Here's how the schedule looks for 2014:

Aug. 30             Florida Atlantic  - The return of Carl Pelini

Sept. 6             McNeese State - Even the school's name is boring

Sept. 13            at Fresno State - Will be breaking in a new quarterback in 2014

Sept. 20            Miami, Fla. - Payback for all of those Orange Bowls, new QB for 'Canes

Sept. 27            Illinois - Will this team ever stop underacheiving?

Oct. 4               at Michigan State - Should be young but salty team

Oct. 11             BYE

Oct. 18             at Northwestern - Quarterback Kain Colter will finally be gone

Oct. 25             Rutgers - Quarterback Gary Nova (who?) will also be gone

Nov. 1              Purdue - You'll need a few boilermakers to get fired up for this one

Nov. 8              BYE

Nov. 15             at Wisconsin - This will decide the division, and the Badgers are tough at home

Nov. 22             Minnesota - The Gophers will be ready to lay down and die by this point

Nov. 28 (Fri.)     at Iowa - Hawkeye fans scream in terror as Kirk Ferentz becomes the living                          embodiment of the Saturday Night Live "The Thing that Wouldn't Leave" sketch

Dec. 6              B1G Championship Game - After being starved for big-time opponents in                                                     Lincoln, fans might actually travel to Indianapolis this time

Despite the overall record, the Huskers are ranked 30th in the RPI.  Not bad when you're trying to make a post-season field of 64 teams that has 30 automatic bids.  The Huskers will be without their most prolific pitcher against the Wolverines.  Christian DeLeon has been an innings-eater as his 84 2/3 innings pitched leads the team by 39 innings.  He has the most wins (6), starts (13), and strikeouts (43) on the team.  

Kyle Kubat has a 4-0 record with 5 starts and has an outstanding 1.99 ERA to lead all starters.  Aaron Bummer just pitched 7 shutout innings against Minnesota on Sunday but should be ready to go tomorrow.  His 2.72 ERA is second only to Kubat's.  NU won Tyler Neiderklein's last start against Creighton and will hope he can win again.  Expect a lot of innings of relief for these three from the bullpen.  Josh Roeder leads the team with a 1.80 ERA and Dylan Vogt has led the team in saves (8) with a 2.96 ERA.   

The bats will need to come up big, but thankfully that's been a team strength.  Michigan has been no slouch in that department either, so this will be no cakewalk for NU.

If you've been sleeping on Nebraska baseball this season, well that's understandable.  Now though as the stakes rise, it's worth following over the coming days and weeks.

Owa was not a starter at defensive end for UCLA when the two teams last played, but he had an impact.  With Nebraska driving to reclaim the lead at 27-27 early in the 4th quarter, the Huskers found themselves with a first down at the Bruin 28-yard line.  On first down, Braylon Heard gained seven yards before being tackled by Odighizuwa who kept him from moving the chains.  Ameer Abdullah gained two yards on the next play to set up 3rd and 1 at the UCLA 19.  Mike Marrow got the next carry which Owa stuffed for a one-yard loss.  That forced NU to settle for a 37-yard field goal attempt which Brett Maher uncharacteristically missed wide left.  Without those plays by Owa, NU may well put the go-ahead points on the board.

The Huskers later found themselves trailing 29-27 with just over three minutes remaining.  On first down from their own 20, Owa batted down a Taylor Martinez pass intended for Quincy Enunwa.  The next play was a Taylor Martinez interception which set up a Bruin touchdown that effectively ended the game.  Maybe with a different down and distance, different field position, and Martinez feeling a little more confident and in rhythm, the pick doesn't happen.  

Beyond that, imagine what Owa might have contributed in that game (and others) as a Husker.  UCLA rolled up more than 600 yards of offense on the day.  Perhaps a blue-chip defensive end could have slowed them down a bit.  

Lost recruiting battles can have a way of coming back to haunt teams.  Losing Owa did a year ago.  Perhaps this year though, it won't hurt so much.  Like Nebraska, UCLA has lost a lot on the defensive line that they'll need to replace.  That now means replacing Owa as well.

Like Peterson, Balke has competed in track.  Balke comes from the third smallest class in Iowa playing for Iowa City's Regina High.  Peterson similarly competed in a small school at Grand Island Central Catholic which was class C-1 at the time.  

Peterson redshirted but then contributed in all four years of his eligibility.  He scored a critical touchdown against Baylor as a freshman and also got some attention with three catches for 54 yards in his first start in the "Restore the Order" drubbing of Colorado in 2005.  He scored a vital touchdown and led NU in receptions at Texas A&M the following year in the game that clinched the Big 12 North for the first time in 7 years.  He also scored a touchdown against Kansas that year in a game NU needed overtime to win.  Peterson's production increased in 2007, though it was hard to notice with the Kevin Cosgrove defense melting down weekly.  Peterson emerged as a regular starter as a senior and caught at least 3 passes in every game.  His touchdown in the waning seconds at Texas Tech forced overtime and his TD grab in the Gator Bowl over Clemson helped trigger the NU comeback win.

Off the field, Peterson was honored for his academic performance and charity work.  Should Balke be another Peterson, Nebraska would have to consider him a huge addition to the team.  Rich Fisher has distinguished himself as a wide receiver coach.  That would surely help Balke's development though it also makes for enormous competition.  Four-star athlete Trevell Dixon and Kevin Gladney (who turned down a Michigan offer to join NU) could be hard to keep off the field.  At 6'1" apiece, neither player in the 2013 cohort comes in with the length of Balke. 

The older players will force all of these youngsters to be patient.  There's a lot of talent at wideout, so nothing will come easy if Balke wants to be the next Peterson.  But remember the name.  You may hear it a lot in the coming years.

The younger Lewis started 12 games for the Buffaloes last season and earned honorable mention All-Pac 12 honors as well as honorable mention sophomore All-America honors.  He graded as the Buffs' second best lineman, allowing just two sacks in 2012.  

