Nebraska Football: Previewing the Cornhuskers' Holiday Bowl Against Washington

For fans of the Nebraska Cornhuskers watching the Holiday Bowl (9:00 p.m. central, ESPN, Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, CA):

YOU'LL BE HAPPY IF ...

- THE MAGIC IS BACK: NU head coach Bo Pelini has already said that Taylor Martinez will start at quarterback for Nebraska. Martinez dazzled the college football world against Washington in September, but that was before injuries robbed him of his T-Magic superpowers and left him a mortal, inexperienced freshman in over his head against Oklahoma in the Big XII title game. With nearly a month to recover and facing a far softer defense than the Sooners, NU will hope Martinez can get back a little of the T-Magic.

- A SUNDAY STATEMENT IS MADE: A number of Nebraska seniors, notably cornerback Prince Amukamura and kicker Alex Henery, will be hoping the Holiday Bowl stage (such as it is, with a 10 pm eastern kickoff time) can help them showcase their talents one final time, before the NFL combines and workouts begin. 

- HELU SAYS GOODBYE WITH A BANG: Roy Helu will play his final game for Nebraska in the Holiday Bowl and may go down as one of the least appreciated running backs in the program's recent history (vying with Cory Ross, perhaps, for that dubious honor). Given that Martinez will likely be healthier than before, but not 100 percent, Helu's power and speed may be Nebraska's most potent weapon against Washington.

YOU'LL BE SAD IF ...

- THE CLICHES ARE TRUE: It's tough to beat a team twice. The team that's disappointed to be in a bowl game usually struggles. A rolling stone gathers no moss. OK, that last one might not be relevant, but the lead-up to the Holiday Bowl has been filled with "intangible" reasons why NU will struggle against Washington. While Nebraska enjoys a talent advantage over the Huskies at just about every position, sometimes there are reasons why things become cliches. If some of them prove true in the Holiday Bowl, NU will be disappointed.

- IT'S A SLOPPY TRACK: Amazingly, the weather in San Diego has not been perfect. Rains of Biblical proportions have fallen in the last week or so, flooding the area and putting the Qualcomm Stadium groundskeepers on overdrive. They did a phenomenal job getting the stadium ready for the Poinsettia Bowl (sorry, sorry, the "San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl") last week and it didn't appear that the field conditions had a significant impact on the game. But, if they aren't able to replicate their groundskeeping wizardry and the field is a sloppy mess, Nebraska's advantages in size and speed could be mitigated, giving Washington a better chance to win.

- CERTAIN NU PLAYERS HAVE TOO GOOD A GAME: Junior cornerback Alfonzo Dennard has already announced his return for his senior season. Junior defensive tackle Jared Crick has said he will evaluate his options after the season. But, if either player has a mind-boggling game, they could put themselves in a situation where the call of the NFL would be too much to resist. Come 2011, if one or both of those players leave early as a result of going nuts in the Holiday Bowl, that trophy not be quite as shiny.

THE BIG PICTURE

Certainly, all the intangibles point toward Washington making the Holiday Bowl a closer game than September's contest in Seattle. However, Nebraska is simply a better team than Washington, in all phases. Washington comes in at 6-6 and needed a three-game winning streak over three particularly bad clubs just to become bowl eligible.

Additionally, they are in the Holiday Bowl only because USC is on probation and ineligible to play in the postseason. The game will be closer than the one in Seattle, but Nebraska has enough of an advantage to win the game and cover ... barely.

FEARLESS FORECAST: Nebraska 31, Washington 16

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BONUS COVERAGE! I will be liveblogging the Holiday Bowl! Check back to Bleacher Report 30 minutes before kickoff and watch the game with me!