by Steve Hanway 4 comments

Those concerned that Nebraska might be falling behind in terms of the number players committed for the class of 2014 can breathe a sigh of relief after this weekend.  Commitments were made in bunches and much of this was before the conclusion of the Big Red Weekend recruiting event for the Huskers that saw 15 to 20 prospects travel to Lincoln for campus visits.  Continue →

by Steve Hanway 12 comments

Among the offseason topics being kicked around is who might win the rushing title in the Big Ten in 2013.  Nebraska running back Ameer Abdullah's name has come up along with OSU's Carlos Hyde, and Northwestern's Venric Mark (among others).  Abdullah certainly has the talent to compete for the rushing title, but will it happen? Continue →

by Steve Hanway 13 comments

One of the seemingly more hopeless teams in the Big Ten toward the end of last season was Iowa.  Not only had the Hawkeyes gone 4-8 (2-6 in conference), but they were about to lose their quarterback to graduation along with some of their other better players (all-conference cornerback Micah Hyde, 2nd team all conference center James Ferentz, honorable mention all conference left tackle Matt Tobin and defensive end Joe Gaglione).  Their new schedule got tougher with a trip to Ohio State and a home stand with Wisconsin (versus games with Penn State and Indiana the past two years).    Their latest recruiting class was ranked among the lowest in the Big Ten.  So where do you find hope if you're an Iowa fan? Continue →

by Steve Hanway 9 comments

Nebraska landed another commitment for the recruiting class of 2014 in guard/center prospect Tanner Farmer.  If reports of his strength are to be believed, he's already stronger than a number of linemen who participated in the NFL combine and he's still just a teenager.  He reportedly is also considering pre-med as a major, which may something about his smarts.  If ever there was a candidate for early playing time on the line, it might be Farmer. Continue →

by Steve Hanway 3 comments

When the point spreads for some 2013 football games were made public this past week, there was one Nebraska game that stood out.  Being favored by six at home over UCLA and Michigan State, by fourteen over Iowa or getting four points at Michigan all might conform to our expectations.  Seeing the trip to Penn State open as a pick 'em game, is a bit surprising though.  Why might you give the Nittany Lions an even chance to win? Continue →

by Steve Hanway 2 comments

Like any number of prominent football programs, Nebraska has had its share of place kickers that have garnered all-conference attention.  You could go back to Paul Rogers under Bob Devaney who was all-conference, a Sun Bowl MVP, and was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers.  Dale Klein shared an NCAA record with 7 field goals in a game.  With the arrival of Kris Brown in 1995, things went to a whole new level. Continue →

by Steve Hanway 5 comments

Normally, it seems to be in Nebraska's interest to play home games at night.  It allows more recruits to travel to games and provides fans hours of tailgating which provides a measureable benefit in decibels.  Facing a West Coast team though (as was just announced for this year's contest with UCLA), there's an argument to be made for an early kickoff. Continue →

by Steve Hanway 7 comments

Phil Steele seems to be one of the more optimistic prognosticators when it comes to how the Huskers will perform in the upcoming season.  He ranked Nebraska sixteenth in the country and ahead of fellow Legends division teams Michigan, Michigan State, and Northwestern as well as Wisconsin.  But what would that really mean in terms of wins and losses in 2013? Continue →

by Steve Hanway 7 comments

Despite the fine job that head coach Mike Dantonio has done at Michigan State, it's hard to picture the team coming into Lincoln and coming away with a victory.  The last visit to Nebraska by MSU was a one-sided affair, and that was with a much better squad than they'll likely have in 2013.  The close game in East Lansing last year was enabled by 188 rushing yards by the now departed Le'Veon Bell.  That was more than half of the total yards by the Spartans on the day.  So what are the reasons to  believe that Michigan State will be much stronger than 7-6 this year? Continue →

by Steve Hanway 1 comment

The 2015 Big Ten football schedules were released yesterday.  None of the opponents come as a surprise since the 2014 schedule had already been revealed.  All that remained to work out were the dates.  Due to the way the calendar falls (the opening weekend of games doesn't begin until September 5th in 2015, after starting on August 30th in 2014), most college teams will only have a single bye week.  For Nebraska, that won't come until the Huskers have played games on eleven straight weekends. Continue →