His arrival couldn't be timelier as the Huskers are set to lose most of their top offensive linemen after the 2013 season.  He was overlooked by Nebraska out of high school because he was undersized.  While still a little light at 6'6" and 285 lbs., he's come a long way from 6'4" and 240 lbs. in 2010.  He rated three starts then, but was still given a greyshirt.  After sitting the 2013 season, he'd have two years of eligibility left in Lincoln.  With the departures of Tyler Moore and Ryan Klachko from the class of 2011, he would help make up for the previous recruiting misses by NU.

So far, little details are known about the assault charges except that CU quarterback Jordan Webb has also been charged.  Second degree assault in Colorado can mean a deadly weapon was used, it can also mean drugging someone, or it can mean assaulting an officer or someone else with intent to obstruct an officer.  It can also be used against someone in a detention facility who assaults an employee of the facility - the last one appears to be somehting that you could rule out.  But second degree assault appears to carry a mandatory minimum prison sentence of five years.  That would all but eliminate Lewis as a potential player.  

Lewis' attorney has said only that "From my preliminary investigation, my client got involved in a bad situation, justice will play itself out."  You have to wonder what Bo Pelini thinks of all this.  He often talks about how he sees things in black and white, so he may need to be convinced that Lewis is wrongly accused before allowing him to join the team. 

The two particularly painful defensive outings that happened late in the year against Wisconsin and Georgia were also games where defensive tackle Baker Steinkuhler did not play.  Steinkuhler led all NU defensive tackles in tackles and was second on the team in tackles for loss.  The bad news for 2013 is that Steinkuhler will not be returning, so the Huskers must seek help elsewhere.  
Defensive end Eric Martin led Nebraska in sacks, tackles for losses, and quarterback hurries.  He led all NU defensive linemen in tackles in 2012.  He also graduated.  So the Huskers have to also replace their best pass-rusher and backfield playmaker.  

Perhaps not on par with Martin as a pass-rushers was the still-productive Cameron Meredith who had the second-most tackles by a defensive lineman and the second-most sacks on the team.  Meredith also graduated and must be replaced.  

Chase Rome was NU's top reserve at defensive tackle, listed as a co-#1 (1b) behind Thad Randle.  Rome wasn't wildly productive but still rose to the top of the depth chart as a sophomore.  Better things might have been expected from Rome, but he departed after the year.  Two-deep defensive end Joseph Carter also graduated, further depleting experienced depth.

In terms of returning players with experience, that leaves often-injured defensive tackle Thad Randle and defensive end Jason Ankrah as returning seniors.  Neither player finished in the top 11 in tackles among defenders a year ago.  Freshman Avery Moss appeared briefly in three games but was able to count 2012 as a redshirt year.  Sophomore defensive tackles Kevin Williams and Aaron Curry also got fairly light work.  The same can be said for junior defensive end Walker Ashburn who is the only other returning lineman to record at least one tackle in 2012.

Judging from the spring game, you might expect junior defensive tackle Jay Guy and junior defensive end Donovan Vestal to be in the mix.  Fans have yet to see big man in the middle freshman Vincent Valentine and freshman end Greg McMullen on the field but much is expected from each player.

They could also look to newcomers in the fall with juco transfer defensive end Randy Gregory or freshmen linemen Dimarya Mixon, A.J. Natter, Maliek Collins, Kevin Maurice, and Ernest Suttles.

There are just enough bodies to have some competition, but there seems a long way to go to replace what was lost let alone surpass it.  Hopefully, some of the issues in 2012 could be attributable to the coaching transitions on defense.  This year, the defensive linemen will need to maximize their abilities in order for the Huskers to achieve their goals.   

The Huskers will lose four scholarship seniors from the defensive backfield (Ciante Evans, Mohammed Seisay, Andrew Green, and Stanley Jean-Baptiste) as well as a letterman walk-on in Wil Richards after the 2013 season.  That makes defensive back a priority in recruiting even in what could be a smallish class.  

Hall joins safety recruit Luke Gifford in the class.  You could see Nebraska add 2-3 more defensive backs by signing day.  The other big priority will be on the offensive line.  NU will see five 2-deep players on the O-line depart after this season.  You'd then expect to see the Huskers add 2-3 defensive linemen to replace Jason Ankrah and Thad Randle (and walk-on Brodrick Nickens).  They'll likely add a quarterback with both Taylor Martinez and Ron Kellogg departing.  At least one fullback would be helpful with C.J. Zimmerer and Mike Marrow playing their last year.  A wide receiver would be helpful with Quincy Enunwa set to graduate.  A tight end to replace Jake Long and perhaps a linebacker to replace walk-on Colby Starkebaum would be welcome.  There's also the potential that a standout junior could depart for the NFL, so a running back behind Ameer Abdullah or a wideout behind Kenny Bell might be needed as well.

The pace of recruiting for Nebraska might not be considered rapid, but considering the number of slots available, it's hardly anything to panic about.  The early night games should help the Huskers bring in visitors so that by the end of September the list of commitments could be half done.  Of course, holding commitments until February is no small challenge. 

For now, the Huskers can put another one in the win column and we can also say that reports of the end of recruiting in Texas have been greatly exagerrated.

McCartney

Former Colorado head coach Bill McCartney will join the class of 2013 after leading the school to 93 wins over 14 years and CU's lone national championship.  McCartney had seemingly gotten the upper hand against Tom Osborne as his squad had gone 2-0-1 in three meetings against Nebraska leading up to his first encounter with Tommie Frazier.  Both teams entered the 1992 game on Halloween (and homecoming) night in Lincoln ranked eighth nationally.  True freshman Tommie Frazier rushed for 86 yards and threw two touchdown passes in a game the Huskers dominated 52-7.  A year later, Frazier would account for 236 total yards with the ultimately decisive touchdown pass to Corey Dixon in a 21-17 NU win over 20th ranked Colorado in Boulder where he garnered player of the game honors.  

