Husker Mike's Blasphemy

The Worst Week of the Year in College Football

2012-01-30T07:47:00.000-06:00

National signing day is fast approaching the world of college football, and for some, it's a time to dream. For them, it's a time to count stars and watch pixelated online highlight videoes of their team's newest members. For others like me, it's a time to head for the hills and hide as this time of the year represents the worst of college football. Things like turning a basketball game into a command performance for a high school football player by the #2 team in the country, for example.

Recruiting is an important part of college football, but it's just that...a part. I would have hoped that some fans would have learned the lessons of the Steve Pederson/Bill Callahan error to put this time of year in proper perspective...but sadly, not. So we'll be inundated with amateur speculation and anal-ysis that is, at it's core, pure speculation. That is if you choose to read or listen to pay much attention to it. And as is my tradition during this worst week of the year, I'm unplugging.

Sadly, I wasn't able to unplug in time to avoid this gem from the Big Red Network:

Nebraska may have had to alter its recruiting strategy late in the game when Lester Ward and Collins Okafor announced their intent to leave Nebraska after four years with degrees (and kudos to them for earning those degrees). They added a big back to their recruiting class yesterday in three-star running back prospect Imani Cross from Georgia.

Oy, vey. The idea that Nebraska's coaching staff would have somehow have been surprised or had to react to the graduations of Ward and Okafor is one of the most absurd ideas I've heard. The coaches monitor the academic progress of every player, and were well aware that both players were on their way to graduating. It's far more likely that graduation plans have been well planned for some time. It wasn't really "announced" last week; instead, someone noticed that the names were missing when the roster on huskers.com were revised at the start of the spring semester.

Sadly, that's the type of "information" we get during recruiting week. Idle speculation and prognasticating. It reminds me of the the commentary during the opening minutes of Iron Chef on the Food Network. (One of my wife's favorite television shows.) For those of you unfamiliar, "Iron Chef" originated in Japan, and is a battle between two chefs to create unique dishes from a "theme ingredient". As the competition begins, the commentators try to analyze what each chef will do with each ingredient.

Recruiting coverage is like turning off Iron Chef at the ten minute mark of each show just as the chefs are beginning to do their work. All the important work is still to come. A chef who makes bad decisions or does a horrible job with the finest ingredients makes bad food. Take Hiroyuki Sakai's Callahan-esque decision to make ice cream out of trout.

That's why this week is the worst of the year. Yes, the jimmies and the joes matter. But it's what you do with the jimmies and the joes that matter more. (Even Food Network knows that it's more than the ingredients, judging by their latest show, "The Big Waste" where chefs work their magic on food headed for the garbage.) I'll be looking elsewhere for entertainment. If you are looking for something more productive to do, the UNO Mavs are playing Bemidji State this weekend. For now, this blog will be back after the silly season is long over.

Friday Lunch Thoughts: Dirk Runs Statistics and Fails on Summarizing

2012-01-27T13:16:00.001-06:00

Dirk Chatelain of the Omaha World-Herald broke out his spreadsheet to analyze Nebraska's turnover statistics in recent years. It doesn't take a math major to know that it's not good. Too many turnovers on offense, and not forcing enough on defense. But Dirk digs in anyway. The problem with Dirk's analysis is that he only does two and four year comparisons. That give you numbers, but what do they mean?

I argue that the only numbers that are relevant now are the 2011 season numbers. Shawn Watson and Ted Gilmore are gone on offense, and Nebraska has a new offensive coordinator in Tim Beck. So changes have been made on offense, and we saw improvement from 2010 to 2011, going from losing 16 out of 45 fumbles in 2010 to losing 11 out of 32 fumbles in 2011.

Statistics can be handy to help you identify problems and areas that you need to improve on. But trying to pin the sins of Watson onto Beck doesn't get you very far in trying to determine what problems still exist. It would be like evaluating Bo Pelini's defense by combining it with Kevin Cosgrove's disaster of 2007. The numbers will be altered, but would it be meaningful?

Great wins by Nebraska basketball over Iowa last night, both for the men and women. I don't get ESPNU, so I didn't see the game and could only listen to the tail end of the game. Doesn't mean a lot in the grand scheme of things, but at least Nebraska can continue to say "better than Iowa." (Of course, we've always known that. It's just now that Husker fans have "scoreboard" to point to.)

UNO goalie Ryan Massa appears to be recovering well from a concussion suffered one week ago. That's great news, but I wouldn't rush to get him back into the lineup. If he's truly ready to play next weekend against Bemidji, fine. But concussions are nothing to take chances with. Here's hoping he's at full strength in the closing month of the season.

The ugly story about former Nebraska quarterback Patrick Witt and the allegations of assault that may have scuttled his Rhodes Scholarship interview are quite surprising. I'm not sure if we'll ever get the complete truth on this one. It does cloud my original perceptions of Witt from his 2006 commitment to Bill Callahan.

Sunday Night Dessert: What's Up With Doc?

2012-01-22T23:46:00.000-06:00

With Nebraska basketball, it was the best of times this week --- and the worst of times. The Huskers upset of ranked Indiana was thrilling, but the beat-down by Ohio State was disappointing. (Some might call it appalling.) I've been a defender of Doc Sadler for years, but in year six, the excuses are starting to wear thin. No doubt in my mind that Sadler inherited a mess from Barry Collier, and Sadler has improved things. His late hiring meant that his first couple of recruiting classes were haphazard. So I've always looked the other way towards the talent shortage . . . up to now.

Sadler's teams generally have always played hard with solid defense. I have no doubt that Sadler is a good gameday coach in my mind. But in year six, there still are no playmakers on this roster, and really haven't been since Aleks Maric graduated. And Sadler doesn't really get credit for Maric; Maric was a holdover from Collier. Bo Spencer sometimes makes plays, as do Dylan Talley and Toney McCray - but none are players you can go to down the stretch. Would Andre Almeida have been that guy this season? Maybe, if he was healthy. But that's probably relying on hope more than anything

Sadler's best playmaker to date has been Christian Standhardinger, who showed great promise on the court yet found a way to continually stay in Sadler's doghouse. He tried to transfer to LaSalle before finally enrolling at Hawai'i last fall. Looking over the Nebraska roster, I don't see any redshirting players to give me hope that things are going to get better. I don't follow recruiting, so I'm not sure if Sadler is pursuing any difference makers. At some point, Sadler has to get some players into the program. Facilities aren't an issue anymore; people rave about the new Hendricks practice facility and the new Haymarket Arena should be a draw as well.

I just don't want to pull the plug on Doc Sadler yet... but the excuses are starting to become tiring.

Thanks to a kids birthday party, I missed today's AFC Championship game, but did get to see the end of NFC title game. Kyle Williams is going to have a rough offseason in the Bay Area after muffing one punt then fumbling another in overtime. It was an awkward position for Williams, who was filling in for the injured Ted Ginn on punt return detail. It kind of reminds me why Bill Callahan put Santino Panico back to return punts in 2004; he wasn't going to make plays, but he wasn't going to turn the ball over either.

So now we've got another Boston versus New York championship. So glad I've pulled the plug on sports talk radio this month. First thing I thought of was former Omaha sports talk host Matt Perrault's famous claim that no Manning would ever win a Super Bowl. Then both Mannings went on to win the next two Super Bowl MVP awards. I get why Perrault made that prediction: he's a Boston homer and in losing a ratings battle, he wanted to draw attention to himself. Back in the mid 90's, a local reporter asked ESPN's Mike Tirico about some of the outrageous things that had been said on College Gameday that season. Tirico responded by reminding the reporter that Gameday was an entertainment show; outrageous comments get people to watch and respond.

Perrault tried the "outrageous" approach in Omaha; it failed, and he bounced to Des Moines before returning to the east coast. He lost that battle to KOZN's Kevin Kugler and Mike'l Severe at that time, and AM 590 folded their tent. Dropped all their local programming, and the ratings approached 0. Things changed a year ago. ESPN switched their radio affiliation to AM 590, and KOZN-AM 1620 picked up Fox Sports Radio. 590 added a new afternoon show, and their ratings are improving at the expense of 1620. And 1620 seems to be playing the outrageous game...or at least they did earlier this month. Sadly, I pulled the plug for a while to see if it blows over.

And with another Boston/New York matchup, it's not worth taking another chance on sports radio for a few more weeks.

The World-Herald reports that I-back Collins Okafor will graduate this spring and bypass his senior season. Not surprising in that Okafor never seemed to crack the depth chart. He had an outstanding high school career, but it never seemed to translate to the next level...even when depth at I-back was an issue, he still didn't see the field. Best wishes to Okafor though as he moves on with his life.

UNO Goalie Massa Injuried in Overtime Victory; CHN Steams

2012-01-20T23:58:00.000-06:00

UNO defeated Minnesota State-Mankato tonight 2-1 in overtime. The victory was bittersweet as UNO goalie Ryan Massa was flattened in his goal crease in the opening minute of overtime by MSU's Evan Mosey. Massa was motionless on the ice after the hit, and eventually was taken off the ice on a stretcher. No word at this time about Massa's condition. No penalty was called at that time, though moments later, Minnesota State slashed Massa's replacement, Daryn Belfour. UNO's Bryce Aneloski scored on the power play for the game winner.

After the game, UNO's concern went immediately to the condition of Massa. Dean Blais quickly left for the hospital to check on Massa, drawing the ire of College Hockey News reporter Dan Myers. And like some reporters, he started tweeting in frustration at Blais' absence. It all began with the following tweet:

That's not the point. As the head coach, he needs to be available and accessible for the media.

In doing so, Myers became yet another member of the media who forgot that it's "not about you" when it comes to coaches dealing with the media. In this case, Myers felt the media took precedence over his unconscious freshman who had just been sent to the hospital strapped to a gurney.

UNO fans questioned that on Twitter, and rather than rethink his original and admit his mistake, he upped the ante and played the victim in a series of tweets:

To the UNO crowd: I was simply saying it would have been nice to talk to Blais after the game about Massa and the game itself.

OK. I'm done trying to explain myself. Enjoy your seat in front of your television.

I've been hammered by these people tonight for no reason. My intention was not to be insensitive. I guess that's how it came off

Twitter is a double-edged sword. It's the fastest way news gets out; post something on Twitter, and if people deem it important, it spreads like wildfire. And with mobile phones, it's easy to fire off a tweet, and start a fire. Sometimes you start a fire, and don't realize it. And that happened to Myers tonight. He took offense at Blais' decision to look after his player. Blais was right, Myers was dead wrong. Does Myers deserve an answer to his questions about the game? Yes. But in the moments after the game, Blais had a more important job. Check on his player, and make sure that his player's family (who likely were listening to the game over the internet and were assuredly anxiously waiting for news) knew what was happening.

Hopefully Massa just suffered a concussion (as if that's a minor thing, which it's not) and won't suffer any long-term ill-effects of tonight's hit. In the meantime, UNO will need to get another goaltender to Mankato in the morning. And the WCHA will need to review the video of tonight's game. After watching UNO's Alex Simonson get a five minute major and game ejection for charging Duluth's Kenny Reiter last Saturday night, Mosey's hit likely deserves similar action. The first TV replay looked like it was a knee; the UNO YouTube video is inconclusive. Some would argue that UNO's Brent Gwidt pushed Mosey into Massa, though it's likely that Mosey was going to collide with Massa no matter what.

(Footnight: Nice move by the Mankato public address announcer to select Ozzy Osbourne's "Crazy Train" and the Scorpions' "Rock You Like a Hurricane" to "entertain" the crowd while Massa lay motionless on the ice.)

Hockey Outdoors at TD Ameritrade Park Rumors Persist

2012-01-16T22:57:00.001-06:00

Black and Blue, a Lincoln Stars blog, reports that the rumored outdoor hockey game will now be a doubleheader with the Stars and Omaha Lancers playing in the afternoon, followed by the UNO Mavericks versus North Dakota. The games would be played on Saturday, February 9, 2013. I like the idea of both Omaha teams playing outdoors.

I hate the idea of a doubleheader. Let's not forget this is February in Nebraska; is it a good idea to ask fans to spend 7-8 hours outdoors in a single day? Plus, let's not forget that the NHL has changed the starting time of the last two Winter Classics due to weather conditions. (A point that I brought up on MavPuck, which was referenced by Black and Blue.)

Spread the games over two days...or better yet, two weekends. Schedule the games for mid-late afternoon, because once the sun goes down, it'll only get even colder in the stands. Don't get me wrong; this should be a great event. Wisconsin is considering another outdoor hockey game; this time in Chicago at Soldier Field. Will it be a money maker? Hard to say; it's not cheap to set up a temporary rink. But it's an event; it'll bring people to Omaha. It'll fill hotels, as well as bars and restaurants around the downtown area on game day. (Another reason to spread the games over multiple days.)

And it helps in recruiting by showing prospective hockey players that Omaha is a great place to play college hockey because not every school can pull these off. Wisconsin can. Michigan can. Michigan State has. Now I think Omaha can do it as well.

Just not a doubleheader, please.

Mavs Upset #1 Duluth

2012-01-15T22:36:00.002-06:00

The crowd last night was just over half as large as the previous night's "Sell Out Duluth" crowd, but the volume at game end was almost as loud. Amazing what a better night's performance does to give a crowd a reason to cheer...and boy, did UNO give it's fans something to go crazy for last night. The defensive breakdowns from Friday night were absent, and freshman goaltender Ryan Massa put on a veteran performance with 43 saves on 44 shots.

In recent seasons, UNO has seemed to run into quite a few "hot goaltenders" as they peppered a goaltender with shot after shot with almost nothing going in. Last night, the role was reversed: the hot goalie wore the crimson and black, the shots all were controlled by Massa and no rebounds were available. Did Massa stake a claim to be UNO's full time goalie? He might get a nod, but it seems that UNO coach Dean Blais likes to play multiple goalies.

Once again, UNO had to fight off a five minute major penalty - this time due to sophomore Alex Simonson's charging Duluth goalie Kenny Reiter as he tried to leave the ice after a delayed penalty call against the Mavs. I initially thought it was a bad call; Reiter looked like he was going to play the puck, and since he was out of the crease, he was fair game. After the game, I looked up the rule, and realized that it doesn't really matter whether the goalie is in the crease or not. He's a protected player, and goalies can't be hit unless it's inadvertent. Simonson really didn't have a whole lot of choice in the matter; he could hope that Reiter wouldn't play the puck, but if he did, the play would go on with the Bulldogs having the extra man. Is the rule right or wrong? I'm not going there; hockey teams frequently only dress two goalies a night. The tradition of the game calls for the goalie to be protected, and if you let Simonson's hit go unpenalized, Ryan Massa would have been drilled in retribution at some point. Then all heck would break loose.

That being said, Reiter probably was more deserving a Golden Globe for his dive after being hit.

It was a gritty, gutty performance that can only help UNO down the line. Expecting four points this weekend against the #1 team wasn't realistic, but two points keeps UNO in the mix in a tie for 4th place. Even more important, UNO bumped up to #20 in the Pairwise rankings according to Sioux Sports. That's nowhere near the Mavs need to be...but at least it's approaching the right neighborhood. UNO can't afford to lose their focus this week as they play the last place "Purple Cows" of Minnesota-Mankato.

