Predictions for the 2010 Husker Football Season

First my thoughts on some of the open personnel battles:

• At left tackle, I'm leaning towards Jeremiah Sirles over Jermarcus Hardrick. Call it a gut call here, but I would have figured Hardrick would have claimed this spot by now otherwise.
• At wide receiver, I think that freshman Quincy Enunwa and senior Will Henry will be the receivers to watch off the bench. That being said, Niles Paul, Brandon Kinnie, and Mike McNeill ideally will take most of the snaps.
• At linebacker, I think Lavonte David earned a starting job a couple of weeks ago. My gut feel suggested that perhaps Eric Martin might have been close to edging out Will Compton on the field. Now that Compton is out for a while, that's probably a no-brainer at this point.
• I still don't know what to think at safety.  My best bet is P.J. Smith and Anthony West, but that's a wild guess.
• Oh, and that quarterback thing. I'd like to say Zac Lee, but the buzz around Taylor Martinez is just getting too strong. Only one thing is for sure to me, as I don't think we'll truly know who'll start until after kickoff. If you aren't going to name a starter at this point, there's no point in making a formal announcement at all.

Now, as to the games:

• Does anybody really think Nebraska will lose to Western Kentucky, Idaho, or South Dakota State?  Didn't think so.
• As for Washington, I think they are better than I thought last spring...but not as good as others think. I think Nebraska stands a 70% chance of winning this one. For all the hype about Washington's offense, remember that the Huskies only averaged 1 more point a game (26.1) than the Huskers woeful offense (25.1) in 2009.
• Kansas State may have Daniel Thomas and a solid offensive line, but they've got a few questions to answer at receiver. Again, I think this is a game Nebraska should win, even though it's on the road. I give the Huskers a 75% chance of victory in this game.
• Texas? Well, the Huskers were :01 away from victory in Dallas last year. Nebraska loses Suh, yes...but Texas lost McCoy and Shipley. I still believe Nebraska's offense will be much better than last year, and this game is in Lincoln. My prediction: 55% chance of a Husker win.
• Oklahoma State has to break in a new quarterback and a new offensive coordinator, and replace too much on defense.  But this one is a trap game, on the road between the Texas and Missouri games. 60% chance of a Husker victory.
• It's a good thing that Missouri charters their transportation to the game, because the way things are going, very few Tigers will still have a driver's license by the time they need to get to Lincoln. Seriously, Missouri needs to find a playmaker on offense now that Danario Alexander is gone. Blaine Gabbert at times last season could just fling it towards #81 and Alexander would almost always make a big play. My prediction: 65% chance of a Husker victory.
• Iowa State? I love Paul Rhodes...but the Huskers want those eight turnovers back.  85% chance of a Husker victory.
• Kansas has too many holes to fill in 2010.  90% chance of a Husker victory.
• Texas A&M? Mike Sherman.  70% chance of a Husker victory.
• Colorado? Dan Hawkins.  95% chance of a Husker victory.

Right now, I think Nebraska will be favored to win every game this season. But I don't think Nebraska is going to go undefeated; they'll have a hiccup at some point in my opinion. But I don't know where it will happen.  Possibly Texas, but maybe at Kansas State or Oklahoma State. Perhaps Washington or maybe even Texas A&M. I don't think it'll be Missouri.  So my prediction is 11-1 for the first 12 games, which puts Nebraska back in Dallas in December...where they will face the Oklahoma Sooners. And that's a game that I think the Sooners will win in a fitting end to the 12 team Big XII conference.

So that's a 11-2 Husker team who will likely get a BCS bowl berth (probably in the Fiesta Bowl), at least according to my crystal ball. What's your prediction?