Wuerffel
Florida quarterback Danny Wuerffel only faced Frazier a single time, but the impression that Frazier left was far greater.  He rushed for 199 yards and two touchdowns and passed for another 105 yards and a score.  Frazier's 75-yard touchdown run where seemingly every Gator had a chance to tackle him and failed is a highlight for the ages in college football.  

Other Victims
Past inductees also suffered at the hands of Frazier.  Jonathan Ogden was a member of a UCLA squad that lost twice to Frazier in 1993 and 1994.  Frazier threw the go-ahead touchdown against the Bruins in 1993.  The following year, Frazier passed for two touchdowns, rushed for another and added two rushes for 2-point conversions to beat UCLA in Lincoln.  War hero Pat Tillman was on the losing end of a 77-28 stomping that saw Frazier score two touchdowns, pass for two more and amass 191 yards in the air on just ten passes.  He very nearly victimized Bobby Bowden and Charlie Ward as well, particularly with a 300 yard day that nearly won NU a national championship after the 1993 season.

Down Goes Frazier (in History)
It may well have been Fraziers abuse of so many other Hall of Famers that made it impossible to ignore his candidacy any longer.  We'll likely continue to see other victims of Frazier's make their way into the Hall.  For now, it's good to see things finally made right where Frazier was concerned.  He is an all-timer's all-timer.   

Recruiting
First, is the recruiting piece.  It can be hard for recruits to make it to Lincoln in time for games when they kickoff near mid-day.  The late start eliminates that issue.  Considering how cold games can become later in the year, the chance to get players on campus when the weather is still pretty nice seems like a particularly good thing.  Night games also tend to create an electric atmosphere, which probably adds to the experience for most recruits as well.

Noise
Nebraska is 37-5 in home night games all time.  Those five losses all came to teams that at least won their division if not their conference.  All of those teams won their bowl games (four of them BCS bowls).  Two of those teams became national champions.  The environment has been so hard for opposing teams to handle, that only outstanding teams have had an opportunity to escape with a victory.  

Between the recruiting boost and the home crowd advantage, you'd almost like to see every game played at night (at least early in the year).  Thankfully, the Huskers will get to start the season that way, not just once but twice. 

The potential game would happen in 2014, a year where Penn State will be postseason-less due to the awful things that you need not be reminded about.  Central Florida was a contender in Conference USA and now joins the Big East but still is not a huge brand nationally, let alone internationally.  The Knights would give up a home date to make the trip to Ireland to face the Nittany Lions.  

Other than a pair of Irish coaches in O'Leary and O'Brien, you don't have a lot to sell to Irish fans beyond the chance to see American college football.  While there's surely at least a smattering of Penn State alums abroad or willing to make the trip, you'd imagine the game will be played in a much emptier venue than the one Notre Dame managed to populate.

So why go to the trouble?  In a word - recruiting.  You can't promise a bowl game to a Penn State recruit for 2014, but a trip to Ireland sounds pretty cool doesn't it?  Mack Brown tried a similar trick with a road date at Hawaii on his schedule in his early days at Texas.  Of course, after Hawaii started to look like a competitive team that might actually win such a matchup, the Longhorns cancelled the game citing travel costs.  But the hay was already in the barn in terms of the recruiting benefit.  

I wouldn't expect Penn State to cancel the trip to Ireland, but you'd wonder whether this trip would happen if the school weren't dealing with its current sanctions.  Central Florida might also benefit both in recruiting and gaining exposure with the trip to Ireland.  Their home venue hasn't exactly become mistaken for Gainesville or Tallahassee on game days.  Still, as a Penn State fan, mixing in a football game with a trip to Disneyland would have had definite appeal and wouldn't have cost the arm and a leg that Ireland will.

It seems fairly likely that this game won't live up to the last one played in Ireland.  You can't fault these schools for playing it though.

Pinstripe
There's plenty to do in New York, but how much of it do you want to be doing in late December?  In particular, do you want to be sitting in an outdoor stadium for 5 hours or so in the evening?  Nebraskans can take the cold, but that doesn't mean they love it.   If this were just a replacement for the Little Caesars in Detroit, that would be one thing.  But if we're swapping out Florida that's a tougher sell.

Holiday
Like the Pinstripe, the Holiday Bowl is a pre-New Year's Day event.  That works OK if you're taking an extended break from Christmas through New Year's but may not be so good if you have precious little vacation time available.  Like Florida, the weather is fairly pleasant and there's much for tourists in Southern California (certainly more than Jacksonville).  It's still probably not on par with Orlando or Miami as a deep-winter destination.  You'd probably give the edge to San Diego over Tampa, but maybe not a huge one.

That doesn't leave a whole lot of stones unturned.  The Las Vegas Bowl would certainly be a fun trip.  So would the New Orleans Bowl (and Sugar).  The Hawaii Bowl would be a tremendous experience but the price tag is awfully hefty.  The Alamo Bowl was a fairly kind destination in the past but also probably no better than Tampa as place to visit.  It's probably not a terrible idea for the Big Ten to be shopping around.  The real hope for Husker fans is that they only wind up travelling to playoff destination cities so that this discussion becomes moot anyway.

Nowhere did we hear Carnes play the blame game.  He showed flexibility in offering to try a new position.  In fact, you might have gotten the impression that quarterback turned wide receiver Jamal Turner would have been the one to opt to go elsewhere as his early dissatisfaction seemed more palpable.

You also have to give Carnes credit for sticking through spring practice.  He really did appear to want to make things work, rather than pack it up mid-year.  That makes a lot of sense both as a player and a student. 

By opting for Northern Iowa, he heads to a winning FCS program.  The recent NFL draft showed that FCS players can get an opportunity at the next level.  Perhaps Carnes thinks the move gives him his best chance for that to happen.

Maybe Carnes didn't live up to every expectation he had or that fans may have wanted.  But he also did nothing to bring shame to Nebraska and leaves honorably for the next chapter in his collegiate career. 