Jim Suttle's "Crazy" Ballpark Toboggan Run Should Be Part of Omaha's Outdoor Hockey Plans

2012-01-15T21:35:00.003-06:00

Tonight, I'm watching BTN's replay of the Michigan-Ohio State hockey game being played at Progressive Field and noticed something rather interesting in left field behind the rink: a huge ramp. Turns out this is the second year for Cleveland's "Snow Days", where they built a sledding ramp in the baseball facility. Last winter, over 50,000 people came downtown to go sledding in the baseball stadium.

Photo Courtesy of WBUR

Why bring this up? Well, I remember the first time I heard this idea, when it was proposed by Jim Suttle in his mayoral campaign. In typical partisan fashion, first political blogger Street Sweeper at Leavenworth Street, then former mayor Hal Daub ridiculed the idea in a desperate attempt to brand Suttle as a crazy guy.

Fast forward three years...and suddenly Suttle's idea is reality. And thankfully, Daub didn't get elected, and Sweeper's politcal acumen continues to misfire. (How'd that recall prediction work out again?)

Why bring this up now? Tweaking a couple of tired, closed-minded individuals is always fun...but that's not the point. While it's not been formally announced, the rumor mill is pretty strong that UNO is planning to play North Dakota next February outdoors at TD Ameritrade Park. I love the idea of playing an outdoor hockey game; today's Michigan/Ohio State game drew 25,864 and I would expect thousands of NoDak fans to follow the Sioux to Omaha for a chance to play outdoors.

Adding a toboggan run to the festivities might limit attendance slightly, but it would add quite a bit to the festival atmosphere for the outdoor game. And yes, I'm solidly behind the idea of playing an outdoor hockey game in Omaha at the ballpark. Will it be cold? Yep. Is it something you'd want to do annually? Probably not. But it's a fun, unique event that's become wildly popular in hockey. The NHL's Winter Classic has become a resounding success making inroads on a day that (prior to ESPN's bastardizing of New Years Day) college football dominated. Over 100,000 people attended a Michigan/Michigan State game at the Big House last year, and there have been successful college hockey games in Wisconsin at both Camp Randall and Lambeau Field.

You wouldn't want to do it every year. But it's something that attracts interest from players and captivates the interest from casual sports fans. That makes it something that Omaha should do, and do in such a way that ensures its success. And if a toboggan run makes it all that more of a big deal, successful event for the city of Omaha...it's something that should be considered.

Mavs Defense Burned by Top-Ranked Duluth In Front of a Sellout Crowd

2012-01-13T23:38:00.002-06:00

In front of a packed CenturyLink Center crowd, UNO came out looking like a team that had only played two games in the last month against the #1 team in the country. And before about two-thirds of the crowd had even reached their seats, Minnesota-Duluth converted two defensive breakdowns into two fairly easy goals. Add in a couple of undisciplined penalties, and it was hard to imagine an even worse start for UNO in the game.
UNO settled down and tied the game early in the second period on a couple of nice goals by Matt White and Terry Broadhurst. But Duluth came out strong in the third period as J.T. Brown scored two quick goals early in the third period to break the game wide open.

Tonight's game was odd in many aspects. All of the goals were scored at one end of the ice (the far goal from my seats, I might add). UNO pulled goalie John Faulkner for an extra skater with six minutes to go in the game, surprising many fans as well as the referees. I didn't have a problem with going with a empty net with so much time in the game. Duluth hasn't lost a game since mid-October, and wasn't going to surrender a late lead easily. Blais doubled down, and maybe sent a reminder to his team that they needed to pay attention to Duluth on the rush. UNO controlled the puck for much of the first two minutes with the extra man, but eventually Mike Seidel found the empty net to give the Bulldogs a 5-2 lead.

The Mavs strategy also confused the WCHA officiating crew when they stopped play to whistle UNO for having two many men on the ice. Of course, they eventually realized that UNO's goalie had been on the bench the entire time, and referee Brad Shepard had to admit his mistake.

Faulkner may have allowed five goals in the 6-2 loss, but it's hard to blame him for tonight's loss. At times, UNO's defense looked downright Cosgrovian in futility, leading to easy goals for Duluth. All told, UNO wasn't up to the challenge tonight. That's to be expected when a veteran team like Duluth takes on a UNO squad with only seven upperclassmen. But assistant coach Mike Hastings (who coordinates the defense) is going to have some painful video to review from tonight's game.

Very disappointing result with a national television audience on NBC and a paid crowd of 16,138 watching. Some might quibble with the attendance, but with hundreds of people in standing room areas, there were likely at least 15,000 in attendance tonight. A very good crowd for UNO that was loud. The Mavs pulled out all the stops tonight: free t-shirts and $1 concessions before the game to ensure that a large number of fans were on hand for the early faceoff. The lines were long, but actually were managed well. The CenturyLink Center handles a crowd of 15,000 fans better than the Civic Auditorium ever handled a crowd of 6,000.

Unfortunately, all UNO fans can take solace in is that UNO played with the #1 team in the country for about half the game tonight. Hopefully tomorrow's a different story...

Angry Fan: Pelini Not Saban! Arrgh!!! Bad!

2012-01-10T22:51:00.004-06:00

There's no denying that Nebraska fans are disappointed over the 2011 Husker football season. Some are downright angry, and much to my surprise, seemingly giving up on Bo Pelini. They aren't quite calling for Pelini to be fired; they just express total pessimism for the future of Nebraska football. Take this entry from Brian Towle of HuskerLocker, where he compares Pelini to Nick Saban, he of the three national championship rings.

Saban's on top of his game right now, with two AP national championships in the last three years. Add in his 2003 title with LSU and every Saban recruiting class since 2000 has a national championship. An impressive stat, even if you factor in Saban's two years in the NFL and that his final LSU recruiting class earned their national championship with Les Miles, not Saban, as head coach. Oh, and a defensive coordinator named Bo Pelini.

Saban's job hopping earned him hate from Michigan State fans, LSU fans , and Miami Dolphin fans. Everybody loves Raymond? Everybody (except 'Bama fans) hate Nick. And when Saban bolts from Tuscaloosa (not a question of if, but when), Bama fans will join the Saban hate parade.

But Saban's got the resume now. Funny thing, though...is that Saban didn't always have that resume.

6-5-1. 6-6. 7-5. 6-6.

That's Saban's coaching record his first four years at Michigan State. 25-22-1. 53% winning percentage. An improvement over his predecessor (19-26, 42%). But look at Pelini: 38-16 in his first four years at Nebraska for a 70% winning percentage. An even bigger improvement over his predecessor (27-22, 55%).

So Pelini's had better results than Saban in his first four years. But what about the other criticism, such as an athletic department not demanding excellence? I'm still trying to understand that one. How do you hold a coach "accountable" for "only" going 9-4? Seriously. I agree that 9-4 is disappointing for Nebraska this season, but please tell me how you hold a coach "accountable" for going 9-4.

Coaching and player development? Not quite sure where he's going with this one, but he's blaming Pelini for not "prodding or reigning in his offensive coordinator". Which is it? Should Nebraska have been more aggressive or less aggressive offensively? Towle doesn't say...just that Pelini's bad. Saban recruits all year long...then implies that Pelini doesn't. Implies, but doesn't back that implication up with any evidence.

It's angry fan talking. And since not everybody shares the "grab the pitchforks and torches" uproar in loud (and of course, non-violent) protest, that must mean we're just peachy keen pleased with a four loss season. Here's the problem with that: show me someone who's happy with that at Nebraska. Nobody's happy. It's just that some fans recognize that there are worse things than going 9-4 at Nebraska. It's called perspective.

And that's something that Angry Fan is lacking right now. Hopefully outbursts like this are cathartic...and that we get this out of our system quickly.

Pelini has been a better head coach than Nick Saban was in his first four years. Hopefully, Pelini will continue to improve. But criticizing Pelini for not being Saban is rather excessive at this point. Pelini deserves a lot of criticism: blowout losses and a porous secondary, for starters. But his record to date has more than earned him time (and much more of it) to resolve those problems.

Final BlogPoll: On Top of My Ballot is ... Oklahoma State?!?!?!?!?

2012-01-10T12:42:00.000-06:00

It's a principle thing. Is Alabama the best team in the country? Possibly. But let's not forget that the BCS tells us over and over that the regular season matters. Alabama had a chance on their home field in November...and lost to LSU. So while the BCS formula gave us a rematch, the rematch runs counter to the foundation of the BCS. So forgive me when I question the relative motivation levels for Alabama and LSU. Alabama had revenge on their mind...while LSU is told to nevermind the first game, you've got to do it all over again. Two completely different mindsets. Yes, it was the big stage. But note the history of mulligans in bowl games. 1978 Nebraska/Oklahoma. 1996 Florida/Florida State. 2010 Nebraska/Washington. It's tough to ask teams to do it all over again.

LSU has a fine resume: they defeated both West Virginia and Oregon impressively. Plus an SEC championship game against Georgia. Alabama's best non-conference game? Penn State....with Rob Bolden at quarterback.

So why Oklahoma State? I'm going to forgive the loss to Iowa State. It was on the road (unlike the Tide), and the circumstances of the plane crash earlier that day were a huge distraction. (Hey guys, don't forget that later tonight, you'll be getting on a plane too!)

So Oklahoma State gets my vote for #1. Alabama stays #3 because, well, they are the only one-loss team to get a mulligan. Positions 3 through 14 stay exactly the same. I can't drop Wisconsin or Stanford for narrowly losing to great teams ranked above them; who should get bumped ahead of them?

Nebraska stays ranked at #21. If you think that's a homer pick; fine. Just remember I dropped the Huskers more than any other team. At the bottom of the rankings, I struggled with teams to put in the rankings. Virginia Tech actually rises for giving Michigan everything they could handle. Missouri enters the poll for a solid season.

Husker Mike's Blasphemy Ballot - Week 16

Rank	Team	Delta
1	Oklahoma St. Cowboys	1
2	LSU Tigers	-1
3	Alabama Crimson Tide	--
4	Oregon Ducks	--
5	Stanford Cardinal	--
6	Wisconsin Badgers	--
7	Arkansas Razorbacks	--
8	USC Trojans	--
9	South Carolina Gamecocks	--
10	Baylor Bears	--
11	Oklahoma Sooners	--
12	Boise St. Broncos	--
13	Michigan St. Spartans	--
14	Michigan Wolverines	--
15	West Virginia Mountaineers	3
16	TCU Horned Frogs	--
17	Kansas St. Wildcats	-2
18	Florida St. Seminoles	2
19	Southern Miss. Golden Eagles	2
20	Houston Cougars	5
21	Nebraska Cornhuskers	-4
22	Virginia Tech Hokies	2
23	Georgia Bulldogs	-1
24	Missouri Tigers	--
25	BYU Cougars	--
Dropouts: Penn St. Nittany Lions, Clemson Tigers

SB Nation BlogPoll College Football Top 25 Rankings »

I'll probably get a whack-job ballot for it; that's fine.

Sunday Night Dessert: LSU Already Clinches?

2012-01-08T22:50:00.001-06:00

Yes, I know that the "BCS National Championship" game is still scheduled for tomorrow night, but frankly, I'm not sure I can take it seriously. After all, the BCS defines itself like this:

The BCS allows for preserving the significance of the regular season, which is the most meaningful in sports.

If the purpose of the BCS is to "preserve the significance of the regular season", then I have no choice but to reflect back on the regular season.

LSU 9, Alabama 6. Ugly, yes. But most importantly, played on Alabama's home field, in front of their fans.

So while the winner of tomorrow night's game will hoist the crystal football, from my perspective, it's barely an exhibition game by the BCS standards. So when I cast my BlogPoll ballot, I think I'll have no choice but to vote LSU #1 no matter what happens tomorrow night.

ESPN is talking that the BCS could transform into a four-team playoff system in the next contract. It's a start, but I think we'll quickly find that there won't be interest in traveling to those semifinal bowl games. Unless it's a 6-9 hour drive, most fans simply don't have the time or money to travel to one distant bowl game, let alone two. You saw empty seats at most bowl games this season, and that's a trend that's likely to continue. And in a "plus-one" system where two teams will have to play in two bowl games, even fewer fans will be able to do that. Unless, of course, one of the games is a short, convenient drive.

After reading the uproar from Penn State alums over the hiring of New England offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien to replace JoePa, the more it looks like a bad idea getting worse. Not having the support of the former players is strike one; Nebraska learned the hard way what happens when you turn your back on history and tradition from 2004 to 2007. That makes the job even harder for O'Brien, who's the latest member of the Bill Belichick coaching tree to leave the nest. For all the success Belichick has had in New England, it's never worked anywhere else. There's the double failure of Charlie Weis (Notre Dame and Florida), plus Eric Mangini, Romeo Crennel, Josh McDaniels, and Todd Haley. That's two strikes in Happy Valley.

I admit it... I muffed the NFL's new overtime rule. My first thought after CBS and Jim Nantz announced that Denver defeated Pittsburgh tonight, I disagreed and expected the Steelers to get a chance. Then my wife clarified it that if the first team kicks a field goal, the game continues. Oh well - the rule makes sense though you really have to stop and think about it.

For those of you looking to turn the page past football, it's time to start thinking hockey. Defending national champion Minnesota-Duluth is coming to town this weekend. NBC is televising Friday night's game, and UNO is trying another sellout promotion. As of tonight, they show only 3,358 tickets left. Not sure what that means, but I'd guess that means a crowd of 12k at this point. It'll be tough to top last year's Wisconsin game for atmosphere and crowd size, but you never know.

As for what to expect on the ice, hard to say again. The Mavs have been off the three of the last four weekends due to finals, Christmas, and an oddly timed bye week. Will they be rusty or fresh? I didn't get a good feel for how they've responded to the suspension of center Alex Hudson in the Quinnipiac series.

Stereotypes, not Reality Driving Reaction to Pelini in the Capital One Bowl

2012-01-06T12:50:00.000-06:00

In the hours after the Capital One Bowl, I dismissed the handful of "there goes Bo Pelini again" criticism. I was more concerned about the penalties and the mistakes during the game, and in our group (which included Pelini critics), nobody said anything about Pelini's discussion with the referees. As it was, we were all upset about the way the Huskers played.

But by Tuesday night, it was getting difficult to ignore those comments...especially after listening to sports talk radio. It's obvious that a segment of the Husker fan base was extremely upset over Pelini's actions. My question is still: is it quantity (a large number of fans) or volume (a few fans being exceptionally loud about it)? I haven't seen anybody say they changed their opinions about Pelini, so I lean a little more to the loudness of the Pelini critics.

Let's make one thing clear: Nebraska did not play well in the Capital One Bowl against South Carolina. They made a lot of mistakes, and took a lot of really stupid sloppy penalties. And everybody -coaches and players alike, need to be accountable for that.

But in all the criticism, one serious factual error exists in nearly ALL of the criticism of Bo Pelini. It's cause and effect. And in this case, Pelini's critics are absolutely DEAD wrong about it. Bo Pelini's outburst came LONG AFTER Nebraska made the vast majority of mistakes. Pelini's actions were an effect of Nebraska's breakdowns in the game, not the cause.

My associate over at CornNation, Jon Johnston, wrote an excellent article this morning detailing just that...and how certain members of the Nebraska media have been trolling fans to incite a reaction. Why? It's not because they hate the Huskers. That's not the case. They are merely trying to get attention. They are the media - getting people riled up gets them to listen to their shows, read their articles, and react.

Matt Schick, formerly of KETV-Channel 7 and now a sports talk host on KOZN-AM 1620, started it off prior to halftime. He criticized Pelini's halftime interview with ESPN's Quint Kessenich on Twitter even before it happened.

