Huskers and Buffs May Be a Pick ‘Em Contest
16 comments so far
November 14, 2007 by
If you look at the Sagarin predictor ratings for Nebraska and Colorado heading into the bye before their meeting in the regular season finale, you see less than a point separates the two teams. The computers would say CU is a 3 point favorite, almost entirely by virtue of the home-field advantage. The game is not without some very real stakes. The winner will be bowl-eligible and the loser will be 5-7.
Consider this, Oklahoma could very well play for and win the national championship this year. Colorado beat Oklahoma. Nebraska has a chance to beat the Buffaloes. What would that say about the difference between teams at the top and near the bottom of the Big 12 standings? It says that there isn’t much difference.
The Unstoppable West Coast Offense?
No surprise, Colorado has the better defense on paper than Nebraska. But compare the defensive stats for Kansas State coming into their game with Nebraska with those of Colorado’s and guess what? KSU looked better across the board. Compare KSU’s offense and it also looked better than CU’s. Maybe that’s why the Wildcats beat the Buffaloes by a convincing 47-20 margin. It goes without saying that Kansas also has a better defense than Colorado, and they allowed 39 points to the Huskers.
We’ve seen exactly one road game for Joe Ganz and that was the Kansas debacle. Ganz completed only 50% of his passes and threw four picks which helped set up three Jayhawk touchdowns. Still, he managed to throw for 405 yards and accounted for four touchdowns in the loss. Coupled with the gaudy statistics against the Wildcats, his season numbers are a 62% completion rate with 12 touchdown passes against 4 interceptions and a pass efficiency rating of 180. That's better than Zac Taylor when he was Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year. He's looked like a mobile Zac Taylor.
As long as Ganz can avoid turnovers, he’s shown he can move the Husker offense. It’s quite possible that the Huskers could have another “Restore the Order� type day in Boulder as they did in 2005. The Buffaloes were favored in that game but the Huskers managed to put together a convincing 30-3 victory. Also similar to that game was the fact that the Huskers had just beaten Kansas State after a bad loss to Kansas.
A History of Success
There’s also the “extra preparation� factor. Under Callahan, when the Huskers have had two weeks or more to prepare, the team is 9-2. The losses were to Colorado in 2004 and #10 Auburn in the Cotton Bowl, both by less than a touchdown. The nine wins were some of Callahan's best including his explosive debut against Western Illinois, an overtime victory over #23 Iowa State in 2005, the aforementioned win in Boulder that year, the Alamo Bowl win against #20 Michigan, the 2006 opener against Louisiana Tech, the 37-14 pasting of CU a year ago in Lincoln, and this year’s opener against Nevada (arguably Nebraska’s best overall performance in Callahan’s tenure).
Enough has gone wrong for Nebraska this year to make this game less than a “stone-cold lead pipe lock� and Colorado has had a moment or two of brilliance this year (though they’re 0-4 against Big 12 North teams). So you wouldn’t want to bet the farm on this one. But this is a game to look forward to, because it could be another feel-good contest for a Nebraska team that hasn’t had much to feel good about. The 23rd can’t come soon enough.
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doombob Nov 14 07
The thing about this year is that we should know within the first two offensive drives and defensive stands what kind of game this will be. You can see if the defense will be playing with emotion and you will see if the offensive is bulldozing. Nebraska has just been that predictable. Other than the Kansas and Texas game, the outcome is pretty clear by the 3rd possesion. These are the only two games I watched or listened to all the way through: Wake Forest and Texas. I've got to say though, I've got a lot of work done around the house this year on Saturdays.
Buffy Nov 14 07
The Buffs are going to blow out the corn. You think Kansas put the hurt on the Huskers. Wait until they run into the CU buzzsaw. Bye bye, Callahan!
OU7times Nov 14 07
I'll say NU by 10.
scott Nov 14 07
Buff and Buffy...cute names...must be the aliases for Barnett and Neuheisel.
Ah yes, the 5-6 buzzsaw that is the Colorado Buffaloes. That's like saying the 2007 Huskers are the Scoring Explosion II.
I guess the Buff fans will never change. I know Darren doesn't agree but CU really does have the worst fans as a whole. Not all of them are bad....but the good ones are few and far between.
James Moore Nov 14 07
Well I was going to comment on something else but I see an idiot made it to our home here. We get classy guys like OU7Times who come here and provide good, objective commentary but lookie here, a couple of jack*sses called Buff & Buffy. Guess you're out of the closet CU fans. Nice names. Well you'll always be an obnoxious upstart like Kansas State because you circle US at the end of the year and measure your success by beating US. We hate you but you never were, and never will be anybody's measuring stick for success. Not Nebraska, not Oklahoma, not Texas, not anyone's. We get satisfaction from beating you for decades. There's an article posted here that very elequoently puts it so. We've been beating you since the 19th century. But no more typing to waste on you. On second thought. . .