Boils Down to One Game
If you knew the outcome of the game between Nebraska and Michigan, and that the Huskers would win, it would be a different story.  NU would likely go no worse than 6-1 in their other conference games making a win in Ann Arbor decisive for the division.  So picking Michigan to win the division is pretty much synonymous with picking them as a favorite to win that game.

The Big House
There are certainly reasons to like Michigan.  They fared much better against the Huskers in Ann Arbor in 2011 than they did in Lincoln in 2012.  Devin Gardner appears to be a much better quarterback than Russell Bellomy, who played much of the game after starter Denard Robinson was injured.  They face a Nebraska team that loses most of its defense after holding the Wolverines to 9 points a year ago.

The Husker Offense
But then there are things to like about Nebraska.  They bring back virtually the entire offense from a year ago while Michigan replaces a majority of its defensive front seven.  Starting quarterback Taylor Martinez has played in Ann Arbor before and should bring the poise of a senior rather than the relative wide-eyedness of an underclassman.  

That's not to say the Huskers will or should be favored, only that they should have more than a puncher's chance to win that game and by extension the Legends division.

The Calendar
Regardless of what the nonconference slate looked like, the fourth game of the year would be the one most likely to encroach on the conference schedule.  Other teams and conferences have managed around this in the past.  There can often be an early conference game offset by a nonconference game later in the year.  Still, cancelling the fourth game reduces the change that any other game would need to be cancelled or rescheduled.

Redundancy
The head scratching thing about the game when it was initially announced was that it was going to occur one week before Nebraska travelled to Northwestern (just outside Chicago in Evanston).  The Huskers had success getting fans to travel to last year's game against the Wildcats, but it might be a bit of a stretch to ask fans to travel to the same city two weekends in a row.  The Big Ten schedule will likely be reshuffled, but Northwestern will still be on the schedule in 2016.  All else equal, you'd have to think that the Big Ten would seek to maintain the existing alternate year home-and-home scheduling of conference games which makes you think there's greater than a 50% chance that the Huskers would head to Evanston in that season.  

All About the Benjamins
While it would certainly provide NU a home field advantage to keep three home games and discard the road date on the conference schedule, the even bigger factor might be monetary.  The Huskers stand to make more for just about every home game they play than for any contest played on the road (even at a somewhat neutral site, like Chicago).  If Nebraska is going to be best off dollars-wise cancelling the game against Northern Illinois, then it shouldn't take more than one guess to figure out which game they're going to ax.  The buyout is bigger for that game than Tennessee, but that could be more than offset by the profit earned by playing at home and the savings on travel.

With all the change that's occurred in college football, 2016 may as well be 2116 considering all that could take place over the next three or four years.  Still, with what we know today, it sure seems like the game in Chicago against Northern Illinois is the biggest candidate for cancellation.

Burkhead
Rex Burkhead is one of five players in what will likely be a four-man running back rotation in Cincinnati.  While he could hang on as a practice squad player, he'll need to beat out someone to make the main 47-man roster and he might have to rise to third on the depth chart to make the active roster.  Benjarvus Green-Ellis would be the presumptive starter for the Bengals as he's rushed for over 1,000 yards in two of the last three seasons.  Giovani Bernard was a second-round draft pick and the first running back selected in the 2013 NFL draft.  The smallish back could have durability and pass protection issues but otherwise was very productive both rushing and receiving.  Bernard Scott was re-signed to a one-year deal after tearing his ACL last October.  Scott was a small change-of-pace back that Giovani could make obsolete.  Cedric Peerman was productive in limited duty a year ago and also appeared on special teams.  That's five guys for three or four jobs. 

Stafford
Daimion Stafford joins a crowded field competing for jobs at safety in Tennessee.  Bernard Pollard was signed from Baltimore and is penciled in as a starter.  Michael Griffith is penciled in as the other starter and is in just the second year of a big five-year contract.  Robert Johnson had emerged as a top reserve at safety before tearing ligaments in his foot late in the season.  George Wilson was signed in the offseason after a number of productive years in Buffalo.  He's penciled in as a two-deep player.  Al Afalava was mostly a special teams player pressed into duty a year ago before being sidelined with a high ankle sprain.  Tracy Wilson was mostly a practice squad player a year ago.  Markelle Martin was signed as a rookie but then missed the season due to a knee injury a year ago.  The Titans own the rights to Suaesi Tuimaunei, who never saw the field as a rookie a year ago.  With four jobs already seemingly taken and probably not more than five spots (including the practice squad), it looks like an uphill battle for Stafford to make the cut from 9 to 5.

Redskins
The Redskins had recently been a haven for Husker players.  Last year, their roster featured Adam Carriker, Roy Helu, Niles Paul, and Dejon Gomes.  Will Compton was also just signed as an undrafted free agent.  But depending upon how competition plays out, Washington could feature anywhere from one to five of these guys in the fall.  Carriker appears to be in a good position with little competition at defensive end.  Compton faces more competition at inside linebacker.  London Fletcher is getting old but he will play this year.  Perry Riley has played well as the other starter.  Three reserves as inside linebackers are holdovers from a year ago and all contributed at least somewhat.    He'll have to beat out at least one of these players to make the roster and possibly two.  

Roy Helu was part of a four-man running back group after losing time to injury.  The Redskins just drafted a pair of smallish running backs in rounds five and seven that could help in the backfield and on special teams.  Alfred Morris is sure to return ahead of Helu and Evan Royster was a durable (but unspectacular option) a year ago.  The same could be said about the veteran Keiland Williams.  Helu better show that he can be healthy and productive if he wants to remain on the team. 

Dejon Gomes saw two safeties drafted in rounds 4 and 6 in addition to what returns.  Brandon Merriweather and Reed Doughty would be the incumbent starting tandem.  Jordan Pugh is again in the mix along with the healing Jordan Bernstine and suspended Tanard Jackson.  That eight guys for five spots not counting Devin Holland, who's also under contract.