Please, Quint Kessenich, ask Bo Pelini what happened on that last play. #yousawwhathappened

And it was all downhill from there. There's no evidence that Pelini was riled up until the fourth quarter, long after Nebraska drew most of the flags. But never let Omaha's media,already burned multiple times in recent weeks for being lazy (Pelini to Penn State, Lady Gaga at the bowl game, etc.), let go of an easy storyline.

We look for something to blame, and people hear Bo Pelini yelled at the refs, and jump on. In this case, pile on.

Does Pelini get angry? Yep. A lot of coaches do. Did you see Wisconsin's Bo Ryan after the referees waived off a game-tying basket at the buzzer this week? How abou Frank Martin at Kansas State?

Pelini earned his reputation by his own actions. That being said, Pelini has been much more controlled this season. The outburst against the referees was really the first of it's kind this season. Pelini deserved criticism after the Texas A&M game last year, and he's learned from it. But against South Carolina, Pelini didn't really lose control. Angry, yes. Out of control? I didn't see it.

And Pelini's outburst had nothing to do with Nebraska's loss. It was simple failure to execute. Should Pelini be held accountable for his team's poor execution? Yes, he should. If his players aren't executing what he's been teaching, he needs to (a) find a different way to teach it or (b) get players in who can play fundamentally sound football. That's his job. And really, that's what the criticism needs to be this week.

Not about "Pelini yelling at the referees." But that's what some members of the media have chosen to focus on this week. Is that what we have to look forward for the next nine months? I hope not.

Second Half Meltdown Dooms Huskers Against South Carolina

2012-01-02T18:23:00.001-06:00

Throughout the first half and even for a little while into the second half, I was fairly confident about Nebraska's chances against South Carolina. The Huskers seemed to be winning most of the plays, though South Carolina was making just enough big plays to foil the Huskers. Blocking an extra point. Popping the ball out of Ameer Abdullah's hands inside the ten yard line. And of course, a "Hail Mary" to Alshon Jeffrey just before halftime.

Nebraska looked like they were going to buckle down and take the game over at halftime. A nice run by Burkhead, and two passes to Tyler Legate and Kenny Bell. Then, Martinez fakes out the Gamecocks on the zone read, and the Huskers have the ball at the South Carolina eight yard line barely one minute into the second half.

Game over.

Nobody knew it at that point, but from that point on, South Carolina dominated. Taylor Martinez makes an ill-advised decision to chuck the ball towards Kyler Reed who caught the ball for an eight yard loss, setting up a field goal...that Brett Maher missed. The Blackshirts held, but then the penalty flags began to fly. Four penalties on Nebraska's next drive. Three more on the next. And with the resulting short field, South Carolina punched in the deciding touchdown to essentially put the game away. After that Martinez run, Nebraska only gained one yard of total offense in the final 29 minutes of the game.

One Total Yard.

Those penalties got downright ridiculous as the game slipped away. I couldn't help but mutter expletives at Yoshi Hardrick, though the matchup against Melvin Ingram and Jadeveon Clowney is a tough one. I wish ESPN would have shown more replays to get a better feel for how the Gamecocks defensive line took over the game. I knew once South Carolina went up two scores in the fourth quarter, the game was going to be incredibly difficult for the Huskers to come back on. South Carolina's pass defense is ranked second in the nation for a reason, and passing is not Nebraska's strong suit. (Insert "no duh" comment here...)

So Nebraska lost another bowl game, and this time to an SEC foe. But I don't think this loss was due to SEC speed. I think the Huskers matched up OK, and at times looked like the faster team. Jeffery beat Dennard once, but other wise, I don't think South Carolina out athleted Nebraska today.

They out-executed Nebraska, especially down the stretch. Minus-two in turnovers. Eleven penalties. Imagine if Abdullah doesn't fumble in the first half, or if Martinez doesn't throw that interception just before halftime? Nebraska easily could have led 23-9 at halftime. Could South Carolina have come back from that deficit? I don't see it.

Twenty-one years ago, I remember shaking my head after Nebraska lost a bowl game in Orlando; it was then called the Florida Citrus Bowl. Many people at that time openly criticized Tom Osborne at that time, and I started to question him myself. It seemed at that time that Nebraska was in a downward spiral, getting further and further way from the upper echelon of college football.

Or so it seemed. We all know what happened next. Nebraska got better...a lot better. And Nebraska's 60-3 record from 1993 to 1997 set the standard for excellence in the modern college football era. Not Southern Cal, not Miami, not Florida or Alabama. Failure to meet that level of excellence led to the firing of Frank Solich after losing three games in 2003. Since then, Nebraska has lost no fewer than four games each and every year. So does this mean that it's time to pull the plug on Bo Pelini?

That idea is laughable. It's so absurd that it shouldn't even require a response. But looking over the comments around the internets, a response is necessary. No Husker fan should be happy about losing the Capital One Bowl today. No Husker fan should be happy with the second half of today's game. But I feel better about the performance of the Huskers today than I did after the 1991 Citrus Bowl ... not to mention last year's Holiday Bowl.

Doesn't mean I'm happy. A lot of tough questions need to be asked, starting with the offensive line. This group needs to get bigger, stronger, and more dependable. Barney Cotton is going to face a lot of scrutiny, and deservedly so. The scrutiny that fans place towards the line doesn't matter, though. Bo Pelini needs to scrutinize the lines play - and the coaching. That's not only Cotton, but also John Garrison and James Dobson as well. Scrutinizing doesn't mean firing, it means asking questions and having a plan to address the deficiencies that exist.

I look over the roster and I see evidence that there's a foundation of young talent available. Andrew Rodriquez missed the game with a foot injury. Tyler Moore got eaten alive by Clowney late in the game, but he's a true freshman who can only get better. Givens Price is redshirting...and really should have been a senior in high school this season. A touted group of freshmen are redshirting. Maybe they are ready to make an impact next season. Or maybe they'll sit on the bench like Brent Qvale (who didn't look like he was even suited up today) or Jeremiah Sirles did this season. I try to be patient, but I have to admit that patience is starting to run short.

Nebraska addressed the turnover problem this year; the backs and Taylor Martinez have improved dramatically in holding onto the ball. But penalties continue to be an issue, and that was the start of today's meltdown It's not acceptable, and it's something that has to be addressed going into next season.

There was a lot to like in the ball game early on. The secondary was locked onto South Carolina's receivers, while Nebraska had open receivers all day long. Even saw Jamal Turner in the game, drawing a pass interference penalty. Rex Burkhead ran well, and we saw some creative play calling with Burkhead under center. It all came to a crashing end once the offensive line melted down, of course. But before that, there was something to like.

The ending of the game left a bad taste in everybody's mouth, and it's something that needs to be addressed by everybody associated in the program once the plane returns the team to Lincoln. Nine-win seasons used to be the standard at Nebraska, now it seems to be a sign of mediocrity. Nebraska fans have high expectations of their football program, and while the Huskers have improved under Bo Pelini, they have fallen short of those expectations the last two years.

Thursday Night Beer: Nebraska Media Goes Gaga

2011-12-29T23:49:00.000-06:00

For a few minutes this morning, the Nebraska sports media bit hard on a report from a Champaign, IL newspaper that Lady Gaga was going to perform at the Capital One Bowl. And rather than call someone in Orlando to confirm the report, reporters across Nebraska spread the word that The Gaga was going to perform before the Husker game. Maybe it was for her "cool Nebraska Guy"...

Except it wasn't true. As the story exploded on Twitter, the Capital One Bowl folks got wind and immediately did what the local media didn't do: dispel the story.

Unless @LadyGaga plans on ambushing us by dressing as a mascot/football/piece of turf, she isn't performing in our pregame show. Sorry!

And now the original story has been changed from performing "with Lady Gaga" to performing "a Lady Gaga song". In all, it was a little harmless...but it's yet another example of how our local media have failed us once again. Remember that the next time the media reports that says that Bo Pelini is "talking to another school," because it's becoming clear that these initial reports are frequently bogus and are being passed on unverified/unvalidated. Just because it came from a World-Herald reporter doesn't mean jack anymore

When I said on Christmas that Creighton basketball would be exposed as the fraud they are, I figured it wouldn't happen until March...not in December. Mind you, the basketball season is still young, and the Bluejays could still develop into a top 25 program by the time March rolls around. But let's not forget that Creighton needed a couple of gift technical fouls to defeat a bad Nebraska team earlier this month. And let's put that Northwestern victory in perspective: Ohio State 87, Northwestern 53.

And as I write this, Baylor just scored again in the Alamo Bowl. It's now Baylor 67, Washington 56. Hmmm... didn't Wisconsin beat Nebraska in BASKETBALL 64-40 on Tuesday night? Yikes...not sure what this says about these four programs.

This weekend, UNO takes on Quinnipiac in hockey. Quinnipiac isn't a household name, but it's an important series considering how poorly UNO has played in non-conference series so far this season. The Bobcats are receiving votes in the USCHO poll, so it's an opportunity to regain some of the ground they lost earlier this month.

With Dean Blais coaching the USA National Team this weekend, UNO will be led by assistant coach Mike Hastings. Hastings has occasionally been mentioned as the "heir apparent" at UNO, though Hastings and Trev Alberts both say that's mostly speculation. My take is that I want Dean Blais to coach UNO as long as he's willing to. After that, who knows. I don't believe that Hastings should necessarily be anointed the next head coach. A candidate for when Blais eventually retires? Certainly. But there's no point in designating a replacement now. Who knows who might be interested or available when that happens? In some respects, this is just like when some people wanted to hand the job to Hastings back in the spring of 2009. Instead, Trev Alberts found Dean Blais. Let's not handcuff the program unnecessarily now.

About What Husker Fans Should Have Expected Against Wisconsin

2011-12-27T22:01:00.001-06:00

When it was announced that Jorge Brian Diaz wouldn't play tonight, I pretty much didn't give Nebraska much of a chance against #11 Wisconsin tonight in basketball. And frankly, the Huskers didn't lose as badly as I thought they would, thanks to Toney McCray. McCray came out smoking right from the opening tip, leading Nebraska to a 7-0 lead early on. I joked that Nebraska should call time out and take a team photo at that point, because that's about all Husker fans could have hoped for.

From there, Wisconsin launched the rout. I haven't watched much Big Ten basketball in the past, but it's clear that the Badgers are one of the best coached teams in the country. They don't do this with NBA talent; they play solid defense and make open shots. They rained threes all night long on the Huskers.

Meanwhile, it was more of the same bad we've seen over the years from the Huskers. Huskers get out of focus and start jacking up bad shots, with the rebounds leading to fast breaks the other way.

It's going to be easy to jump on the "fire Doc Sadler" bandwagon after this game, but let's not forget that Nebraska was playing this game short-handed with no inside talent. Injuries aren't Sadler's fault, though not having found some sort of reliable inside presence is. Certainly a healthy, in-shape Andre Alameida would make a world of difference tonight.

Should Husker fans be pleased with tonight's game? No. But it's still December, and things could get better once Diaz gets back into the lineup. That being said, Nebraska basketball needs to start answering these questions this season. Sadler owns this roster now, and not having the talent isn't anybody else's fault anymore. Osborne can be patient to a point, but after a while, the excuses for why Nebraska basketball isn't any better can't be accepted.

Merry Christmas to All

2011-12-25T12:31:00.001-06:00

Sadly, there is nothing worth watching on TV until tonight. Just fake NBA basketball (I guess they were on strike; did anybody notice) and the absolutely brutal "Christmas Story" marathon. Ugh. Couldn't the NFL have saved one or two of yesterday's games for this afternoon to tide us over? Heck, I'm starting to miss the old Blue/Gray all-star game.

Enough of the complaining...I've heard enough of it from my kids who have been overdosed on Santa the last few days. Instead, a few Christmas wishes for local sports fans:

Husker football fans: Coming to acceptance to the fact that Nebraska has a coach many other programs wishes they could have. That, and shoring up some holes in the secondary this spring.

Husker basketball fans: Patience, patience, patience. With Brian Jorge Diaz ailing, the Huskers are once again playing small, and judging by Nebraska's performances last week, going to get pounded in the Big Ten this season. I don't know what the answers are, but if Doc Sadler doesn't find some reliable big men and someone who can shoot soon, it's going to be time to make another change.

Creighton basketball fans: An HD camcorder for KMTV-channel 3. No matter how badly Nebraska plays on-the-court, they still look 100 times better in HD on BTN and NET than Creighton does on the production equipment originally used for the 1971 Nebraska/Oklahoma broadcast.

Non-Creighton basketball fans: A strong stomach as you try to ignore the hype from the Hilltop. Don't worry, unless McDermott's team vastly improves in 2012, the Jays will be exposed in mid-March. Yeah, Creighton is a little better than Nebraska right now...but that's not saying much this season. Certainly doesn't justify a vote in the Top 25, let alone being actually ranked.

UNO hockey fans: Waiting for the second half spurt that Dean Blais usually assembles late each season. This year's December swoon wasn't as bad as in past season, though it's hard to think of a worse loss in UNO history than the 3-1 loss to Alabama-Huntsville at the start of the month. Patience is in the order, as UNO typically only dresses four juniors and seniors each night. That's an awful lot of youngsters on the ice, so you have to expect things like the UAH game. But the payoff is coming down the line in a couple of years when this year's sophomores are seniors.

Omaha Nighthawks fans: First and foremost, a player development deal with the NFL that salvages the UFL. Then, a season that starts sometime after the 4th of July so that games can be played downtown at TD Ameritrade Park.

Darin Erstad: A roster of college baseball players that play as tough for the Huskers as you did.

MECA: Finding someone that can promote the heck out of an independent league baseball team so that we can have baseball back in Omaha in the summer time after the College World Series.

And to everybody: Merry Christmas!

Sunday Night Dessert: The Only Place Worse than ESPN for Craig James is Washington

2011-12-18T22:43:00.000-06:00

A lot of college football fans got kind of excited when word came out that Craig James was planning to leave ESPN to run for the United States Senate in Texas. While getting James off of television is a good thing, the risk of someone like James actually holding elected office is too great to make that worthwhile. I can turn off the volume on ESPN and ignore him on television. The biggest problem in Washington is that we have too many ignoramuses and doofuses in Congress as it is; adding to the problem is the absolute worst thing that we could possibly do. I don't care if some people don't think that James has much of a chance to win; any chance is too great to take.

The rumor mill has Iowa defensive line coach Rick Kaczenski being a leading candidate to fill out the open position created by Carl Pelini's departure to Florida Atlantic. Over in Iowegia, Black Heart Gold Pants paints Kaczenski as a candidate to be Iowa's next defensive coordinator. While the conventional wisdom is that Pelini will promote John Papuchis to coordinator, I have to question Kaczenski's interest in moving to Lincoln. Unless, of course, Kaczenski is a candidate to be the d-coordinator, though working under the supervision of Bo Pelini.

Kaczenski's resume in terms of producting stellar defensive linemen at Iowa is easy to like. But while the Journal-Star talks positively about his recruiting connections in Florida, BHGP certainly raises questions about that:

On the recruiting trail, Kaczenski's results here have not been nearly as good. Kaz has taken over Iowa's efforts in Florida, previously held by Phil Parker. Iowa mines Florida for skill position players and defensive backs, and while it's extremely rare that the Hawkeyes can beat out Florida, FSU, and Miami for a local kid, Iowa's once-plentiful well of second-tier talent in the Sunshine State has run dry. While the numbers have been there for Kaczenski -- nine players in five years, almost all halfbacks, receivers, and defensive backs -- the production has not.

