6 Bold Predictions for Nebraska Cornhuskers' First Big Ten Season
Could this be the year that the Cornhuskers return to dominance in college football?
Nebraska fans have been waiting, impatiently, for their team to return to the top of echelon of the college football ranks. For the past decade, the discussion of, “When will the Cornhuskers get back to what they were during the Tom Osborne years?” has been talked about throughout the state.
Cornhusker fans were spoiled in the 1980s and 1990s. At the turn of the century, the Cornhuskers took a big step back under coach Bill Callahan. Most Cornhusker fans thought the team would never be what it used to be.
When Bo Pelini became the head coach in 2008, the football program started to make its way back to the top. In Pelini’s first two seasons, the defense went from one of the worst in the country to one of the best, but the offense had a hard time catching up.
It seemed like every year the team would lose one or two games that they were supposed to win. In 2008, it was a lost to Missouri 52-17, in 2009 a 9-7 lost to Iowa State and in 2010 a 19-7 lost to Washington in the Holliday Bowl—a team the Cornhuskers beat 56-21 earlier in the season at Washington.
This is the year that the Cornhuskers return to the glory days. This is the year that Bo Pelini puts it all together and dominates college football both on defense and on the offense.
No one knows for sure what kind of offense the Cornhuskers will unleash this year, but most people believe Nebraska will get back to the power running game. They have the personnel and the coaches lined up to be the best rushing team in the country.
Last year, the Cornhuskers ranked eighth in the country in rushing, and they were running a spread passing offense.
The Cornhuskers will dominate on offense and defense, and as a result, will return to the top of college football.
Here are my six bold predictions for the Cornhuskers in their first season in the Big Ten.
Husker Win First BCS Bowl Since 1999 Season
1 of 8Can the Cornhuskers roll through the Big Ten, win the championship game and return to a BCS Bowl? I think they can!
Nebraska will make easy work of Tennessee Chattanooga, Fresno State, Wyoming, Minnesota and Northwestern.
I doubt the Huskers will overlook Washington in Lincoln this year. In the Holiday Bowl last year, the Huskers were not motivated to play. The Huskers were playing a team they already beat handily and returning to a bowl they were in the previous year.
The Huskers were embarrassed in the bowl game and revenge is a dish best served in Lincoln!
Michigan State is a talented team this year. I think the Huskers will win this game simply because it is in Lincoln. I don’t see Michigan State coming into Memorial Stadium, running fake field goals or picking up fourth and longs to win like they did in many of their games last season.
Michigan has one of the best quarterbacks in the country. Michigan also hired a new coach, Brady Hoke, who will try to install a spread passing attack.
How well will the running quarterback Denard Robinson be able to perform in that offense? I think he will struggle against the Blackshirts, while he will excel against other teams.
Iowa lost their senior quarterback, Ricky Stanzi to the NFL. The Hawkeyes are likely to start junior James Vandenberg at quarterback this year. Luckily for Iowa, the game against Nebraska is the last game of the regular season.
This means Vandenberg will have 11 games under his belt when he arrives in Lincoln. He has three big problems going against him though, namely Jared Crick, Lavonte David and Alfonso Denard.
I like the Blackshirts to show the Hawkeyes how real football is played!
The only thing Penn State has going for them is luck and playing at home. Hopefully, Penn State does not get an extra 10 yards out of bounds to make plays like they did against the Cornhuskers in 1983.
If you were alive, then you know what I am talking about. The facts about this game is that Penn State has a head coach who is on his way down while the Cornhuskers have a coach on his way up. Bo Pelini will fire up the Cornhuskers to take this one in Happy Valley.
The Cornhuskers will face their toughest test against Wisconsin in Madison. I think the Cornhuskers will lose this game, but it does not matter as long as the Cornhuskers are able to come back and beat Wisconsin in the Big Ten Championship Game, which I think they will.
Nebraska has been to the conference championship game the past two years and lost heartbreakers to Oklahoma and Texas. The pain of losing those games will fire up the Cornhuskers to win the first ever Big Ten championship, sending them to the Rose Bowl where they will beat Andrew Luck and his Stanford Cardinal.
I will cover the Ohio State in the next bold prediction...
Nebraska Crushes Ohio State in Its First Visit to Lincoln
2 of 8I did not forget Ohio State. If Nebraska loses to Wisconsin as I predicted, the team will be fired up when they return to Lincoln the next week against Ohio State. This is Ohio State’s first ever trip to Memorial Stadium.
In a typical year, Ohio State would be a nightmare on the Cornhusker schedule, but this is not a typical year for the Buckeyes. Ohio State has been dealing with NCAA infractions, and as a result, Jim Tressel is out as head coach, their starting quarterback from last year left the team and other players are suspended for the first five games of the 2011 season.