Niles Paul will be one of four tight ends.  Thankfully, Redskin head coach Mike Shanahan seems to like all four of his tight ends and talked about the possibility of dressing four tight ends.  Paul's history as a receiver means he could potentially make the team in that role as well.  Still, four tight ends is a luxury, not a necessity.  Fred Davis was explosive when healthy.  Logan Paulsen is the prototypical blocking tight end.  New draftee Jordan Reed is thought to be a Davis-like receiving talent.  Paul will have to prove he;s worth space on the roster.  

These are just a few examples of the kind of battles facing Nebraska alums.  There are about three dozen players attached to NFL franchises at the moment.  By September, that number will undoubtedly be smaller as rosters shrink. 

Georgia saw two pass rushers go off the board.  Outside linebacker Jarvis Jones went 17th to Pittsburgh and inside 'backer Alec Ogletree went 30th to St. Louis.  Against the Huskers, Jones managed two sacks, a pass breakup and a quarterback hurry.  He had eight tackles on the day.  Ogletree had an even bigger day.  He led the Bulldogs with 13 tackles including a sack, a forced fumble, a recovered fumble, two quarterback hurries and an additional two tackles for loss.  Ogletree forced the fumble from Ameer Abdullah on a third and one play when Nebraska was in Georgia territory and the game was tied 31-31.  One of his hurries led to a Taylor Martinez interception.  Take away these two playmakers and you might have had a very different game.

UCLA saw defensive end Datone Jones go the Green Bay Packers with the 26th pick.  Jones had three tackles for losses against Nebraska.  All three tackles helped kill drives by the Huskers and one of them was the safety that gave the Bruins a 29-27 lead midway through the fourth quarter.  Take away Jones and you might have seen NU escape Pasadena with a victory.

The impact of Wisconsin center Travis Frederick is both hard to quantify and easy to describe.  In the rematch between the Badgers and Huskers, he was part of an offensive line that paved the way for 539 rushing yards.  If you can stomach rewatching highlights, you'll see that he was extremely effective.  He routinely moved men out of the middle and seemed able to get blocks on linebackers whenever he wanted.  While you probably can't say that Wisconsin won solely because of Frederick, he probably contributed to the margin of victory.

The takeaway here might be that teams need playmakers, particularly in big games.  The Huskers didn't have a first round pick this year and likely won't have a second or third rounder either.  The Huskers didn't have a first team all-conference defender on the team.  Once second-teamer Baker Steinkuhler got hurt, things got much worse for the defense.  
The NFL draft isn't everything.  The Huskers didn't have a first round draft pick following the 1994 national championship season, while opponents like Colorado and Miami did.  That Nebraska team did see players go off the board in rounds 2 and 3 though.  Hopefully, we won't see a draft that's this quiet for NU again for a long time.

The great minds that brought you the BCS and the Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl, now bring you the "College Football Playoff".  Just what is the College Football Playoff?  If you have to ask, then you need to go lie down.

This is truth in advertising folks.  Four teams will play a single elimination tournament until a single champion remains.  No need to be confused.  Sure they could call it the "FBS Football Playoff".  But who's kidding who?  Do we really consider games between FCS schools "college football"?

While it's still more than a year away, I can hardly wait to watch the College Football Playoff as I enjoy BEER.

Virginia Tech fans were treated to the latter in their recent spring game.  The 27-9 final score exagerrates the offensive prowess of the Hokies.  In a starters versus reserves format, the backups were awarded 13 points before the game started.  The bench then returned two interceptions for touchdowns.  They reserves conceded a safety of their own before finally allowing a touchdown with starting quarterback Logan Thomas on the sideline.  

The Hokies finished 81st nationally in scoring offense a year ago.  They brought in new coaches for the offense which is how they'd explain the spring game disaster.  They attribute the problems to having installed only a quarter of the offense.  Michigan State was an even more extreme example.  They had a top ten scoring defense paired with a bottom fifteen defense (out of 120 teams).

Meanwhile, Nebraska is closer to the other extreme.  The Huskers finished 9th in scoring defense in the Big Ten with particularly bad defensive showings against Wisconsin and Georgia to end the year.  The offense was a brighter spot as the Huskers ranked second in scoring only to Ohio State in the Big Ten.

So if your team was going to look the same in the win-loss column, which would you rather be?  Would you want to see your team struggle to put points on the board in losses, or look helpless on defense?  Would you trade with Virginia Tech?  Not the most appealing choice, but one we've sadly seen the team faced with in one form or another over the last several years.

There is virtually no history between Nebraska and Purdue.  A single football game was played between the schools in 1958 in West Lafayette.  The Boilermakers won 28-0 as part of a 6-1-2 season.  The Huskers went 3-7 that year.  

Things have gone very differently for the two schools since then.  Nebraska has more wins (481) over the last fifty years than any other school in college football.  Purdue has nearly 200 fewer at 283.  Even if we look over just the last five years, the Huskers have won 48 games to just 26 for the Boilermakers.  This does not look like a classic rivalry in the making.  This is more like resuming the annual series with Iowa State.

West Lafayette could become a fairly benign road venue for Husker fans.  But then getting to Purdue's campus won't be as easy as road tripping to Ames.  It's nine hours and change from Lincoln to West Lafayette by car.  A trip to Indiana's campus would add an hour.  If you're flying, both schools are a little over an hour from Indianapolis, with Indiana being slightly closer.  
Purdue fans might feel grateful that they avoided the division that featured Ohio State, Michigan, Michigan State, Penn State, and Rutgers.  Still, they have a losing record against each of their new division rivals save for Illinois (and the Nebraska team they haven't played) over the past five seasons.  There work is cut out for them in any case.

Bell could also see his name in the record books for special teams, if he continues to handle kickoff returns.  In two years, he's returned 20 kicks for 477 yards.  If he duplicated that over the next two seasons, he'd edge out Johnny Rodgers for seventh place all time as a kick returner.  If instead, he duplicates his sophomore production twice over, he'd climb a notch higher, into sixth place ahead of Cortney Grixby.