So take it for what you will. Granted, recruiting is one of those things that I feel is difficult to accurately rank. Certainly, I put little value in the rankings that we'll be subjected to in January. But I get the feeling that BHGP isn't using the services rankings to question Kaczenski, but rather what players are doing on the field...or not making it there. So I tend to give that a little more credence.

And before someone calls me out for talking about recruiting, let me remind folks that I dislike the services that try to analyze and evaluate recruiting. Recruiting is important...just like coaching and player development is important. The track record of the recruiting services? Not so hot. (Anybody still think that Bill Callahan's 2005 class was one of the best in the nation that season?)

Props to Frank Solich for winning Ohio's first bowl game ever last night in the "Famous Potato Bowl" on the SmurfTurf in Boise. The end of the game was pretty dysfunctional though, with the SEC referees looking mostly incompetent with the game on the line. Facing a fourth down and trailing 23-17 with under a minute to go in the game, Ohio quarterback Tyler Tettleton connected with LaVon Brazill who dove into the end zone. The officials ruled it a touchdown initally, then went to review it on the replay, which was appropriate because it was a crucial play and there were questions that Brazill had actually scored. After the review, they announced the play stood as called...then the officials huddled again, and went back to the review a second time. Finally, they took the touchdown off the board. But Tettleton made it all irrelevant by scoring two plays later, leaving Utah State with just a few seconds to try the Stanford-band-multiple lateral play in desperation.

After the game, ESPN's Heather Cox foiled the Ohio players attempt to douse Solich with the Gatorade bucket during a postgame interview. Cox was acting in her own self-defense, since she was in line to get soaked. That gave Solich a head start to escape the bath, and the 67-year old former Husker fullback/head coach certainly "moved around well" as he sprinted away from the bucket.

Alex Hudson Sent Packing From UNO

2011-12-15T22:15:00.003-06:00

With a curt news release this morning, Alex Hudson's career at UNO came to a sad end after his second violation of team rules. What's that violation? Don't know, and frankly, don't care. Rules are rules, and if Hudson broke a rule set by Dean Blais, he needs to suffer the consequences...especially after being suspended earlier this season.

Not the finish I expected for Hudson at UNO. This summer, he was the team captain. Two years ago, I thought he had the potential to be one of UNO's all-time greats...and until this season, he did nothing to make me question that. Take that last-second game winning goal against North Dakota last season:

On a roster filled with youth, senior leadership becomes even more important...and going into this season, it looked like Hudson was going to be that leader. Certainly that was the case in this interview from March with KETV-Channel 7's Andy Kendeigh. At times he was the biggest, fastest, and strongest guy on the ice. The only on-ice downside was consistency.

That's why it was such a surprise to see him get suspended back in September, and while he showed flashes of his past form since returning, at other times, some fans thought he was a liability on the ice. So in that light, I wasn't 100% surprised when today's news came out. Disappointed? Absolutely.

It'll be interesting to see how the team responds to this change. UNO hockey has been inconsistent in the first half of the season, and will need a good run in the second half to get back into contention for a post-season run. Dean Blais questions whether the team can make that run with just two natural centers; that might be more of a challenge to his team than anything.

As for Hudson, it's likely off to professional hockey for him. At least I hope so, and hopefully he's gotten the message. He's too good of a player to let things end here, and too talented to let a lack of discipline short-change his career.

Is it Possible To Appreciate Tebow's Results Without Buying Into the Hype?

2011-12-12T23:44:00.002-06:00

I had stepped out last evening to work on the outdoor Christmas decorations, only to learn from my wife that "Tebow had done it again." (And as an avowed Denver Donkey hater, that was a tough pill to swallow for her.) And for the umpteenth time this season, Tim Tebow had pulled a victory out of the fire. Any more, football fans have to set their alarm to to watch the last ten minutes of any Denver game the rest of the season.. if only to see what seems to be inevitable.

The thing is that this week, it wasn't really Tim Tebow winning the game. More like Matt Prater booming two huge field goals thanks to a couple of huge mistakes by Marion Barber of the Chicago Bears. But Tebow is the talk of the world...and no other sports figure seems to be as polarizing as Tebow.

I admit that during his Florida days, I wasn't a big Tebow fan because I disdain the overhyped player. I was never a huge Marlon Lucky fan thanks to the expectations that the Bill Callahan clusterfool hype machine laid down prior to his arrival in Lincoln. I tend to root for any golfer not named Tiger Woods for the same reason. That's not necessarily the fault of Lucky and Tebow; they aren't result of the hype that others lay on them. (Hello, Thom Brennaman) And I'm still not a fan of Tebow; he's not your typical NFL quarterback, though I do admire the guy for showing that you can play this style of quarterback in the NFL. And as Trent Dilfer proved, NFL teams do not need a great quarterback to win as long as there is a great defense to keep the game close.

Is there something with Tebow to hate? Well, he doesn't throw the ball particularly well prior to the fourth quarter. That could be any number of factors: defenses going into prevent mode late or maybe it's some sort of character/leadership thing that causes Tebow to step up late. Of course, if he would only play that same way earlier in the game, the comeback wouldn't be necessary in the first place.

Is there something that is out of line with Tebow hating? When it comes to his Christianity, it seems so. Granted, he's a bit overboard with it, but he doesn't claim that God is behind his comebacks. He's just expressing his gratitude to his Lord and Savior. I guess that's a problem to intolerant people. That being said, I'm also reminded of Matthew, chapter 6, where Jesus admonished his followers to not attract attention with their prayers and thanksgiving. So I'm conflicted there, especially when I think of how Ron Brown mixes his Christianity with athletics.

Somewhere in the middle of this is the truth: there's no denying that Tebow's insertion as starting quarterback in Denver has led to the Bronco's success in recent weeks. But football is a team game, and there are many other players that probably deserve more credit than Tebow does.

Coach of the Year Ballot

2011-12-09T07:52:00.001-06:00

I just submitted my vote to the FWAA for coach of the year. Here's how I voted:

Mike Gundy, Oklahoma State
Bill Snyder, Kansas State
Les Miles, LSU
Brady Hoke, Michigan
Dabo Swinney, Clemson

While Snyder may have had the most dramatic improvement this season, I went with Gundy because he's built a team that got jobbed out of a chance to play for a national championship. (Sorry, I don't believe you can "clearly" say that Alabama is better than Oklahoma State. And since Alabama already lost to LSU, Oklahoma State was the most deserving team to play in the BCS title game.)

Miles gets a mention for getting LSU into the title game...especially since people on the Bayou have been talking about firing him whenever he's not there. (Kind of reminds me of a few Husker fans who want to fire Pelini for "only" going 9-3...)

And no, I don't ever expect to see Charlie Weis anywhere near one of these ballots.

Wednesday Night Beer: Kansas Football and Delusions of Grandeur

2011-12-07T21:33:00.001-06:00

Ever since it became clear that the administration at Kansas was jumping onto the crazy "Fire Turner Gill" campaign, it's become clear that everyone associated with KU suffers from delusions of grandeur regarding their football program. Austin Meek of the Topeka Capital-Journal pretty much sums up the lunacy running rampant:

(Gary) Pinkel seemed to suggest Gill inherited a program in disrepair. That wasn't the case. The Jayhawks were two years removed from the Orange Bowl and had a new football facility to sell. They were ranked in the top 15 during Mark Mangino's final year, and the losing streak Gill inherited was influenced by the investigation used to justify Mangino's ouster.
There was nothing to flip, which won't be the case for Gill's replacement.

Top 15 team? Well, Kansas was ranked #15 before they lost to Colorado...the first of seven straight losses to close out the season. Program in disrepair? You make the call: Todd Reesing, Kerry Meier, Dezmon Briscoe, and Jake Sharp were all gone when Turner Gill came on board. What about the fight between the football and basketball teams?

Kansas fans went into 2009 thinking they would simply just reload... back to a bowl game. Problem was...nothing was left in the program. Kansas fans won't admit that, though. Easier to blame the new guy; my favorite was the Rock Chalk Talk poster who called Gill one of the "ten worst coaches ever at a BCS school". Kansas fans actually thought that Mike Leach would be interested. Now comes the word that Kansas is actually thinking about retreading Charlie Weis. (Florida fans will actually pay his moving expenses!)

Frankly, this reminds me a lot of Nebraska's 2003 coaching search. A bad decision to change coaches was magnified by a bumbling coaching search that was lampooned nationally. That turned out well for Nebraska, and Kansas seems to be heading towards a swirl down the drain.

A few other thoughts:

Nebraska needed a last second shot by Dylan Talley to escape Florida Gulf Coast. Yikes. It's still early in the season, but this one's off to a bad start.

One of the more inane things I've read lately is the idea that Nebraska is going to make more money by getting the CapitalOne Bowl berth. Uh no... The money goes to the conference, and Nebraska gets an expense allowance to bring the team, staff, and band along. The rest gets split evenly...so it doesn't matter which bowl bid Nebraska would get. And let's remember that bowl berths are not awarded on merit for the most part: it's the potential of ticket sales. Since it's been 20 years since the Huskers last trip to Orlando, the Huskers were very desirable.

Sam McKewon of the Omaha World-Herald calls for a plus-1 format as the first step towards a playoff. I'm a playoff guy, so I'm fine with that, though I prefer the eight team format myself. But can we get away from the idea of playing game at neutral sites? I hate it when people who don't use their own money to follow teams presume to declare what fans will do? Trust me, but unless fans can drive to a game, neutral site games will not draw well. The logistics of transporting thousands of fans on short notice make neutral sites unworkable. For Husker fans, Kansas City is probably as far away as will work. Maybe Minneapolis, Chicago, St. Louis, or Denver. Maybe. Florida, New Orleans, Arizona, or Texas? Forget about it.

Again, if you've never paid your own way to a bowl game, you don't get to speak for those of us who have done it.

BlogPoll Ballot: LSU National Champions?

2011-12-05T10:25:00.000-06:00

One of the main arguments that bowl proponents repeatedly point out is that it makes the regular season the most important of any sport.

Scratch that now. The LSU/Alabama makes that argument ridiculous. Frankly, I'm not sure what the point of the official "BCS National Championship Game" is now, other than it's required. We already know who the better team is: LSU. Alabama had their fair shot - on their home field, no less...and played horrible. They lost.

So if Alabama wins the rematch, what does that prove? Do we have to play a rubber match? (Best of three?) Which game do I disregard? Not sure I can disregard the game played in November, so it'll come down to a choice between a 1-loss LSU team or possibly a 1-loss Oklahoma State team, should they win the Fiesta Bowl.

Husker Mike's Blasphemy Ballot - Week 15

Rank	Team	Delta
1	LSU Tigers	--
2	Oklahoma St. Cowboys	--
3	Alabama Crimson Tide	--
4	Oregon Ducks	--
5	Stanford Cardinal	1
6	Wisconsin Badgers	3
7	Arkansas Razorbacks	1
8	USC Trojans	2
9	South Carolina Gamecocks	3
10	Baylor Bears	6
11	Oklahoma Sooners	-6
12	Boise St. Broncos	1
13	Michigan St. Spartans	-2
14	Michigan Wolverines	3
15	Kansas St. Wildcats	--
16	TCU Horned Frogs	4
17	Nebraska Cornhuskers	2
18	West Virginia Mountaineers	3
19	Penn St. Nittany Lions	3
20	Florida St. Seminoles	3
21	Southern Miss. Golden Eagles	3
22	Georgia Bulldogs	-4
23	Clemson Tigers	2
24	Virginia Tech Hokies	-17
25	Houston Cougars	-11

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I'm not going to penalize Oklahoma any more than the bowl system did. (Insight Bowl???) I hammered Virginia Tech and Houston pretty badly for getting blown out; mostly because I thought they were overrated all along. They really didn't play anybody all season, so their records aren't all that impressive.

Sunday Night Beer: Death to the BCS

2011-12-04T22:35:00.001-06:00

OK, bowl proponents, now what's your excuse against a playoff? "It cheapens the regular season" goes right down the toilet. Alabama already had a shot at LSU, and lost on their own home field. Meanwhile, Oklahoma State has a better resume, as far as I'm concerned. Maybe Alabama is truly the #2 team in the country, but we'll never know because we have no cross-reference between Okie State and LSU/Alabama.

And when you look at the truly awful matchups that the bowl season has foisted on us (Oklahoma/Iowa?!?!?), it's hard to argue that we're getting good football out of this thing. Only excuse left is that presidents don't want to play football games around the holidays...or the big power conferences still like having a lockhold on the spoils.

I was out of town most of the weekend, so it was really disappointing to log onto my computer and learn that it was a night of embarassing suckage all over the board. Nebraska volleyball lost in five sets to Kansas State. Ugh. I guess the whining about being assigned to the Honolulu regional was all for naught. UNO hockey lost to previously winless Alabama-Huntsville despite outshooting the Chargers 45-17. Yikes. And the Ohio Bobcats blew a 20-0 halftime lead to lose 23-20.

Saturday was only moderately better, as UNO hockey rebounded to win 6-2 against Huntsville. UNO basketball pulled off a nice win over Northern Illinois for their first D-1 victory as well. But it was a good day to watch football as it snowed. If I had a Heisman ballot, I'd gladly cast it for Baylor's Robert Griffin III. Not having to face RG3 is one of the small advantages of leaving the Big XII.

On nearly all accounts, today's Nebraska/Creighton basketball game was painful to watch. While I appreciate the attempt that KMTV makes in televising a local school, it's effort is lacking on all accounts. Travis Justice on play-by-play is painful to listen to. My favorite was watching Creighton scrambling out of control to keep the ball in bounds while Justice praised Creighton's ball control. Later in the broadcast, Justice is praising the officiating while trying to figure out just why Doc Sadler and Nebraska was getting lit up with technical fouls.

And those technical fouls pretty much turned the game into a farce from that point going forward. Many local media members have been touting Creighton as a "Sweet 16" candidate to go far in the NCAA tournament. Well, that's still three and a half months away, but neither team impressed me as an NCAA tournament calibre team. Frankly, it's a little premature to say much about Creighton's performance so far. Lots of local media members got excited about Creighton's dismantling of Iowa a couple of weeks ago...but that's before Iowa was completely exposed by Campbell. (No, I'm not talking about the soup company either...)

Oh, and back to KMTV's broadcast. What can I say about the video quality, except to say that I didn't think you could find three working VHS camcorders in the world. Or at least, that's what it looks like. Even those new Flip cameras have better picture quality than what was shown. I know we're spoiled by HD, but this broadcast looked like a basketball game from the 1960's being shown on ESPN Classic.

Apparantly, channel 3 is televising a game next Saturday, and they ran several commercials to promote the broadcast. Except that the commercial contained two different broadcast times: 11 am and 4 pm. Go figure. Or you go figure; I won't be watching at either time.

Silly Season of Idle Speculation

2011-11-28T22:40:00.001-06:00

Now that the regular season in football is over, we're now into a silly season...especially since reporters (like us fans) planned on having a game this Saturday. Nature abhors a vacuum, so into the void comes idle speculation. Take this "gotcha" from Lee Barfknecht of the Omaha World-Herald:

Nebraska coach Bo Pelini at an August booster event: "We're not playing around here for second place. Our coaches should be expected to win. You guys put the pieces in place for me to do that."

Pelini in November when asked what there is to play for after being eliminated from title contention: "You compete. It's not always about trophies."

Makes you wonder what the NU fans who agreed over the summer to rent 20 suites at Lucas Oil Stadium for this week's Big Ten championship game think.

