Phil Steele says Nebraska will be #17 heading into the season

[onlyHskrfaninIL]

Phil Steele is like a god on this board

[knapplc]

Phil Steele is like a god on this board

 

Since when?

[Treand3]

His ranking is fair, imo.

[teachercd]

NU's schedule sets up for them to be top 10 after 4 weeks and then (if Michigan is actually good this year, which I don't think they will be) sets up for a possible 8-0 vs 8-0 (I think) match up with Michigan to basically get launched into the top 5. Stay unbeaten and head into the Big 10 title game with a 1 or 0 lose OSU team ranked in the top 5ish and there you go.

[VectorVictor]

There is a pretty solid chance for the Big 10 title game to have an undefeated NU and undefeated OSU. That would be a sweet conference championship game. No, I am not sold on Michigan and the WCO they are trying to run this year, yikes.

Bo should know how to defend against that WCO.

 

Exactly, that is playing into his hands, it is also forcing Michigan to put in a new offense and to take away a lot of the QB runs. I am super happy about that!

I don't know about that, they will be running the WCO with a pretty good passer and an excellent runner at QB. The latter being our major weakness of course.

Glad you said that because that is exactly what I was thinking.

Think about how good those Niner's were in the 90's with Steve Young. Remember all of the running room Young had? Michael Vick wouldn't have been nearly the culture shock to the NFL if Steve Young had half the speed that Taylor has. Would of probably stretched several super bowls.....errrrr he turn concussion prone with the hits he took, and wouldn't of lasted as long as he did, if he ran like a present running QB.

 

Mobile QB + (insert offense type) Offense = Dangerous

 

This is assuming Miller will be 100% by the end of the season. Frankly, with no quality tested backup and Braxton's penchant for injury, do we see the same QB we saw in 2012? I wouldn't think so...

[robsker]

Seems fair.

 

The real thing that matters is where the Huskers will finish. With so many variables like a) how much will VV contribute, b) how good will the new LB'ers be, c) how improved will the OL be, d) how well will the new players on D pick up the complex schemes, e) how improved will we be in terms of penalties, fumbles, allowing sacks. The list goes on. With only 4 starters returning on D... we really have no answers as to how improved we will be. We only know that we have an easier schedule and an experienced offense... that bodes well.

 

So... with all these variables and uncertainties... any guess as to final ranking is a crap shoot. So... boundaries? I'd have to think the Huskers could finish as high as #15 or as low as unranked (just outside the top 25... 26-30 or so) at worst. So any preseason prediction between say... 15-30 is defensible and reasonable. Steele is usually decent (relative to most others) with his predictions and he sees the Huskers pretty favorably with his predictions... so... I hope he is right.

[Chaddyboxer]

He'll prob. pick NEB to go to the BIG10 championship.

Didn't he predict NEB to go last year as well?

However, I think he had NEB losing only 1 game in the regular season....didn't happen.

[jsneb83]

He'll prob. pick NEB to go to the BIG10 championship.

Didn't he predict NEB to go last year as well?

However, I think he had NEB losing only 1 game in the regular season....didn't happen.

You're picking us to go 12-0 this year, right?

[ADS]

He'll prob. pick NEB to go to the BIG10 championship.

Didn't he predict NEB to go last year as well?

However, I think he had NEB losing only 1 game in the regular season....didn't happen.

You're picking us to go 12-0 this year, right?

13-0 man, get it right.

[jsneb83]

He'll prob. pick NEB to go to the BIG10 championship.

Didn't he predict NEB to go last year as well?

However, I think he had NEB losing only 1 game in the regular season....didn't happen.

You're picking us to go 12-0 this year, right?

13-0 man, get it right.

Sorry... But seriously he's predicted our regular season record correctly the last 2-3 years

[carlfense]

17 is probably OK to begin the year. We'll creep up a few spots because of the weak competition during the first half of the season.

 

Then reality will set in.

[ZRod]

This is assuming Miller will be 100% by the end of the season. Frankly, with no quality tested backup and Braxton's penchant for injury, do we see the same QB we saw in 2012? I wouldn't think so...

We're talking about Devin Gardner not Braxton Miller. I'm pretty sure if they lean on Miller again like they did last year he'll be out at least one game during the season and, unless it's early in the year, nowhere near 100% come CCG time.

 

Michigan is going to more than likely have growing pains transitioning but Gardner is a pretty solid QB and that is always scary.

[Husker from Kansas]

This is assuming Miller will be 100% by the end of the season. Frankly, with no quality tested backup and Braxton's penchant for injury, do we see the same QB we saw in 2012? I wouldn't think so...

We're talking about Devin Gardner not Braxton Miller. I'm pretty sure if they lean on Miller again like they did last year he'll be out at least one game during the season and, unless it's early in the year, nowhere near 100% come CCG time.

 

Michigan is going to more than likely have growing pains transitioning but Gardner is a pretty solid QB and that is always scary.

 

Northwestern scary to me, they beat us in Lincoln 2 years ago, and almost beat us last year. They are another team we cant sleep on or they will beat us!

[The Dude]

I bought his college football preview magazine last year. A lot of good information, but the shorthand is insufferable. Never again.

[EZ-E]

Had we beaten Georgia we'd probably be 10th.