Bell hasn't been used a great deal in the run game.  He has just 5 carries over two seasons.  That still provided 108 yards and a touchdown (most of it on an 82-yard reverse for a score as a freshman).  That gives him 12 total touchdowns over two seasons, on pace to crack the top 35 all-time in scoring if he matched that production over the next two years.  If he matched last season twice more, that would move him into the top twenty-five on the all-time scoring list.

These projections only ask Bell to duplicate what he's done.  Who's to say he can't raise the bar and be even better?  Not only would he go down as perhaps NU's top receiver, but also a standout scorer and return man.  Of course, he'll also need to resist injury and the temptation to jump to the NFL a year early.  Bell's frame might keep the NFL at bay, but it also means he might need some good luck to stay healthy. 

In any case, seeing Bell in the same offense with an all-time producer at quarterback in Taylor Martinez and a potential all-timer at running back/punt returner in Ameer Abdullah gives the Huskers an enviable trio of scoring threats. 

Braxton Rules
No surprise that a returning starter from an undefeated team would top the list.  Ohio State's Braxton Miller is deadly as a runner and was second only to Martinez in pass efficiency last year.  Athlon also considers him the front-runner for the Heisman trophy.  Hard to quibble with that pick.  The scary thing is that he's only a junior.  Good thing that the only way the Huskers see Miller is if they are playing in the Big Ten championship game.

Gardner Coming on Strong
Michigan junior Devin Gardner was actually a more efficient passer than either Miller or Martinez in 2012.  He just threw too few passes to be ranked in the official statistics.  He wasn't the runner the Miller or Martinez were, but he runs well enough to keep defenses honest.  He makes the game in Michigan a particularly daunting one for the Huskers.  

Two Heads Better than One?
Northwestern ranks fourth when viewed as a tandem of Kain Colter and Trevor Siemian.  Colter is an impressive a runner but not all that impressive as a passer (fewer than 6 yards per attempt).  Siemian isn't much better throwing the ball (though to be fair, he had to concede some of the more favorable passing situations to Colter).  Florida once thrived using two quarterbacks, but they are the exception.  It would seem that if the Wildcats wanted to make the step from good to great, they'd commit to Colter as their quarterback.

NU to Face the Bottom Half of Big Ten Quarterbacks
Numbers seven through twelve in Athlon's Big Ten QB rankings are all on NU's schedule.  You could quibble about how Martinez compares with Gardner or Hundley, but the Huskers will have a decided advantage when they face Michigan State's Andrew Maxwell (without Le'Veon Bell), Penn State's Steven Bench (who?), Minnesota's Philip Nelson (OK runner, bad passer), Illinois QB Nathan Scheelhaase (good runner, bad passer), Purdue's Rob Henry (OK runner, OK passer), and Iowa's Jake Ruddock (see Bench).  
 

Much of Berringer's college career was simply mop-up duty.  But his junior year (1994) was different.  That was the year that Tommie Frazier battled blood clots and Berringer was called upon to start a number of critical games for the Huskers.  He suffered a collapsed lung against Wyoming but returned to the game.  His play when NU hosted second-ranked Colorado was pivotal to the outcome as he repeatedly completed passes to his tight ends.

In the national championship game, he entered and threw a touchdown pass before giving way to Tommie Frazier.  It's hard to imagine 1994 as a national championship season for Nebraska without Berringer.  

This year, he'd be turning 40.  The statue in his honor will make sure that new fans learn about him.  To this day, he is missed.

• Trey Foster and Sam Cotton may be battling for the #2 tight end job.  Jared Blum and David Sutton might be third to fifth.  It's not unheard of to use five tight ends in a season.  
• Thomas Brown appears set to make the two-deep at linebacker as does Jared Afalava, Trevor Roach, Michael Rose, and Zaire Anderson.  Courtney Love, Colby Starkebaum and Austin Williams might make the three-deep.
• LeRoy Alexander appears set to make the two deep at safety and Wil Richards might make the three-deep.  D.J. Singleton could be a two-deep player as well.
• Stanley Jean-Baptiste remains a two-deep player at corner and Charles Jackson is at least a three-deep player.  Mo Seisay also appears to remain a two-deep player as does Josh Mitchell.
• Jordan Westerkamp is likely at least a three-deep player at wide receiver along with Alonzo Moore.  
• Walker Ashburn looks like a two-deep defensive end as does Avery Moss.  Donovan Vestal looks like a three-deep player.  
• Aaron Curry looks like a two-deep player at defensive tackle.  Jay Guy looks like a three-deep player.  
• With so many guys back on the offensive line, there's not much room to crack the two-deep there, though Zach Sterup and Mike Moudy would be candidates to do so.
• If not for the declaration that Tommy Armstrong was #2, you might give Ron Kellogg the edge based on his play.
• Andy Janovich and C.J. Zimmerer may hold the top two spots at fullback.

Things can change by September.   For now, we've got some idea of what the depth chart might look like though.

The Current Roster
The Badgers aren't in a terrible position to implement a 3-4 defense when you look at the current roster.  You need some big defensive linemen.  Senior Beau Allen at 333 lbs. is prototypical size for a 3-4 nose tackle.   Beyone Allen, only junior Bryce Gilbert (307) is north of 300 lbs.   You also want some ends at 280 lbs. or more.  Senior Ethan Hemer goes 296, junior Warren Herring goes 286, and freshman Arthur Goldberg goes 282 are the only three defensive players that fill that bill.  That means you're forced to play someone undersized in the two-deep.  You also need big outside linebackers that can be both pass rushers and cover potential receivers.  Only three linebackers go over 230 lbs. and the only one over 240 is Chris Borland who played on the inside a year ago.

The Future
There's still time to bulk up some over the summer, but otherwise the Badgers are going to need to grab some big recruits and fast  before graduation strips them of much of the limited size that they do have.  They can offer playing time but otherwise it's not clear why Wisconsin fans should expect that all of a sudden the recruiting in Madison will improve substantially.  Their best recruiting ranking in the Big Ten in the last five years was sixth.  They've even been twelfth.  To their credit, they've outperformed their recruiting over the years but that was a bit easier when they ran a defense that's not so hard to recruit to.