Well, what do you expect Pelini to say? Nebraska should be playing for a Big Ten championship. I think everyone would agree with that as the goal for the season. But once the Big Ten championship slipped away, what else is there to do? Call off the rest of the season? Call out the executioner? Nope, you pull yourself off the carpet, and continue to compete. Should you be disappointed in the season? To some extent, yes. Nebraska didn't meet expectations. But Nebraska did win nine games in 2011, and has a chance to win ten. That's a fairly decent season by most accounts.

Then came the report about Bo Pelini talking to Ohio State from WTVN-AM talk show host Jeff Rapp this afternoon. It was quickly followed by denials from Pelini and Nebraska athletic director Tom Osborne. That led to a Twitter spat between KOZN-AM's Mike'l Severe, Dirk Chatelain of the Omaha World-Herald, and Steven M. Sipple of the Lincoln Journal-Star. So what's to make of the whole brouhaha? Stop and think about it, and apply your smell test to it. Did someone from Ohio State talk to Bo Pelini? Possibly. But stop and think what "talk" means. Embattled Penn State assistant coach Mike McQueary "talked" to Armen Keteyian of CBS...but it was hardly an interview. In fact, it was hardly a conversation. But he did say that he didn't have anything to say about the situation.

Same thing here. Someone from Ohio State very well might have contacted Bo Pelini. Bo could have simply said something like "Aren't you hiring Urban Meyer?" and ended the conversation there...and that would have been a "contact". Didn't mean any discussion of substance occurred or that Bo Pelini "interviewed" with Ohio State?

Am I being naive? Perhaps. But use a "smell" test on this. Even though Bo Pelini is an Ohio State alum, why would he interview with Ohio State when the Buckeyes pursuit of Urban Meyer has been the worst kept secret in college football? Just doesn't make sense.

And that's what we get now that the regular season is over. Can we get a bowl bid lined up quickly so that we have something meaningful worth discussing?

BlogPoll Ballot: Going For Four-Straight "Whack Job" Ballots

2011-11-28T09:06:00.000-06:00

I didn't realize it until today, but I've been named the last three weeks as the "Whack Job" ballot of the week. Can I do four in a row?

Three weeks ago, it was for dropping LSU to 3rd after that 9-6 overtime suckfest with Alabama three weeks ago; I moved Oklahoma State to #1. Keeping Oklahoma State #1 the next week earned me another award two weeks ago. And last week, I earned it for a throw-away #25 vote for Iowa State. (In my defense, three AP voters voted for the Cyclones last week, and Sagarin still has Iowa State #29 after losing to Oklahoma yesterday.)

I figure I'll get it this week for keeping Alabama behind Oklahoma State. Hey, I don't see any reason why I should vote Alabama ahead of Oklahoma State. Yes, Alabama did lose to a better opponent..but the game was at home, and frankly, neither team played well. Oklahoma State's loss was on the road and had extenuating circumstances. And frankly, Oklahoma State/LSU looks like a more enticing game than a rematch of LSU/Alabama.

Husker Mike's Blasphemy Ballot - Week 14

Rank	Team	Delta
1	LSU Tigers	--
2	Oklahoma St. Cowboys	--
3	Alabama Crimson Tide	--
4	Oregon Ducks	1
5	Oklahoma Sooners	1
6	Stanford Cardinal	1
7	Virginia Tech Hokies	1
8	Arkansas Razorbacks	-4
9	Wisconsin Badgers	--
10	USC Trojans	1
11	Michigan St. Spartans	-1
12	South Carolina Gamecocks	--
13	Boise St. Broncos	--
14	Houston Cougars	--
15	Kansas St. Wildcats	--
16	Baylor Bears	--
17	Michigan Wolverines	--
18	Georgia Bulldogs	--
19	Nebraska Cornhuskers	2
20	TCU Horned Frogs	2
21	West Virginia Mountaineers	3
22	Penn St. Nittany Lions	-3
23	Florida St. Seminoles	--
24	Southern Miss. Golden Eagles	--
25	Clemson Tigers	-5
Dropouts: Tulsa Golden Hurricane, Iowa St. Cyclones

SB Nation BlogPoll College Football Top 25 Rankings »

Nebraska moves up to #19 mostly through inertia. I'm keeping Alabama #3 because (a) I'm still not convinced that Alabama is better than Oklahoma State, and frankly, we already know who the better team between LSU and Alabama is. (Guess what... that will probably earn me a fourth straight whack-job ballot. See if I care...) Southern Cal's whitewashing of UCLA was impressive enough to vote them into the Top Ten. I can't vote Arkansas any higher than #8...and frankly, I easily could bump them after USC.

Penn State stays in the poll mostly by inertia. Not sure who I vote in at this point. Same thing with Clemson. Florida State and Southern Miss get the votes this week.

UNO Hockey Sneaking Into WCHA Contention

2011-11-27T23:07:00.001-06:00

I have to admit that I haven't paid as much attention to UNO hockey so far this season. Goalie John Faulkner is having an off-year, and the Mavs started the season 1-3. And while the Mavs did have a nice win at Wisconsin last month, they haven't pulled off the eye-catching upsets that they did last season. (Sweeping Minnesota at Mariucci, a win at Michigan, and a stunning sweep of North Dakota.)

But the Mavs have been bouncing around in the lower parts of the Top 20 in recent weeks, and after a win and a tie this weekend against St. Cloud State, they find themselves in a tie for second place - one point behind Minnesota.

Finally got a chance to catch the Mavs again this afternoon, and once again, I'm not quite sure what to make of the Mavs this season. Strangely enough, the roster seems once again to be getting younger as Dean Blais remakes the lineup in line with his vision of speed and offense. In both games this weekend, the Mavs got off to a cold start as the Huskies dominated the play in both first periods. This afternoon, the Mavs tilted the ice and carried the play in the second period and much of the third period.

The last two seasons, the month of December has not been kind to UNO hockey. That's a trend that UNO needs to break. A neutral site series with Alabama-Huntsville in Nashville is up next weekend, followed by a trip up I-29 to play North Dakota just before the Christmas break. Getting some points in Grand Forks could be a key sign to positioning the Mavs for a run in the New Year.

It's Blackshirt Friday as Huskers Pummel Iowa

2011-11-25T17:20:00.001-06:00

If Nickelback fans liked
football, they'd look
like this.

Going into today's "Black Friday" matchup between Nebraska and Iowa, I felt the battle came down to which team wanted it more...and in my approach to the stadium, I got a bad feeling observing the number of Iowa fans in Lincoln. Certainly Iowa fans made their presence known today, buying any and all tickets available. Frankly, the pre-game vibe was almost like Nickelback was in town; a passionate group of fans with some questionable taste. Iowa fans owned the pregame atmosphere.

Fortunately, the Huskers didn't share that same vibe. Right from the start, the Blackshirts defended Iowa the same way they defended Michigan State. Shut down the running back, and blanket the leading wide receiver. Marcus Coker got a few yards, but never was able to consistently get the Hawkeyes into situations where quarterback James Vandenberg could capitalize with play-action passing. Add in Alfonzo Dennard locking down on Marvin McNutt...and the Hawkeye offense was essentially neutered today.

Of course, Iowa's offense was also hampered by really questionable play calling. Example in point: After an eight yard reception by tight end C.J. Fiedorowicz, the Hawkeyes faced a second and two late in the third quarter. Needing something to happen on offense, I figured Iowa would try to throw the ball downfield in that situation. The playbook should be wide open at this point, and if the pass is incomplete, the Hawkeyes still had a chance to convert a third-and-short.

I was wrong. Offensive coordinator Ken O'Keefe puts the ball in the hands of Marcus Coker, who runs right into Andrew Green on a blitz for a half-yard loss. The third down pass goes incomplete...and the Hawkeyes have to punt.

Of course, the Blackshirts came to play today. Lavonte David had another stellar game with a highlight reel play. Fiedorowicz pushed David to the ground to convert a third and 11. But David got the best of Fiedorowicz, regaining his feet to strip Fiedorowicz of the ball downfield. Fiedorowicz got the double fail on that play: offensive pass interference (declined of course) and the fumble.

Offensively, the Husker offense set the tone early by overpowering Iowa's defense. Early on, only ill-advised penalties stopped the Huskers on the ground. After the game, Bo Pelini said that Taylor Martinez sprained an ankle, so the offense became totally focused on Rex Burkhead...and the heart of the Husker offense ground out another sausage game: 159 yards on a school record 38 carries. No long runs today; he just made his cuts and gutted it out despite barely being able to walk at times.

Add in a few nice catches by Kenny Bell and Quincy Enunwa, and you had enough offense to win the game today. Nebraska is banged up, and probably wouldn't have been in a good position to compete next weekend in Indianapolis if they had qualified. But it was enough against Iowa.

It wasn't a thing of beauty today in Lincoln today. But it was a solid win that doesn't so much as earn Nebraska "bragging rights", but rather denies Iowa fans any "bragging rights" for the next twelve months.

So now Husker fans can sit back for the next week and eye a New Years Day bowl game against the SEC. Will it be the Capital One Bowl in Orlando, or the Outback Bowl in Tampa? My preference is the Outback...if only because the Outback is televised on ABC. (Hey, I'm not traveling, so destination doesn't matter to me at this point...just the television broadcast!) We don't know the opponent at this point, but having five and a half weeks to heal up is a good thing for the Big Red at this point.

Suh Lets the Packers Get To Him

2011-11-24T22:54:00.001-06:00

If you were watching this afternoons game between the Packers and the Lions...or saw any sports highlights today, you couldn't miss seeing Ndamukong Suh stomp on the arm of Evan Deitrich-Smith in the third quarter. That act ended his game, and might actually end his season.

Here's the video, in case you haven't seen it:

First and foremost. Suh deserved his ejection; there is no excuse for stomping on another players arm. Much like Ben Cotton's personal foul penalty in last year's Texas A&M game, the stomp was a reaction to a dirty play by the opponent. Watch the replay again... Deitrich-Smith takes down Suh well after the play is over; 4 seconds after Aaron Rodgers releases the ball.

But that's where the similarity ends. Suh's response was far worse than the original foul; he let the Packers take him out of the game. It was a dumb penalty, and with a nationwide audience watching it, it cemented his reputation that Suh is the game's dirtiest player. Hard to argue that after what happened today.

In his postgame comments, Suh seemed to be in denial about what he did... and that's probably making it even worse, if that's possible. Almost assuredly, Ndamukong Suh is going to be fined and suspended. Former NFL head of officiating Mike Pereira says he'll be suspended for multiple games, suggesting that it's comparable to the five-game suspension given to Albert Haynesworth in 2006.

There are only five weeks left in the NFL season. If Suh gets the same penalty, his season is over.

No doubt in my mind that Suh wasn't the instigator here...but in every situation, the retaliator is the one who gets caught. And in this case, the retaliator upped the ante and the retaliation escalated the situation. That's something Suh is going to need to think about in the coming weeks. He's too talented to let this happen to him; he needs to play smarter and not pull stunts like this on the field. And when a situation like this comes up, he needs to admit his fault rather than deny that he stomped on the guys arm.

That message will be coming loud and strong at him in upcoming days. He'll be the talk of sports radio, and his endorsees will let him know about it as well.

"Black Friday": Huskers versus Iowa

2011-11-24T14:24:00.001-06:00

When the whole "Heroes Sponsored by Hy-Vee" concept was announced this summer, it immediately rubbed me the wrong way. If there is one thing we learned from Nebraska's time in the Big XII, rivalries cannot be manufactured. They grow organically, unlike what Bill McCartney tried to do at Colorado. ABC and the Big XII tried to force the issue, but Nebraska fans never accepted Colorado as their rival. When Colorado had a good team, it was a big game. But when Colorado sucked, as they mostly have ever since McCartney retired, it wasn't.

So now we have another "rivalry" game with Iowa and Nebraska. It makes more sense geographically, because of the closer proximity of the two campuses and the population centers of the two states. But frankly, it probably doesn't stand the test of competitiveness, which in my mind is the biggest reason for a rivalry. Nebraska vs. Oklahoma became a rivalry because the games had a history of meaning a lot. 1971 Thanksgiving Day is "THE" game of the century, though the term is starting to become trivialized through overuse. Iowa fans like to trumpet how Iowa has had more success in recent years than Nebraska, with more Top Ten rankings and better bowl berths. Except they forget one simple fact: Iowa's record since the turn of the century is only marginally better than Nebraska's record. Or to put it more simply: Iowa's best decade of football is only marginally better than Nebraska's worst decade of football since the Eisenhower administration.

As such, I think this "rivalry" means more to Iowa fans than Nebraska fans. Nebraska fans opinions are still jaded by the memories of 60-3 and national championships. Some fans even are ready to fire Bo Pelini after losing a third conference game of the season. Bottom line is that Nebraska fans expect their team to play at a higher level than Iowa currently or historically has. That's not a good basis for a mutual rivalry. That being said, if either team raises the level of their play, that school probably won't consider this much of a rivalry either. (Yes, Iowa fans...if Iowa becomes a consistent Big Ten and national contender, then yes, Iowa fans won't consider Nebraska a rival either.)

The "Heroes Game" designation is an interesting attempt to justify making the game something more than it actually is..but it has absolutely nothing to do with the matchup. It's artificial. It's not a bad thing to honor people who have made contributions to their community; it just has absolutely nothing to do with the football game. So no matter what Hy-Vee and the athletic departments want us to think, I'm not going to use that moniker going forward. (Not that I care what Hy-Vee thinks; I rarely shop there because despite it's proximity to my house, they are always have the highest prices and are typically out-of-stock of what I came there for.) It's just as bad as that Legends/Leaders crap that Jim Delaney is trying to sell...

Leave it to the academic side of the house to come up with a better theme for this game. On Facebook, the the two schools are having a little contest to get the most fans, calling it the "Race to Black Friday". Once I saw it, it immediately resonated. Black Friday - the day after Thanksgiving. The Blackshirts. Iowa's black uniforms. It just fits. It's clean; it's a natural extension of the term everybody is using for the day anyway. Maybe it's not original, but unlike Farmageddon, it hasn't been used for a football game before. (Dear Iowa fan... don't plagiarize Iowa State and Kansas State.)

So who's win the initial "Black Friday" game? On paper, my biased perspective favors the Huskers. James Vandenberg is the type of quarterback the Blackshirts typically feast on. Can the Huskers handle Marcus Coker? That's the key battle in my mind. Iowa's offense feeds off Coker setting up the combination of Vandenberg to wide receiver Marvin McNutt. And if Alfonzo Dennard can lock up on McNutt, I like the Huskers in this situation. Iowa's defense has a lot of holes this season, and really aren't outstanding at any position. The defensive line is missing the three guys they sent to the NFL last season...so I think this could be a good opportunity for the Husker offense to get untracked.

But it really comes down to who wants this game more. Winner gets a couple of relatively meaningless trophies and a better bowl bid. Fans get the bragging rights for a year. But that's it. And I'm not so sure that Nebraska fans really need the bragging rights; Husker fans just want to avoid listening to Squawkeye fans lording this over them for a year. While Iowa did defeat both Northwestern and Michigan (two teams Nebraska lost to), they also lost to woeful Minnesota. Again.

And most importantly, Iowa just doesn't seem to play well on the road this season. So my prediction is Huskers 31, Iowegia 17. We'll see how that works out tomorrow afternoon. Have a great Thanksgiving, everyone!

