen, Moss, Anderson (if his knee heals properly) will all be upgrades in overall athletic ability.

Agree! They might have a hard time adjusting to Bo's ridiculously complex defensive system, but at least we should have better athletes on the field.

Well apparently Lavonte didn't "get" the scheme either, and we all know how he turned out.

[airboose]

Replacing eight starters from a very mediocre defense should raise all kinds of alarms for next year. I also doubt Pelini will change his defensive scheme, which is his biggest achilles heal. He doesn't have the players to run the two-gap successfully. NU will be able to score some points on offense, and they will need it, cause that defense will be playing mostly new guys. Based on that I make the early prediction of 8-4. Get used to it Husker fans. Like the World-Herald writer stated, "Bo isn't good enough to get over the hump, but he's good enough not to get fired".

[HuskerT]

Fisher, Compton and Whaley might have been the slowest group of LB's we've had in a long time, I won't be sad to see them go.

[JTrain]

After a couple years of sobriety, I shared a little HB Kool-Aid in the weeks leading up the CCG. I was thinking 11-1, maybe 12-0 next season. I was ignoring a lot of the fairly obvious signs of how average our team really is. Now I'm thinking more along the lines of 8-4. There's good reason to predict losses against UCLA, Michigan and Penn State. Northwestern and Michigan St. are basically toss-ups. Iowa and Purdue should be wins, but could sneak up and bite us like several unranked teams have done over the past five years.

 

Our offense has lots of playmakers, but it's too inconsistent, both in playcalling and execution. We faced three top 25 defenses this year, and in my opinion the only really impressive feat of those three games was rushing for 300+ against MSU and the fourth quarter comeback drives in the same game. I think Beck has potential, but it will take time to realize. I don't see him getting it all together by next October. Abdullah is solid, but he never really kicked in into that next gear I was hoping he would. 4.97 ypc is solid, but the elite backs get 6+. Hopefully Heard sees a lot of carries next year. He can be a game-changer.

 

On defense, I have no answers. I can only hope Bo finds some. On the bright side, losing most of the defensive starters no longer seems that bad. Now we need one or two of the 2012 class guys to really make an impact.

[HuskerT]

I predict the same trend will continue. We'll win 9-10 games with two blowout losses and another loss in a game we should have won. No conference title and a loss to an SEC team in the bowl game.

[Count 'Bility]

Majority of folks said 7-5 or 8-4 for this year. For cripes sake, we're gonna win 9 or 10 games next year. Maybe we'll make it to the CCG, maybe we wont. That's just where we are right now.

 

As far as defense goes, yes, it may take a step back, but it could at least be more consistent. With just a little more talent on the field, even with inexperience, we may have the ability to avoid these catastrophic games. Offense will be fine. May even be better if we somehow get that TE to the likes of Kyler and Ben that can stretch the field and hide tendencies.