If Wisconsin is to become Nebraska's big rival for the future, the success of the Badger's 3-4 defense should be a major element in how things play out.  It's uniqueness could cause some problems.  At the same time, without proper personnel Nebraska could certainly take advantage.  In 2002, with perhaps it's worst Husker team in 40 years, Nebraska overpowered a Texas A&M team in College Station that ran a 3-4 but was undersized up front.  Maybe that game will typify what's to come. 

College Costs
Bob Stoops estimated that the cost of college at the University of Oklahoma for out of state kids (the majority of his roster) at around $200,000.  Even you accept the more modest estimate of $150,000 that OU tells prospective students, that's a lot of money.  That's money that a lot of kids (if not most) who attend the school must pay back with interest and for some that may take decades to dig out of.  How many of them would trade places with a student-athlete to get their college paid for?  Just about all of them.  Don't believe me?  Look at the millions who join the military to afford school, trading freedoms and safety for a chance at a better life.  Going to practices, working out and playing games is hardly out of line compared to that.

Perks Abound
Let's not also pretend there aren't perks to being a player that others wouldn't enjoy beyond the room, board, and books they receive.  The kids are often on-campus (if not national) celebrities which provides some terrific dating options, not to mention some outstanding post-college career opportunities.  They receive bags of swag for every bowl game.  They get free tutoring.  And oh yeah, some of them are admitted to the school with high school grades and SAT scores below the standards of what the school would typically seek.  Hard to put a dollar value on all of that, but it's certainly greater than zero.  

Degree of Difference
Carping about the players not receiving money also sends a horrible message about the value of a college degree.  The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that a person who graduates high school but does not attend college would be expected to earn $1.37 million over the course of their working life (40 years).  That number goes up by more than $1 million for a person who earns a bachelors degree.  Increasing someone's lifetime earnings by over 70% is something the NCAA needs to apologize for?  I don't buy it.  

An Area to Expand
There is one area where the NCAA ought to do more for athletes.  If an athlete sustains an injury on behalf of their college team, especially the kind that will affect them chronically throughout their life, the healthcare costs ought to be borne by the schools.  Healthcare costs  are the leading cause of personal bankruptcy according to a Harvard study.  It doesn't seem right for the student to accept all the risk.  Returning to the military analogy, an army veteran is entitled to VA Healthcare for life.  It stands to reason that colleges would similarly care for those that are badly injured playing for their school.

Sadly, these rational arguments seldom hit home with those who think that collegiate stars ought to be compensated like professionals.  Six figures of tuition, room, and board, a seven-figure increase in their expected lifetime earnings, and all the other perks are hardly meaningless.  If they were, we wouldn't see kids lining up for these opportunities.  It's not just a fair deal, but a great one.  Kudos to Stoops for having the courage to point that out.
 

The other highlight that might stand out is the broken play where Ron Kellogg found Jake Long for a big gain.  Jackson came from the other side of the field to make the touchdown-saving tackle.  Beyond that, you see that a lot of the bigger plays by the White team were made on the opposite side of the field from Jackson.  It appeared the offense might have been seeking to avoid him.  

Like Cooper, Jackson is listed as 210 lbs.  While listed as only an inch taller than Cooper, he doesn't look as thick.  His build is more like a safety than a linebacker.  He appears comfortable in coverage, which might explain why the white team seemed to avoid his side of the field.

In addition to the aforementioned highlights, he made a solo stop of King Frazier on second and three for a two yard gain. Similarly, he helped Trevor Roach stop running backs short of first downs a couple of times and another time combined with defensive end Donovan Vestal.  He  assisted on a tackle of Jake Long a second time and on a short gainer to Jordan Westerkamp.   

Like Cooper, you come away with the sense that he can tackle.  That provides yet another ray of hope that some of the poor run defense of a year ago could be shored up.  His support in coverage was certainly evident as well.  Jackson appears ready to be the kind of safety NU will need in 2013.  By season's end, it wouldn't be terribly surprising if Jackson was getting some second team or honorable mention all-conference recognition.   

Cooper played on the White team and unfortunately was burned on a couple of highlights.  One was the impressive thread the needle throw and catch from Tommy Armstrong to Brandon Reilly along the sideline.  The other saw Cooper take a bad angle on the Alonzo Moore touchdown from Armstrong.  He was also too late to prevent the Zimmerer touchdown, but it appeared his responsibility on that play was to help the corner on the outside.  He was sealed off by traffic on a Cross touchdown run that was well-blocked.

What caught your eye though was him laying the wood to running back Murat Kuzu on an option play near the sideline.  Kuzu is listed at 195 lbs., but it didn't appear that Cooper was only 15 pounds bigger than Kuzu.  Being unable to tackle runners once they got into the secondary was a sad repeated theme a year ago.  Perhaps having a safety as big and tough as a linebacker can help put a stop to that.  

Cooper's size probably helped him tie for the lead in unassisted tackles on Saturday.  His power also helped him force a fumble.  He still has a ways to go both in taking the proper angles and making plays when the ball arrives, but perhaps the days of ball carriers running through arm tackles in the secondary will be over.  Cooper might be the kind of safety you need in the Big Ten, where the runners do far more damage than the receivers.  

It's an interesting question whether a safety can get too big.  When NFL safety LaRon Landry was tweeting pictures of himself looking like Mr. Universe, there were definitely thoughts that he might lift himself right out of the league.  He ended up making the Pro Bowl and just landed a big contract with the Colts.  In his case, big didn't seem to mean too big.  Hopefully, the same will be true for Cooper. 