BlogPoll Ballot: How Do You Account for F-Bomb Saturday

2011-11-21T09:00:00.000-06:00

Lee Corso's "Oh, eff it" pretty much summarized yesterday in college football. Too many upsets, too many weird things happened on the field. Some people have said you can take positions 4 through 25 on their poll ballot and mix them up anyway you want...then light it on fire.

But I'd go even further. Some people are voting Alabama #2... and my question is "Why?" Do you really want to see LSU and Alabama play again? We already know who the better team is. And frankly, Alabama was not impressive against Division 1-AA Georgia Southern. The Tide led by 10 at halftime, and let Eagles gain over 300 yards on the ground. So I'm supposed to vote them below Oklahoma State, who lost on the road to a pretty good Iowa State team in overtime. Oh, and that loss happened just hours after they heard the news of the women's basketball coach being killed in a plane crash.

And my answer is "No!" Heck, the only reason why the SEC escaped upsets is because they played cupcakes. And they struggled. Florida trailed Furman. South Carolina kept it too close with The Citadel. And one of my rules in voting is that losing to a good team means more than beating a bad team.

With that, here's my ballot for the week:

Husker Mike's Blasphemy Ballot - Week 13

Rank	Team	Delta
1	LSU Tigers	1
2	Oklahoma St. Cowboys	-1
3	Alabama Crimson Tide	1
4	Arkansas Razorbacks	2
5	Oregon Ducks	-2
6	Oklahoma Sooners	-1
7	Stanford Cardinal	--
8	Virginia Tech Hokies	--
9	Wisconsin Badgers	1
10	Michigan St. Spartans	1
11	USC Trojans	6
12	South Carolina Gamecocks	--
13	Boise St. Broncos	--
14	Houston Cougars	1
15	Kansas St. Wildcats	5
16	Baylor Bears	8
17	Michigan Wolverines	4
18	Georgia Bulldogs	-4
19	Penn St. Nittany Lions	-1
20	Clemson Tigers	-11
21	Nebraska Cornhuskers	-5
22	TCU Horned Frogs	1
23	Tulsa Golden Hurricane	2
24	West Virginia Mountaineers	--
25	Iowa St. Cyclones	--
Dropouts: Southern Miss. Golden Eagles, Florida St. Seminoles

SB Nation BlogPoll College Football Top 25 Rankings »

I can't raise Virginia Tech this week. Not when they struggle to defeat North Carolina and really haven't beaten anybody of substance this season. Baylor gets rewarded for their victory over Oklahoma. Clemson gets penalized for getting blown out -- and not beating anybody all season long.

And yes, Iowa State gets a vote at #25. Why? Why not? They have a victory over a top 10 team. And frankly, they're just as deserving as just about everybody else. So in the immortal words of Lee Corso...

"Awwww, eff* it!"

Big Loss in the Big House as Michigan Dominates the Huskers

2011-11-19T14:51:00.001-06:00

Take your choice between Nebraska's offensive line and special teams play; which was worse? Frankly, I can't as both were horrible against the Michigan Wolverines. Michigan's defensive line had their way at the line of scrimmage, especially defensive tackle Mike Martin, who pretty much ate Mike Caputo alive at times today. Absolutely no running room up the middle, and not much more on the perimeter. That put Nebraska into third-and-long situations all afternoon...and Nebraska's receivers couldn't catch a cold today.

The Blackshirts had several opportunities early on to take control of this game, as the Huskers must have had a hand on at least three Denard Robinson passes in the first quarter...and Nebraska really should have intercepted a couple of them. If Ciante Evans picks off Robinson on that first drive of the game, who knows where this game winds up. Robinson gained confidence from that point on and played one of his better games of this season.

The front seven did play a pretty good game. Baker Steinkuhler started the game by nailing Fitz Toussaint for a four yard loss. Terrence Moore tipped and intercepted a Robinson pass, but probably shouldn't have tried to lateral the ball to Alfonzo Dennard. It almost was an illegal forward pass..and risked giving the ball back to Michigan. Cameron Meredith also seemed to be playing fairly well.

Then there are the linebackers. Lavonte David had a huge game, trying to keep the Huskers in the mix. In the third quarter, Will Compton also made a few huge stops as well. All told, it was a great performance up front. The secondary had a few miscues, and that might have been the the final straw for the Huskers. Let's start with Robinson's 45 yard pass completion to Roy Roundtree that set up Michigan's first touchdown of the afternoon.

Or maybe not. I'm still trying to figure out how that wasn't offensive pass interference on Roundtree, who threw Dennard to the ground to make the catch. That might be excused if that was the worst call of the game, but the officials were just getting started there. A missed pass interference call on Kenny Demens on a third down led to yet another Nebraska punt. Heck, even when the officials had a chance to think about a call, they still came out with a muddled explanation. ("Snap violation?")

Any chance Nebraska had to come back ended when the officals decided to call a personal foul on that attempted blocked kick. My first take was that it was a great acting job by the Michigan punter, but the instant replay showed he was tapped on the foot. Five yard penalty? Absolutely. 15 yards? Good grief. Bo Pelini will probably getting a reprimand for telling the media after the game that it was a bad call, but the fact is: that was a horrible call.

While that ended any chances Nebraska had to come back, the horrible officiating was not the reason why Nebraska lost this game. Michigan's defense dominated the Huskers today, and it started up front. No room to run whatsoever meant Nebraska needed to throw the ball...and the receivers pretty much sucked all day long. Make a catch, keep a drive alive...maybe something happens for the Huskers.

And we can't go into this review without bringing up special teams: two fumbled kickoffs? A blocked punt? These errors turned a 10 point loss into a 28 point trip behind the woodshed. It was the final straw that made this game way too ugly.

I probably shouldn't be listening to people vent on the radio or read their tweets this afternoon. Husker fans should be disappointed...and angry. That's not the point...the point is hitting the panic button and making irrational statements that you'll probably regret later on. A loss like this certainly raises valid questions, but looking around college football today, a lot of teams suffered suckage today. I have those same questions myself, and they need an answer. But not today. The wounds are still too raw, and there is another game to play for in less than six days.

Iowa is one of those opponents that plays up -- and down -- to every opponent. They know all about disappointing losses; they underwhelm on a regular basis. But they also rebound nicely and upsets a team they have no business beating. And that should be the focus this week, because if you think Squawkeye fans are annoying now, just wait until they manage to pull off an upset in Lincoln.

Beat Michigan

2011-11-19T00:30:00.000-06:00

It's tradition, that makes it okay.

Beat Michigan.

Little Buzz For Weasel Week

2011-11-18T12:24:00.001-06:00

Not sure if it's an overdose on Big Ten drama, or that Michigan has been down the last few years, but I'm rather surprised how little buzz there is for Nebraska's game tomorrow against Michigan. Maybe Husker fans could take a queue from UNO hockey fans, who likely would be ready to explode in full Weasel Hate mode by Friday afternoon. Nevertheless, it is a big game between two 8-2 teams...and the winner could be in position to earn a BCS bowl berth.

Considering how both schools have fared in recent years, that should be a really big deal.

I somewhat get the lack of buzz: we've seen Ohio State and Penn State. Fan emotions took a huge hit with the unfortunate loss to Northwestern. But let's not forget that the Huskers are in position to do something that nobody seemingly has done before: defeat Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, and Penn State in the same season. And it's not like a trip to Indianapolis and a rematch against Wisconsin isn't out of the question either. Not exactly likely, but upsets can and will happen. Don't ever give up hope.

But Michigan seems to be the Big Ten's version of Oklahoma. Proud tradition. Coaches you despise. And an annoying fight song that gets under your skin. And there is the history of the matchup as well. Bob Devaney pulling off that 1962 upset in the Big House. 2005, when Michigan needed the Stanford band to block better on that final kick return in the Alamo Bowl. And of course 1997.

Michigan Man is still peeved about the 1997 split national championship. Nevermind that most people think that Nebraska would have won a head-to-head matchup. Nevermind that Washington State spiked the ball with two seconds left in the Rose Bowl, yet the officials let the clock run out rather than risk Michigan being upset on the final play of the game. Michigan points to the totally legal "Miracle at Missouri" touchdown catch by Matt Davison as to Nebraska's unworthiness that season.

Nebraska fans really haven't experienced much of a reason to hate Michigan at this point. But trust me, it won't take long. Just ask UNO hockey fans after Michigan's alleged "goal" in the NCAA tournament in March. (Before anybody asks..."probably a goal" is not a goal. And the replay that was used was not definitive, because the "white" that appears between the puck and the goal line is very likely the ice under the puck, in view because the puck is above the ice surface. And please, Weasel fan...don't make me have to prove it.)

It likely won't take very long for animosity to build up, but rest assured it will. Michigan arrogance will guarantee it. It's inevitable. It's coming, folks. It's coming.

Die. Weasel. Scum.

BlogPoll Ballot: Only Can Move Huskers Up One Spot

2011-11-14T10:09:00.000-06:00

Frankly, I'd like to move the Huskers up higher this week...but there frankly aren't any other teams to move underneath Nebraska. Not many teams lost on the day... So I'm slotting Nebraska at #16. A win this week at the Big House against Michigan would be huge; some feel it might be enough to get the Huskers a BCS bowl bid even if Michigan State wins out to get to Indianapolis and the Big Ten Championship game.

Here's my question: If Nebraska goes 10-2 and gets a BCS bowl bid, is that progress on the season, even without a game in Indianapolis? It's presumptions to assume anything, but getting back to the BCS after a 10 year absence is progress to me. And that's a goal that's worth fighting for...no matter what Michigan State does.

Husker Mike's Blasphemy Ballot - Week 12

Rank	Team	Delta
1	Oklahoma St. Cowboys	--
2	LSU Tigers	1
3	Oregon Ducks	3
4	Alabama Crimson Tide	1
5	Oklahoma Sooners	2
6	Arkansas Razorbacks	2
7	Stanford Cardinal	-5
8	Virginia Tech Hokies	1
9	Clemson Tigers	1
10	Wisconsin Badgers	1
11	Michigan St. Spartans	1
12	South Carolina Gamecocks	2
13	Boise St. Broncos	-9
14	Georgia Bulldogs	2
15	Houston Cougars	--
16	Nebraska Cornhuskers	5
17	USC Trojans	1
18	Penn St. Nittany Lions	-5
19	Southern Miss. Golden Eagles	1
20	Kansas St. Wildcats	4
21	Michigan Wolverines	--
22	Florida St. Seminoles	--
23	TCU Horned Frogs	--
24	Baylor Bears	--
25	Tulsa Golden Hurricane	--
Dropouts: Auburn Tigers, Texas Longhorns, Washington Huskies, Ohio St. Buckeyes, Cincinnati Bearcats

SB Nation BlogPoll College Football Top 25 Rankings »

This is one of those weeks that it's tough finding teams to put in at the bottom. Too many teams have too many blemishes on their resume. Take Baylor...who gets in with an overtime victory over Kansas. But do I keep a 6-4 Ohio State team in the Top 25? Ugh. TCU, who haven't beaten anybody except for Boise? Do I vote for Notre Dame? Heck, I even thought about voting for Missouri at 5-5. Please, somebody...help me out here.

Huskers Hold off Penn State in the "Game That Probably Shouldn't Have Been"

2011-11-12T16:42:00.001-06:00

Today in Happy Valley, the focus finally drifted away from the disgusting tale of child abuse back to football. Prior to kickoff, the two teams met at midfield for a touching, passionate pregame prayer led by Nebraska assistant coach Ron Brown. I wouldn't have expected anybody other than Brown to be leading in that situation; it set the mood for the day.

Right from the start, it was clear that the Blackshirts were dialed in on Silas Redd, Penn State's leading rusher. Just a few missteps in the secondary led to big gains, such as a first quarter pass from Matt McGloin to Curtis Drake that set up a field goal attempt that was missed. Judging from the trajectory of the kick, I think it was deflected by Baker Steinkuhler. Hard to say thanks to ESPN's horrific coverage of the game today. (More on that later.)

In the second quarter, it seemed the offensive line made enough of an adjustment to create some creases for Rex Burkhead to exploit. And a small opening usually is all Burkhead needs. That, in turn, made Taylor Martinez more effective through the air, completing 7 of 10 passes in the second quarter. Martinez's first quarter "struggles" through the air seemed to be more a result of drops than bad passes and misreads by his receivers. As this season goes on, Martinez is becoming more and more a efficient passer. Definitely not the most fundamentally sound. But efficient.

And Martinez is very much the leader of this team. Take that touchdown drive just prior to halftime: three times, Martinez converted key third downs, and a 10-0 halftime lead was much more comfortable than 6-0. It seemed that Penn State wore down a bit late in the first half, and would be revitalized after halftime. And sure enough, Penn State came out strong to open the second half until the McGloin fumbled while being sacked. Another impressive drive on the ground gave the Huskers a 17-0 lead...and one that I thought would be nearly impossible for Penn State to overcome. Absolutely loved that option pitch from Martinez to Burkhead for the score. Martinez critics like to point out that Martinez hasn't looked natural running the option, but that's because he hasn't run it before. It takes time to learn, and if you don't run it, you don't get better...and that touchdown shows the value of keeping it in the offense.

H/T to @grantsky

Still, Nebraska was in good shape until Nebraska's switcheroo between Rex Burkhead and Taylor Martinez blew up in the Huskers face. Burkhead's handoff to Tyler Legate was fumbled, and the officials awarded the ball to Penn State. Anybody watching the game live on ESPN wouldn't understand why Bo Pelini wanted the play reviewed unless they also had a DVR. Turns out that Nebraska's Yoshi Hardrick actually recovered the ball.

Of course, no review was available...and with the momentum swing, Penn State pulled to within three points with five minutes left. A three and out only ran a minute off the clock, but a 61 yard punt by Brett Maher gave the Blackshirts some room to maneuver. Enter Lavonte David, who had been quiet much of the afternoon with several missed tackles.... but with the game on the line, #4 came through. Second and two, David teamed with Austin Cassidy to hold Stephfon Gree one yard shy of the goal line. Then on both third and fourth down, David kept Silas Redd shy of the first down marker.

Some will disagree with Bo Pelini's call to go for it on fourth and 1 rather than punt or try a field goal. I didn't; because I didn't see how Penn State was going to drive the field with no time outs. Kicking the ball risked a block which could be returned, and wouldn't assure the victory either. Certainly that's not a strategy I'd consider against offenses like Wisconsin or Oklahoma State...but being this was Penn State, it was a good choice.

Sure enough, while Burkhead didn't get the first down, Penn State couldn't get anywhere near field goal range in the final seconds. And that, in the end, denied Joe Paterno the opportunity to be the martyr. I get the emotion of the sudden end of a 46 year legendary career...but let's not forget why Paterno was fired. We still don't know how many children were violated since Penn State officials became aware what Jerry Sandusky was allegedly doing. At best, Paterno and other Penn State officials practiced a policy of "plausible deniability"; it does not forgive them, and it doesn't make JoePa a victim of a lynch mob mentality this week. Paterno's failures are the reason he was fired.

ESPN's broadcast was a travesty on all accounts. I understand the need to cut GameDay fifteen minutes short; it would have been awkward going from Lee Corso's headgear pick straight to kickoff in State College. But seemingly all day, Penn State and Joe Paterno were portrayed as the victim. Yes, the players had nothing to do with the abuse, but Paterno did. Sticking a camera and reporter outside JoePa's house was out of line. Meanwhile, ESPN's broadcast of the game itself was woefully inadequate. It's one thing for Versus or FSN to put together a crappy broadcast, but the "Worldwide Leader"? Take that "fumble" of the handoff between Burkhead and Legate. ESPN was more concerned with showing fans and Pelini complaining to the refs than trying to figure out why Pelini was so upset. Thank goodness for Twitter, where someone with a DVR created their own instant replay and let us know what really happened on the field.

