Vegasinsider.com has released some over/under win totals for the 2010 season (regular season, presumably). The web site doesn't show every FBS team, but it does show a number of interesting ones. Aside from the Phil Steele's of the world, it's probably one of the better preseason barometers for what to expect from teams on the field. The over/under numbers tell you at what point you get roughly even money betting over and under for a team. For Husker fans, the most relevant one is the 9.5 wins for Nebraska. That means oddsmakers are guessing that about as many people will bet Nebraska will win 10, 11, or 12 regular season games as will bet that the Huskers will win 9 or fewer.
I'm starting to think Bo Pelini likes surprises. Not being subject to them, of course. (A 2 a.m. phone call from Suh about a car accident for example.) No, Pelini likes springing them.
This week's media days marked the second consecutive year the coach made a coy reference to some unknown contributors he's excited about. Last year it was four or five nameless first year players Pelini thought could make an impact. This year it's the offensive line.
If his prognostication for this season comes anywhere close to his assessment last year--where we did see four or five first year guys have a significant impact--we might just find that there are answers to some of Nebraska's looming questions from another overlooked source.
Every article written about Bubba Starling so far points out one of two things, what an incredible all-around athlete this guys is, or if he's the next Carl Crawford. Carl Crawford is a Tampa Bay Devil Ray who originally signed on as an option QB in 1999 with the Huskers before getting drafted (and paid) to play baseball. It is heartbreaking for Husker fans to think of how the early part of this last decade may have turned out with this athlete at the helm. But it's tough for a young man to turn down a chance to get paid well to play a sport that is still called "the national pastime". Even if the Husker coaches have planned and accounted for the contingency of losing Starling to the MLB draft, it is still difficult for a team to lose an athletic 4-star quarterback, no matter the circumstances.
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3 days ago
by Darren K. Carlson
College football recruiting should be followed at one's own risk. Get too interested and invested, and it will burn you. Verbal commitments aren't binding. Frankly, kids change their minds. The latest example is Nebraska offensive line prospect Dylan Admire. After initially picking the Huskers, Admire is now seeking a chance for earlier playing time. He has told Rivals.com that he will be re-opening his recruiting process, essentially decommiting from Nebraska.
73 comments so far
3 days ago
by Darren K. Carlson
Big 12 Media Days started yesterday afternoon. But if you tuned in to ESPN yesterday expecting to hear anything about the Big 12, that was a waste of time. The four-letter sports leader didn't much discuss the Big 12. They were a bit too occupied talking with Texas Head Coach Mack Brown. It was a very shrewd media move by the Longhorn leadership.
As a signifier of the coming end of the long, football-less summer, the annual Big 12 Media Days always generate a little excitement. "Hey! They're actually talking football! The end is nigh."
As a legitimate news event? That's a little dicier. Everyone at this point loves their chances, is excited about the possibilities, has the utmost respect for everything. You know the drill.
But with the tumultuous offseason Nebraska had, there was some hope that this year might be different. This was the last Big 12 Media Days for NU and probably the most anticipated. Would things get chippy? What are relations like in the conference today? Will comedy-Bo or curt-Bo show up?
What we got was "business as usual" Bo, a phrase he used a couple of times during his session with the print media.
Rivals.com is reporting that 3-star linebacker prospect David Santos has chosen to be a part of Nebraska's 2011 recruiting class, and that he will confirm his commitment on Wednesday. Assuming Santos makes good on his pledge, this is a significant pick up for the Huskers. Beyond Santos' natural ability, the reasons he is citing for picking NU and the geographic implications of his choice send the right message for the Huskers recruiting efforts.
Fans never get to know everything that people in the Athletic Department do, and that's probably a good thing. But from time to time, they tip their hand a bit and provide some new insights on the team. When Huskers.com updated their bios and roster, it gave some clues about some things that were previously in doubt.
Normally, I try not to take offense when people take shots at Tom Osborne or my alma mater. Heck, I don't even respond to most of the comments at the Big Red Network from people about what I write. But when I was forwarded this piece, I felt compelled to respond.
24 comments so far
7 days ago
by Darren K. Carlson
About a week ago, I ran my usual off season talent test on the Husker roster, a simple exercise I call "Five Great Players." The results looked positive. Yesterday, the Big 12 media members more or less affirmed that audit of the Husker personnel, by naming four NU players to their preseason all-conference squad. Husker fans can be optimistic for 2010 knowing that there are pieces in place for a possible conference title run. But, getting over the hump will take more than a handful of stars. It takes contributors. Football is the ultimate team game. So, who are the "next 5" for NU? Or, put differently, which players are primed to emerge or breakout for the 2010 season? Selecting this group is a much riskier proposition, but at least candidates abound for the Huskers.
As part of the continued ramp up to Big 12 Media Days, the Big 12 has released its preseason all conference team, as selected by media covering the conference. Nebraska placed four players on the squad. Jared Crick is the headliner, having been chosen as the league's defensive Player of the Year (in a tie with Texas A&M linebacker Von Miller). In addition to Crick, Huskers Prince Amukamara, Mike McNeill and Alex Henery were selected as preseason all conference team members.
Just a few weeks ago, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Athletic Department launched a quiet little holding page for a marketing push that would culminate into a series of celebrations and events on the week of October 16th, 2010. For those not aware, that happens to be the same day that the Texas Longhorns travel to Memorial Stadium for a rematch of last year's Big 12 Championship Game that occured in Arlington, TX. The one-page site only had some logos and a youtube video displayed on the page and likely would have been ignored by the world had it not been for two words: "Beat Texas".
If Big 12 media members are to be believed, Nebraska will likely be squaring off with Oklahoma in the Big 12 title game in December. In the Big 12 media preseason football poll released earlier today, Nebraska was the unanimous choice to repeat as North Division champions. The poll also projects that there won't be a repeat of last year's Nebraska-Texas match up for the crown. Oklahoma edged out Texas in the media vote, receiving 16 first place votes compared to 10 for the Longhorns.
The preseason consensus for Nebraska places the Huskers around sixth in the country. Given where Nebraska has been over the last decade, that's a final season ranking that most fans could be happy about. When the season begins, we'll begin to gauge whether or not the Huskers can live up to those expectations. But that can be hard to do against an opponent like Western Kentucky that doesn't appear to be a real stiff test for the Big Red in Lincoln. So the question won't be whether Nebraska can or should beat the Hilltoppers, but by what margin.
In a normal summer, with a team that has an unsettled quarterback situation and national title aspirations, the QB race would be the only topic of conversation.
This has been far from a normal summer. Most of the football conversations I've been having this summer have centered on Nebraska's long term future rather than the short term but we're getting close now. Media days, practice, games. Force real life in there somewhere and it'll be here before you know it.
Most of the preseason prognostication is already out there for consumption and most of the pickers have, in my mind, been fairly kind to Nebraska considering that we're still looking for the guy who will guide what has to be a revamped offense.
After a summer of thinking about other things, it's nearly to time to start sorting this thing out.
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