His forecast has Nebraska coming in ranked #17, the highest ranking for any team in the Legends Division.  Next is Michigan at #19, followed by Northwestern at #20.  Not wildly different from the final polls a year ago that had Northwestern at #17, Michigan at #24 and the Huskers at #25.  UCLA ranks #23 in his forecast and Ohio State #2.  Wisconsin was #24 as the only other Big Ten team or scheduled opponent for NU to appear in the forecast.

So what kind of math by voters would put the Huskers ahead of the Wolverines to end the season?  There seems to be only two ways that could happen, either a straight up victory by Nebraska over Michigan in Ann Arbor or a better record to end the season.  I imagine it's the latter just judging by the rankings.  At first blush, Nebraska would appear to get the edge over UCLA and Northwestern since both teams must travel to Lincoln and are ranked below the Huskers.  Even with a loss at Michigan, that could leave NU at 11-1 in the regular season.  Meanwhile, Michigan ranks well below Notre Dame (#7) and Ohio State.  The Wolverines might well have to face the Buckeyes twice.  Pencil in a pair of bowl losses to SEC foes for NU and Michigan and you'd have an 11-2 Nebraska team and a 10-4 Michigan team.  An 11-2 NU squad would probably be ranked higher than #17, so that would suggest that the Huskers stumble somewhere else.  That could be the aforementioned UCLA or Northwestern or potentially at Penn State.  Or else, they really underacheive dropping a road game at Purdue or Minnesota or serving up a stinker at home against Wyoming, Southern Miss, South Dakota State, Illinois, Michigan State or Iowa.

Of course, the preseason expectations of AP voters should be taken with a huge grain of salt.  Last year's preseason AP rankings had Ohio State at #18.  The Buckeyes went undefeated.  They didn't feature 10-3 Northwestern.  They ranked Michigan State #13.  The Spartans went 7-6.  Arkansas was a top ten team in the preseason.  The Razorbacks went 4-8.  USC  was ranked #1 and the Trojans went 7-6.  There are other examples, but  you get the picture.

Still, you'd rather be at the top of your division in these kind of rankings than at the bottom.  It didn't hurt Alabama to start last season ranked second, Oregon fifth, or Georgia sixth.  They all won 12 games and finished in the top 5.  Finishing #17 wouldn't be a banner year for Nebraska but it might imply breaking the streak of four-loss seasons.  Losing fewer than four games is something all Husker fans can get behind.     
 

Punting Can Wait
Fans didn't see a punt until Ryker Fyfe entered the game at quarterback for the White team late in the second quarter.  Neither defense recorded a sack until the third quarter.  The only scholarship running back (Imani Cross) managed nearly eight yards per carry with a touchdown.  The top three quarterbacks went a combined 24 for 29 passing for 355 yards and three touchdowns.  

Tight Ends Have Impact
The tight ends were effective in the passing game.  Sam Cotton led the Red team with three catches.  Jake Long led all receivers with 72 yards.  Jared Blum got into the act with three catches.  David Sutton had a touchdown catch.  Trey Foster caught a ball.  

Wideouts Show Well
The wide receivers were more quietly effective as well.  Alonzo Moore flashed some of the explosiveness we'd been hearing by catching two passes for 59 yards and a touchdown.  Jordan Westerkamp was more of a possession guy, but led all receivers with four catches.  One highlight was a move-the-chains catch ahead of Ciante Evans on a slant.  

Kicking Looks Good
Sam Foltz averaged over 44 yards apiece on five punts.  Mauro Bondi averaged nearly 61 yards per kickoff and hit a 50-yard field goal.  His 58-yard attempt had plenty of leg as did Spencer Lindsay's 47-yard attempt.  Lindsay was similarly good on kickoffs.  So unless we credit the wind, it appears there may not be much drop off in the kicking department without Brett Maher.  

Back Seven Defenders Rack Up Tackles
Corey Cooper and Harvey Jackson each tied for second on their respective teams in tackles.  The young linebackers did their share as well, particularly Thomas Brown (7 tackles, 2 for loss), Michael Rose (8 tackles), and Courtney Love (5 tackles).  Walk-ons led the way though as Trevor Roach led all tacklers with 10 and was followed up by Colby Starklebaum (8), who had a pair of sacks on the day. 

Defensive Line Largely Quiet
Aaron Curry managed five tackles from his defensive tackle spot.  Jay Guy had three stops at tackle.  Donovan Vestal managed three takedowns with a sack at defensive end.  Jason Ankrah also had three stops including one for loss at end.  

Questions Remain
You couldn't take this game as a sign that all of the defensive problems had been solved.  But even if they had been, it might not have shown up in this setting.  Thankfully, no major injury appeared to occur during the game.  There was a pretty large contingent of players held out of the game (RB Ameer Abdullah, DT Thad Randle, CB Andrew Green, WR Taariq Allen, LB David Santos, OL Ryne Reeves, CB Daniel Davie, DT Tobi Okuyemi, plus several more walk-ons).  By August, the roster will absorb new talent and hopefully the defense will be able to come together and be sharp.  Four months can go by pretty fast when the weather is good, but we'll be here regardless. 

The old Southwestern Conference was seemingly killed by its inability to play by the rules.  SMU received the death penalty.  There were a number of additional probations and penalties as well before a few survivors limped into the Big 12.  Oklahoma was certainly in the orbit of the "dirty South" and has about as many major probations to its name as it does national championships.

One major change has occurred since those days, however.  The money has grown exponentially.  You get the sense that the NCAA has lost the stomach to hand out harsh penalties.  As bad as things got at USC when the Reggie Bush scandal emerged, the penalties weren't enough to keep the Trojans from being a preseason favorite to win it all last year.  Penn State might be an exception, but then Sandusky's crimes go so far beyond anything seen in college football that it's hardly fair to compare.

Some of us were incredulous that Cam Newton was allowed to continue his college career when news broke of his family soliciting money when he was recruited.  Could Auburn really emerge unscathed again?  What, if anything, might that mean for Will Muschamp at Florida (and also during his time at Texas)?

If the SEC was going to fall off its perch, these kind of scandals were certainly one way that it could happen.  We've seen this movie before.