A huge tip of the hat to Bo Pelini, who had the guts to tell the post-game press conference that today's game shouldn't have been played. It's an argument I tended to agree with. Football is a game. Lives had been ruined by a pedophile with the implicit approval of a major college football program. That was bigger than football. Fans will get over missing a game. Those childhoods that have been ruined can never be recovered.

Joe Paterno Fired; Will There Be a Game on Saturday?

2011-11-09T22:30:00.002-06:00

WTF were you thinking,
Joe Paterno?

Earlier this summer, I speculated that as long as Joe Paterno was physically able to be head coach, he'd remain as Penn State's head coach. But I never anticipated anything like what has emerged in recent days at Penn State. Two weeks ago, JoePa won his 409th game; now he's fired. And despite what a bunch of rioting morons might think on the Penn State campus might think, it's a firing that absolutely had to happen.

The revelations that some people knew that Jerry Sandusky was allegedly raping young boys in 1998 is simply inconceivable. It's inconceivable that Paterno didn't know what was going on then, especially when you consider that Sandusky's retirement in 1999 caught people by surprise. The revelation that assistant coach Mike McQueary was witness to one especially dramatic attack is even more mind-numbing. How could this situation have been allowed to continue for years afterwards? How many other children have been victimized due to the negligence of Penn State's coaches and administrators?

CNN and MSNBC are breaking into their primetime coverage to show Penn State students rioting, while ESPN's talking heads are trying to come go grasps as to what has just happened. Bottom line is that there are apparently 20 or more young men who have been scarred for life by a monster, and an institution that let the monster run free for the last thirteen years.

Oh, by the way, that institution's next opponent? Nebraska.

Or that's what the schedule currently shows. I think that there is a serious doubt that a game can be played on Saturday. It's not just Dirk Chatelain, the World-Herald's resident muck-raker. It's Drew Sharp of the Detroit Free Press. It's even former Sporting News/Rivals/Yahoo writer Tom Dienhart, who now works for BTN. That's right, a writer for the network owned and operated by the Big Ten Conference is suggesting the game be cancelled.

It's not because the team and players need to be punished. They had absolutely nothing to do with this; they are innocent victims as well. It's because the institution is in disarray. The president of the University has been fired, the coach has been fired. The athletic director is charged with perjury. Students are rioting in State College at this moment. And lost in all of this uproar are a bunch of young men who had their innocence taken away by a monster.

How possibly can Penn State host a football game under these circumstances?

From a football perspective, I don't know what a forfeit or cancellation would mean. Nebraska's already one game behind Michigan State in the Big Ten's west division, and needs to win out (and have Michigan State lose a game) to advance to Indianapolis. How would a forfeit count if Sparty loses? That would be a tough call for Jim Delaney to make. But frankly, it doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things.

Some things are more important than football.

BlogPoll: Huskers Out of Top 20 On My Ballot

2011-11-07T09:12:00.000-06:00

Call it a reaction to losing at home to a team like Northwestern, but top 20 teams shouldn't lose like that. So I penalize the Huskers down to #21. Not sure that's correct, because I think Nebraska is better than a lot of those teams ahead of them...but it probably depends on which Nebraska team shows up. When I moved Nebraska into the Top Ten, I did it under the assumption the defense was back on track. Well, that wasn't the case last week... so down they go...

Husker Mike's Blasphemy Ballot - Week 11

Rank	Team	Delta
1	Oklahoma St. Cowboys	2
2	Stanford Cardinal	2
3	LSU Tigers	-2
4	Boise St. Broncos	1
5	Alabama Crimson Tide	-3
6	Oregon Ducks	--
7	Oklahoma Sooners	--
8	Arkansas Razorbacks	1
9	Virginia Tech Hokies	2
10	Clemson Tigers	2
11	Wisconsin Badgers	3
12	Michigan St. Spartans	1
13	Penn St. Nittany Lions	3
14	South Carolina Gamecocks	-4
15	Houston Cougars	2
16	Georgia Bulldogs	4
17	Auburn Tigers	4
18	USC Trojans	5
19	Texas Longhorns	5
20	Southern Miss. Golden Eagles	--
21	Nebraska Cornhuskers	-13
22	Washington Huskies	-3
23	Ohio St. Buckeyes	2
24	Kansas St. Wildcats	-2
25	Cincinnati Bearcats	--
Dropouts: Michigan Wolverines, Arizona St. Sun Devils

SB Nation BlogPoll College Football Top 25 Rankings »

Moving Oklahoma State up to #1 is more a response to the defensive struggle in the Esssss--Eeee-Ceee than what the Cowboys did. Yes, those were two great defenses...but c'mon...it's not like other teams hadn't scored touchdowns against either defense all season. So to counteract the Essss-EEEEE-Ceee bias some will show, I'm dropping both teams for now. Call it irrational, but those were two lousy offenses out there.

In this wee are Southern Miss and Cincinnati; out go the Weasels and Arizona State for obvious reasons.

Northwestern Outplays the Other NU

2011-11-05T22:38:00.000-05:00

If you would have told me last week that Eric Martin was going to knock Northwestern quarterback Dan Persa out of the game in the second quarter, I would have asked you how many points Nebraska would have won by. Heck, if you would have told me that at halftime today, I would then asked how many points Nebraska would have won by. That's because I expected that even with an average performance would be good enough for the Huskers to win today. But except for a couple of exceptions, Nebraska didn't perform anywhere near "average". Not even in the same area code.

Northwestern's much maligned defense came up golden today, and up front, they dominated the Husker offensive line, Especially the left side, where Andrew Rodriquez found himself benched in favor of Seung Hoon Choi in the second half, even as the Huskers had to abandon the largely ineffective ground game. Contrast that with the Northwestern offensive line, which regularly pushed the Blackshirts 3-4 yards downfield on nearly every snap. Except, for some reason, that second quarter, where it looked like the defense had finally adjusted to Northwestern's spread attack. Two three-and-outs, and an interception. The Husker defensive line seemed to have the upper hand, and Dan Persa was running around for his life.

So when third-string quarterback Trevor Siemian trotted out onto the field on Northwestern's opening possession of the third quarter, I thought Nebraska had this game in check. Nope: it was checkmate, as the Wildcats drove the ball deep downfield on every possession after halftime. Only a missed field goal and an interception by Austin Cassidy prevented the Huskers from getting taken to the woodshed in the second half.

Only two players seemed to show up this afternoon for Nebraska: Taylor Martinez and Brett Maher. Maher unveiled his own version of the rugby-punt against the wind with impressive results. But need I remind you that one of the surest signs of a bad game is when the punter is outplaying the rest of the team. Martinez critics will have to tip their cap to #3 for today's performance, though they'll probably point out that Northwestern's defense isn't very good. True, and the Wildcats were playing soft and trying to stop the run. But there's no denying that Martinez was on-target with his throws all day. Perhaps he heard the clip from ESPN's Rece Davis during last week's halftime show repeated over and over:

"I would not let No. 3 throw that ball…Ever!"

Critics won't like to admit it, but he did everything possible to try and win a game that the rest of his teammates didn't seem to want. Good decision making, efficient passing, and timely scrambles. Take that heady dump off to Rex Burkhead early in the game to salvage a drive. Take that dive for the goal line on the two point conversion, knowing exactly how many yards he needed.

Update: A commenter pointed out that Baker Steinkuhler played a great game as well. Which he did in the first half, but in the second half, the defensive line got wore down. He does deserve kudos for his first half performance.

Let me make it clear that Northwestern outplayed Nebraska fair-and-square, but it didn't help the Huskers chances to salvage a victory by some horrible officiating. Ciante Evans looked like he made a great play on Jeremy Ebert, only to get flagged. I lost count on the number of holding penalties that weren't called. Yet the refs were paying enough attention to flag both teams for ineligible receivers downfield? Even Greg Burks probably thought this game was poorly officiated.

Fans probably should have had a uneasy feeling as the early games kicked off today. Minnesota leading Michigan State? Indiana leading Ohio State? Even Purdue made it interesting at the start against Wisconsin. But other than the Weasels, all of the favorites emerged today...except for the Huskers. The Huskers second loss puts them a game behind Michigan State in the Big Ten's West division, and with Sparty concluding the season with Indiana, Iowa, and Northwestern, the Spartans have the inside track to Indianapolis. But you never know what will happen, so fans have to have hope.

Hope. That's not what Husker fans were looking for this season going into November.

Blackshirt Distribution Becomes a Rorschach Test For Some

2011-11-01T23:28:00.000-05:00

When word came out that 20 defensive players were wearing Blackshirts at practice, the inevitable second-guessing of the coaching staff began from some. Is there an argument that 20 Blackshirts is too many? Absolutely. But it's not quite as cut-and-dried of an argument as you might think. Certainly Bo Pelini does a lot more situational substitutions than his predecessors, so it would be hard to limit it to just eleven. But certainly some of the recipients raise eyebrows: Eric Martin? Justin Blatchford? Terrence Moore? P.J. Smith? Lance Thorell? Thad Randle?

It's kind of hard to group those players in with the every down players like Lavonte David, Baker Steinkuhler, or Alfonzo Dennard. Does this water down the meaning of the Blackshirt tradition, like Jason Peter tweeted earlier today? I do tend to agree with Peter, but by that same token, I think the Blackshirt tradition has more meaning now that it's not enough to just start on defense. A Blackshirt defense means something. The 2007 Nebraska defense wore black practice jerseys, but could in no way could be compared to the great Nebraska defenses that proudly wore the Blackshirt. The defense has to play at a certain level, and if the defense plays at that certain level, everybody who's part of it gets a Blackshirt.

I get it, I understand it. It is a different way of implementing the tradition, to be sure. And some people can disagree with it. That's fine.

What I don't understand is the allegation that Bo Pelini doesn't care about Nebraska tradition - or the fans. Bo Pelini has made it clear that he cares more about the people inside the program than the people outside of the program. Guess what: I have no problem with that. He's going to stick up for his players first and foremost. When he sticks his neck out of them, they turn around and stick their neck out for him. If there is a former player who disliked playing for Bo Pelini, they haven't made their presence known.

But does Bo "hate" the fans? I don't see it. Does he love the fans? No, but show me a coach that really does? In the end, any coach's popularity is based primarily on his results. If he wins games, he'll be loved. If he loses games, he'll be hated. How you win sometimes doesn't matter; just ask Ohio State fans about Jim Tressel.

Definitive Proof that Bo Pelini
hates Husker fans.

The whole idea that Bo Pelini didn't hand out Blackshirts because he hates Nebraska fans is easily debunked once you realize how important the Blackshirts are to the players. Will Compton called it a "damn good day" when he saw his Blackshirt in his locker. It's almost like the Blackshirts are a giant Rorschach test where some people try to infer meaning out of ink blots. Frankly, it's silly.

If you want to disagree with awarding Blackshirts to nine part-time role players or key substitutes, that's fine. If you want to disagree with holding them back until the defense actually accomplishes something, as opposed to awarding them in August, that's valid criticism as well. But to turn this into something with a greater meaning is simply psychobabble.

BlogPoll Ballot: Huskers Look Like a Top Ten Team

2011-10-31T10:13:00.000-05:00

When I bumped Nebraska out of the Top Ten in September, I left open the possibility of moving the Huskers back up once the defense started to play like we expected. Well, that happened, and combined with a wacky weekend of football, I've moved the Huskers up to #8. Homer pick? Probably. But here's my justification. Nebraska didn't narrowly escape Vanderbilt or Duke...and Nebraska's victories over Ohio State and Washington keep looking better and better.

Husker Mike's Blasphemy Ballot - Week 10

Rank	Team	Delta
1	LSU Tigers	--
2	Alabama Crimson Tide	1
3	Oklahoma St. Cowboys	2
4	Stanford Cardinal	-2
5	Boise St. Broncos	-1
6	Oregon Ducks	--
7	Oklahoma Sooners	2
8	Nebraska Cornhuskers	6
9	Arkansas Razorbacks	-2
10	South Carolina Gamecocks	5
11	Virginia Tech Hokies	2
12	Clemson Tigers	-4
13	Michigan St. Spartans	-3
14	Wisconsin Badgers	-2
15	Michigan Wolverines	1
16	Penn St. Nittany Lions	1
17	Houston Cougars	1
18	Arizona St. Sun Devils	1
19	Washington Huskies	2
20	Georgia Bulldogs	3
21	Auburn Tigers	3
22	Kansas St. Wildcats	-11
23	USC Trojans	-1
24	Texas Longhorns	--
25	Ohio St. Buckeyes	--
Dropouts: Texas Tech Red Raiders, Texas A&M Aggies

SB Nation BlogPoll College Football Top 25 Rankings »

After that, it starts becoming a bit of a muddle. Wisconsin's probably the best two loss team in the country...and it took two Hail Mary's to give them those losses. So I'm keeping them up in the standings for now. Houston is an enigma; putting up big scores on nobodies. Kansas State is back where I think they should be. Southern Cal doesn't go down far for narrowly losing to a top five team...

Oklahoma State's blowout of Baylor finally convinced me to move them up to #3. So they'll likely be #2 next week after the LSU/Alabama game.

Spring Football Might Work for UFL, But Not in Omaha

2011-10-30T23:33:00.000-05:00

Crowds like this can't be
accommodated in the spring.

The UFL is currently exploring all alternatives they can to survive into 2012, though their latest idea probably won't work in Omaha. Rather than trying to compete with high school and college football, the UFL is considering switching to the spring, ala the USFL and XFL. The idea makes sense in many other markets where the league isn't getting the exposure they need...but not in Omaha. Don't get me wrong, I think Omahans would flock to professional football no matter what season it is. The problem isn't the fans, but the logistics. Where would the Omaha Nighthawks play in a spring season?

I don't think TD Ameritrade Park would be available for football. The new downtown ballpark was built first and foremost to support the College World Series, and keeping the NCAA happy is job one. I can't imaging the NCAA being supportive of football games being played in April and May on the same field, wearing out the turf. Heck, if you saw tonight's Philadelphia/Dallas game, you noticed that they've already had to resod the middle of the field...and it's only October. Football puts a lot of wear and tear on a field, and the NCAA wants their event played in as pristine of an environment as possible.

Football in July and afterwards is fine; new sod can be laid down in the fall, and repairs can be made in the early spring, with plenty of time for it to grow and mature before the Series begins in mid-June. So football downtown would be out, so where else could the Nighthawks play? Probably the best option would be UNO, where Al Caniglia Field sits mostly idle. But the capacity of UNO's field is under 10,000, though it is possible to add bleachers to extend the capacity to 15,000. UNO also lacks the skyboxes and other amenities that would make football a better revenue generator. And let's not forget that UNO football itself was financially unsuccessful there as well.

Spring football is at best a gimmick, in my opinion. Arena football makes it work, but I don't see anything else working. We've seen it tried before...and it's failed. In my opinion, the only option the UFL has to become viable long-term is some sort of partnership with the NFL. Apparently the UFL once rejected a bid by the NFL to buy 51% of the league. Oops.