Fine town Boulder: School principals bringing in people to lecture high school kids on how to use drugs properly and engage in permiscuous sex, distinguished faculty members like Ward Churchill who call 9/11 victims "Little Eichmann's", you try to be progressive and allow a female kicker on your football team only to have her raped, drugs and alcohol for prospective recruits. . .
Just wanted to say that whoever threatened to kill Coach Cosgrove is a real idiot and should be locked up. We know he's done a bad job, but a death threat? All Husker fans are ticked, but we're better than that.
ze bop Nov 15 07
AND NOW, a 'revisitinization':
*Def Jam to Puffy*
Dippity dip a Puffalo chip
In Scarlet sour Creme and chive.
Pregame African dance
And New Age chants--
Puffalo 'pride' is just mo' fly
JIVE.
Playas in dredlocks
Hawk on da electro-shocks
New unis all sparkley and glitt-uh.
Ralphie in a black & gold boa,
Gettin' ready for the '07 show-uh,
And they even cleared
'Flotsom Field' of da litt-UH.
Sonny QB w a righteous dut-ee
To bring Puff Nation
Just one mo' win.
YO YO!, bobbles and bangles and
Clinkiddy-clank-clangles
Cannot rid hollow Puff heart
Of it's deep inner chagrin.
Monstas of Red got in their head,
And a bad ol' Corn-Vegas Nightmare
'Be-fallin.''
There's no money inda bank,
In a Sea of Red Puffy's raft
It did sank--
And Security Puffy Fan be haulin'.
Big Red inda House(gettin' jiggy)
And Calli is the Warden--
The sky is Black and Red.
Call yo' mortician and undertaker,
The Joey-nator short work
Will make-of-ya-take-of-ya:
Off the hizzle,
Six feet under from a Husker drive by...
Puff Nation is dead.
on':
Lawrence Phillips Nov 15 07
I see this game as being really close. I think the Buffs will be fired up for this one, and Nebraska will have a lot of baggage (not unlike myself) heading into this one with talks of the new head coach's announcement looming. Callahan has little to play for here and most of his recruits have already jumped ship. I think this game is all about who gets psyched up the most. I'm calling NU 27 Buffs 31. Hit me up in my cell. Yours,
LP
doombob Nov 15 07
Nebraska 51, Colorado 30.
crazyFAN Nov 15 07
This is what the NU "Faithful" do to their coaches.
"According to court documents obtained Wednesday, one expletive-laced message suggested Cosgrove go back "where you came from you ... before I ... kill ya."
That's classy NU fans, keep it up. Maybe instead of firing BC, you can just set fire to him.
Scott Nov 15 07
Props to Lawrence Phillips....nice to hear from you. I still remember that touchdown run against the Gators.....
Hey crazyfan,
We're not all like that. Like your name says, "crazyfan". Singular. Meaning one. Numero uno.
Is crazyfan from Buff country? I'm sure he won't tell us where he's from.
crazyFAN Nov 15 07
I am a Buff fan. I'm just trying to stir things up a bit here. All in good fun. I'm trying to be annoying to you all because we get annoyed on the Buff boards with all of the NU fans talkin' smack.
doombob Nov 15 07
Congratulations. You're annoying.
BlowCornChunks Nov 15 07
The Buffs are going to destroy the Huskers. Come back in 4 or 5 years and we'll have a real rivalry after your new coach gets settled in.
ze bop Nov 15 07
I still think LP is one of the 2 best backs to ever wear Red--Rozier being the other one.
cvldfg Nov 15 07
I know that couldn't be LP, the spelling was to neat. He must have had the chaplin at prison write it for him. I do agree with you that I too think it will come down to who gets psyched up the most, that and TO's. I am a huge Big Red fan, but I do have to say that LP has to be one of the dumbest people ever to attend NU.
scott Nov 15 07
Hey blowcornchunks,
In case you didn't notice, you're not any better than the Huskers. At least you've done more than double your win total from last year. Once you're better than the 3rd best team in Colorado, give us a call. Don't try to bring up a rivalry that has never existed for us. We own the series, get over it.
Have you thought about entering through the crowd during a Samoan drum solo?? Oh you did that already? How did that game work out?
Hey crazyfan,
I had to keep my mouth shut on this one. I was going to bring up a former receiver from CU but I won't. No place for it here. I appreciate the smack. CU fans really aren't fighters. I guess that is what smoking pot on the 50 yard line will do to you.