Nebraska just happens to be the sixth game on the schedule. While the suspended Ohio State players try to make their way back into the team, the Cornhuskers will have some anger to take out on someone. Unfortunately for Ohio State, they get to be, that someone!
I predict a similar score to last year’s Washington game, Nebraska 56 – Ohio State 17.
Taylor Martinez Invited to New York for the Heisman Ceremony
3 of 8If the Cornhuskers are able to make through the Big Ten with a record of 11-1, Taylor Martinez will be in the discussion for the Heisman.
When you think about it, “Martinez for Heisman” is not that hard to imagine. In his freshman year, Martinez was already talked about as a possible Heisman candidate. Before twisting his ankle against Missouri, Martinez averaged 138 rushing yards with 150 passing yards and three touchdowns per game.
He did this while operating out of a spread passing offense run by former offensive coordinator, Shawn Watson. If Martinez can get back to his old self, in the new offense built to match his style of play, Taylor Martinez will be sitting in one of the seats at the Downtown Athletic Club in New York, waiting to hear, “The winner of the 2011 Heisman trophy is…”
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
Nebraska Has Its Most Dominant Defense Ever
4 of 8It is almost blasphemy to say that this defense is the best in Cornhusker history, but I am not the first to predict this. The Blackshirts of the mid 1990s led by the Peter brothers, Grant Winstrom, Jared Tomich, Terrell Farely and Tyrone Williams, just to name a few, was dominating.
The Blackshirts of 2009 led by All-American Ndamukong Suh was also one of the best in the team’s history, but the 2011 Blackshirts will be the best ever!
How can I make such a prediction? Bo Pelini has said over and over that this defense is the deepest he has ever had. Led by All-Americans Jared Crick and Lavonte David and second team All-American Alphonso Denard, the 2011 Blackshirts defense has leadership and talent at each level.
The depth of the defense will allow the Blackshirts to stay fresh and bring more heat on opposing offenses. Teams in the Big Ten have never seen a defense like the Blackshirts. Before the opposing teams know what hit them, Nebraska will already be dominating the game, forcing offenses into predictable passing situations. One place a quarterback facing the Blackshirts does not want to be…in a predictable situation!
The last reason why this will be the best defense in Cornhusker history is because the Pelini brothers are in their fourth year of installing their defensive plan.
Defensive Coordinator, Carl Pelini has made comments of how this defense is so far ahead of any defense he has ever coached. He made those comments two weeks into summer practice!
If the Blackshirts are that far ahead already…where will they be a month into the season!
Cornhuskers Dominate Postseason Awards
5 of 8I already covered Taylor Martinez Heisman trophy run, but there are other Cornhuskers who will also be taking home postseason awards.
Eight Cornhuskers have already landed on National Award watch list:
Taylor Martinez - Davey O’Brien and Maxwell Award (Best Quarterback)
Rex Burheard - Doak Walker Award (Best Running Back)
Kyler Reed - John Mackey Award (Best Tight End)
Mike Caputo – Remington Award (Best Center)
Alphonso Denard – Jim Thorpe Award (Best Defensive Back) and Chuck Bednarik Award (Best Defensive Player)
Lovonte David – Butkus Award (Best Linebacker) Lombardi Award (Best lineman) and Chuck Bednarik
Cameron Meredith – Lombardi Award
Jared Crick – Walter Camp (Player of the Year) Outland Award (Best lineman) Lombardi Award and Chuck Bednarik Award
The end of the season award show, broadcast on ESPN, may have to change the title to the “Nebraska Award Show.”
Bo Pelini Goes the Entire Season without Lashing out at the Media
6 of 8If the previous five bold predictions come true, the last bold prediction may come true as well.
Nebraska fans know how much Bo Pelini loves to hate the media. How many times have we heard him say, “I’m not going to talk about that.” or “You watched the game, what did you see happen?”
The previous five bold predictions almost have an easier time coming true than this one. Even when the team is playing well, Bo Pelini will find a negative to focus on. Last year after beating Washington handedly in their own stadium, Bo Pelini made a comment that although the team played well, they still have a long way to go. Oh really!
If the Cornhuskers played like they did in the first Washington game, they would not have lost last year! For some reason, Bo Pelini does not like talking to the media, but when the team comes out and wins each week, it will be harder than ever for him to find the negative to focus on.
Cornhuskers Have High Expectations in 2011
7 of 8As a Cornhusker fan, I would love to see these predictions come true.
I think the chances of most of them coming true are better than the chances of the team playing mediocre football and ending up as a decent but not great team.
Whatever happens in the Cornhusker’s first year in the Big Ten, it will sure be fun to watch!
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