Bring in the NFL as a managing partner is step one to rescuing the league. The schedule shenanigans this season destroyed the credibility of the league with many fans and players. I don't know how much credibility the current management of the league still has, but the NFL brings instant credibility. Expand the league to eight cities, and let NFL teams send players from their practice squad to the UFL for development. When mid-season injuries pop-up, the NFL teams can recall players back from the UFL, just like they do in the NHL and Major League Baseball. It's a system that makes the NFL a better league because the reserves are in football shape. Start training camps Labor Day weekend, after the NFL does their final cuts. Begin playing games late September, and finish up around Thanksgiving. Play games on Thursday and Friday nights in college hotbeds, and on Saturdays in markets without college football. Broadcast games on the NFL Network, and promote them as a place to see the young quarterbacks that an NFL team drafted.

But just say no to spring football. It might work in Sacramento and Las Vegas...but not in Omaha.

Blackshirts Emerge from Slobberknocker with Sparty

2011-10-29T21:25:00.004-05:00

Inconsistency has been the hallmark of Nebraska's 2011 football season, especially on defense. Brief stretches of great play, such as the third quarter against Wisconsin, the fourth quarter against Ohio State, or the first twenty minutes against Wisconsin were offset by some rough (to be kind) stretches. (Think the second twenty minutes against Wisconsin, if you are a masochist.) The good stretches give you cause for optimism, but the bad stretches hold you back. For the last couple of weeks, the coaching staff has told us they thought the team had turned the corner. Just yesterday, secondary coach Corey Raymond told fans at the Big Red Breakfast in Omaha that the team was close:

"I think we're going to be much better than we are," Raymondsaid. "We're going to get there."

So I went into today's game against Michigan State hoping for the best...but expecting the worst. The Huskers, meanwhile, came out with a defensive effort we haven't seen since last season. First solid sign? Lance Thorell picking off a Kirk Cousins pass on the Spartans' opening possession of the game. But it wasn't just Thorell...it was the entire defense. Biggest difference maker to me? Cornerback Andrew Green, who was a surprise starter over Stanley Jean-Baptiste. Earlier this season, Green seemed to out of position about half the time. Opposing quarterbacks seemed to target him as he repeatedly got burned. But apparently he showed something in practice, as the coaches gave him a second chance this week, and he delivered. Big time. Seven tackles; two for a loss. Seemingly always in the right position, he was solid in pass coverage as well.

The big heroes of the game on defense were the tag team of corner Alfonzo Dennard and safety Daimion Stafford. They channeled their inner Amukamara and totally took B.J. Cunningham out of the game. Cunningham is Michigan State's leading receiver, averaging over 100 yards a game receiving each game. Cousins tried to find him over and over again, but Dennard and Stafford weren't having any of that. Cunningham's lone appearance on the stat sheet in today's game? The tackle on Thorell's interception. Zero catches for Michigan State's leading playmaker.

Michigan State's lone offensive threat today was running back Le'Vion Bell, who took over from struggling Edwin Baker. Bell did some early damage on the ground, but found less and less running room as the Huskers dialed in on the Spartans. That forced Cousins to make plays, and the Blackshirts were eager to face a pocket passer who wasn't a significant risk to scramble. Even so Cousins did make a couple of plays with his feet...but more often than not, went down hard. Cue Eric Martin, who saw significant time in pass-rush situations in the second half and contributed two sacks.

Nebraska's offensive effort might not look all that impressive at first, until you realize that the Spartans rank in the top ten in all the major defensive categories. Rex Burkhead cemented his place in Nebraska football lore with a gritty, gutty 35 carry performance. The 3.7 yard average won't impress people...but the heart he showed in grinding out extra yard after extra yard all day was memorable. In the third quarter, Burkhead went down with a cramp, and you could almost hear fans holding their breath as they waited to see how badly Burkhead was injured. He missed two whole plays...and returned to the game with a bang, catching a touchdown pass to give the Huskers a seemingly insurmountable lead.

Taylor Martinez did a decent job managing the game today; we even saw a nifty touchdown run that was nullified by an unnecessary holding penalty on Quincy Enunwa. The receivers had an off-day all-around. Kenny Bell had a false-start penalty, and there were a few drops. On the play before the Burkhead touchdown catch, both Enunwa and Kyler Reed limped to the sideline.

Truth be told, it was a physical game and the game was rather choppy as the training staffs of both teams spent a lot of time on the field. It started on the opening kickoff and never stopped. As the second half unfolded, those two long Nebraska touchdown drives seemed to wear down the Spartans. If Nebraska needed to score more points in the fourth quarter, they could have...but with a comfortable lead, there was no need to take a chance.

Carl Pelini shows the defense what they've earned.
Photo Courtesy: huskers.com

Especially with the Husker defense returning to form. I noticed in Bo Pelini's post-game radio interview that he mentioned the performance of the Blackshirts. No doubt in my mind that the defense finally earned their Blackshirts today. A few fans may disagree with how Pelini handles the Blackshirt tradition, but it's hard to argue with Pelini's results. Under Pelini, the Blackshirts truly mean something. It's a badge of honor.

With today's victory, Nebraska played themselves in the lead position to win the Big Ten's West division this season. The teeth of the schedule is still ahead. Road games at Michigan and Penn State await next month. Everything is still in front of the Cornhuskers this season, and in a game that's as crazy as college football, who knows where things will lead. But Nebraska's division lead is tenuous at best, as there is zero room for error.

Win and advance. Win and advance.

BlogPoll Ballot: Bouncing Sparty up to #10; Huskers Stay at #14

2011-10-23T20:47:00.002-05:00

Up until now I had no reason to drop Oklahoma out of the top spot. Now I do. And frankly, after what LSU did to Auburn this weekend, I think I might have given serious thought to doing it anyway. The Sooners loss to Texas Tech (with three starters out on defense) sent the spiraling downward. Stanford's demolition of Washington caught my attention, so I'm moving them up to #3. Maybe that's only to prevent any SEC "Game of the Century" talk for the matchup in a couple of weeks.

I feel I penalized Wisconsin too much for giving up a Hail Mary on the final play of the game, but if I didn't put Sparty ahead of the Badgers, someone would point out "didn't you watch the game"? Into this week's poll comes USC and Georgia. Auburn and Washington don't get penalized much for losing to elite teams; this drop is more because they lost so badly, not because they lost. Teams should get credit for playing top teams, even if they come up on the short end of the scoreboard.

Husker Mike's Blasphemy Ballot - Week 9

Rank	Team	Delta
1	LSU Tigers	1
2	Stanford Cardinal	4
3	Alabama Crimson Tide	--
4	Boise St. Broncos	1
5	Oklahoma St. Cowboys	2
6	Oregon Ducks	2
7	Arkansas Razorbacks	2
8	Clemson Tigers	2
9	Oklahoma Sooners	-8
10	Michigan St. Spartans	5
11	Kansas St. Wildcats	2
12	Wisconsin Badgers	-8
13	Virginia Tech Hokies	-2
14	Nebraska Cornhuskers	--
15	South Carolina Gamecocks	-3
16	Michigan Wolverines	2
17	Penn St. Nittany Lions	4
18	Houston Cougars	4
19	Arizona St. Sun Devils	5
20	Texas Tech Red Raiders	--
21	Washington Huskies	-5
22	USC Trojans	--
23	Georgia Bulldogs	--
24	Auburn Tigers	-4
25	Texas A&M Aggies	--
Dropouts: West Virginia Mountaineers, Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, Illinois Fighting Illini

SB Nation BlogPoll College Football Top 25 Rankings »

Why did Texas A&M stay at #25? Simple. I still haven't seen enough to convince me that the Aggies are a legitimate Top 25 team. Call it the hangover from last year's Nebraska game when even with help from the officials and Taylor Martinez hobbled, they still struggled to win at home. But that's last year, you say. They do have a victory over Texas Tech, which probably is their best win to date.

First Half Bounces Go Huskers Way in Blowout of the Goofers

2011-10-22T22:41:00.002-05:00

Most people thought it wasn't going to be much of a game, and the 34-0 halftime score certainly confirmed it. But frankly, it wasn't so much that Nebraska played so well, but rather that Minnesota played that poorly. That's not to say the Huskers played poorly today...there was a lot of good things we saw on the field. But the biggest reason the score got out of hand was Minnesota's mistakes.

Example 1: Nebraska faces 3rd & 10. Minnesota tries to jump the snap, but fails to get back before the snap and gets flagged for offsides. Despite going backwards at the snap, the penalty negates a sack of Martinez. Instead of punting, Rex Burkhead gets the first down. Nebraska goes on to get a field goal.

Example 2: After the Huskers went up 10-0 in the first quarter, Minnesota's Duane Bennett was tackled by his own teammate at the Gopher 25 yard line. No other Huskers were in position, and Bennett probably would have gained another ten yards on the return.

Example 3: MarQueis Gray fumbles twice; the first, returned by Austin Cassidy for a touchdown, and the second on fourth down ended Minnesota's best drive of the first half.

With an opponent playing so poorly, Nebraska did what good teams do...pounce. The Huskers racked up 330 yards in the first half. So don't get the wrong idea...Nebraska outplayed the Gophers on both sides of the ball in that first half.

Second half, Nebraska seemed to let up on the gas. Maybe it was the big lead; maybe Minnesota regrouped and played their best football since losing to Southern Cal 19-17 in their season opener. With a seemingly healthy MarQueis Gray back at quarterback, the Gophers aren't as bad as they appeared in recent weeks.

So what did we learn today? You have to like how the Huskers came out and took it to Minnesota early in the game. Taylor Martinez threw the ball fairly well with a glove on his throwing hand. We didn't see Stanley Jean-Baptiste get burned in his first start.

Early on, I didn't think the Husker offensive line blocked all that well, especially on pass protection. Martinez took a few hits early on that he shouldn't have had to. But Martinez looked fairly good throwing the ball today. One of his worst throws was redeemed when Tim Marlowe made a spectacular one handed grab. But Nebraska's first drive of the second half ended when Kenny Bell, Marlowe, and Jamal Turner couldn't make very makeable catches. I think Tim Beck had a "Tin Cup" moment, telling Taylor Martinez to give him another (deep) ball rather than take a safer play to keep the drive alive. So while Martinez's 13-for-22 passing doesn't look that good, there were so many drops today that you had to wonder if Ted Gilmore had flown to Minneapolis today.

My biggest concern about Martinez's play today was two pitches in the option game. That fourth-and-one botched pitch turned out golden...but that was purely a lucky bounce. (Is that even the correct ruling? I would think that on fourth down, the ball should have been marked where Nebraska last touched it, not where it went out of bounds. But I'm not an official and I'm not a rulesmaker.) That impromptu pitch on third and goal from the Gopher one yard line was a bad decision that fortunately bounced into Rex Burkhead's hands.

Burkhead was steady and solid once again, and Kenny Bell got our attention with a nifty 82 yard reverse for a touchdown. Why show that play today, asked former DoubleExtraPoint blogger Jeffie Husker. Good question, except that perhaps there are other things to show out of that besides just faking the reverse. On defense, the biggest concern was either Alfonzo Dennard or Daimion Stafford blew the coverage on DaJon McKnight. Couldn't tell from the video review. Doesn't matter; it just better not happen next week against B.J. Cunningham.

Speaking of Michigan State, how about that finish against Wisconsin? How much does Sparty have left in their tank after defeating Ohio State, Michigan, and Wisconsin in October? We'll find out next Saturday in Lincoln.

Friday Lunch: Unfortunate Doubleheader Downtown with Nighthawks and Mavs

2011-10-21T12:59:00.005-05:00

Tonight's simultaneous UNO Maverick hockey game and Nighthawks football game downtown is an unfortunate scheduling situation. It's far from optimal, but the situation is as it is. The Nighthawks are fighting for survival, and there really isn't much of an alternative this weekend (except to try and play on Sunday afternoon). So tonight it is.

The problem with a Sunday game is the NFL. While I don't think that would matter locally, it does matter in the long term. A Sunday afternoon game on a nice October afternoon would probably draw a huge crowd - better than tonight, I think. But it would send a bad message to the UFL and the Nighthawks rescuer: the NFL.

Many people dismiss the idea of the NFL salvaging the UFL. I don't, and Tom Shatel wrote an excellent article yesterday about the potential that the NFL could sweep in and make the UFL viable. If the NFL was interested in buying 51% of the league in the past, they might be now. If you add in four more markets for an eight team league and work out player agreements with NFL squads where "practice squad" players were playing in the UFL, the financials might work out for everyone.

Certainly the way the UFL is handling this is leaving a bad taste in the mouths of fans and players alike. The UFL has lost almost all of it's credibility with the way this season has been handled. I think the Nighthawks organization is a victim of this as well. If the NFL sweeps in and takes control, it'll bring the credibility the UFL lacks. And frankly, I think the Nighthawks can thrive in this market as long as there is a league supporting them. Right now, that ain't happening.

As for the Mavs, Chad Purcell of the World-Herald reports that Alex Hudson will be back in uniform tonight for the Mavs. After a three game losing streak and a roster filled with underclassmen, senior leadership from a player like Hudson can't hurt. But how much of his leadership was tainted by the issues that led to his suspension? We'll find out tonight.

Also suiting up for the Mavs tonight is a revised, red Durango. So far, I'm not too keen on the "teaser" shots of the new mascot. All I can think of is "Deranged Elmo". This one seems to be designed with Mad Cow Disease in mind. Maybe I'll change my mind after seeing the full effect tonight. Just don't scare the children, please.

If you haven't seen it yet, you absolutely have to check out Bo Pelini in the locker room after the Ohio State comeback. It's not quite Paul Rhodes...but you can see exactly why Bo Pelini is so loved by his players, and furthermore, why he reacted as he did when Dirk Chatelain reopened up his can of worms in the post game press-conference.

The uproar over Chatelain was a topic of the interview between HuskerLocker's Erin Sorensen and KOZN's Kevin Kugler. Kugler expressed gratitude towards his station's management and their support when people called for Kugler to be fired for uncomplimentary stands against Steve Pederson and Bill Callahan. I agree with Kugler to this extent: media members shouldn't be fired for not "toting the Nebraska line". The media (and bloggers like me) should feel free to call out the leadership in Lincoln when they are wrong. Chatelain shouldn't be fired for writing something critical of Bo Pelini and Taylor Martinez. That being said, Chatelain's poor analysis ("there are no other quarterbacks to play", therefore Martinez should be benched) should have raised major red alerts in the upper levels of World-Herald management. It's one thing to be critical, it's another thing to write a muddled mess of a column that pours gasoline on a fire. And Chatelain should have been called out for it. Just like Kugler and his co-host Mike'l Severe love to criticize others in the media (Chris Berman, Chris Mortensen, etc.) for their comments, Chatelain earned his criticism as well.

By the way, I nearly vomited last night with Chatelain's suggestion that ESPN's Sean McDonough should replace Joe Buck on Fox's baseball broadcast. I'm not defending Buck here... but let's be honest, McDonough got his gig for the same reason Buck did. Difference is that McDonough is, from my perspective, one of the worst announcers in sports today. I hated him 20 years ago when he did football and baseball, and he hasn't improved one bit since. About the only sport he does well is golf; he's got the perfect vocal style for golf. But not for baseball and certainly not for football. The McDonough/Matt Millen pairing is one of the worst in the game today-even worse than almost anything FSN throws (up) at us.

BlogPoll Ballot

2011-10-17T09:42:00.000-05:00

With the Huskers on a bye week, I didn't feel like moving the Huskers up for not playing...but with the losses by some teams, there's an opportunity to look at teams with a new perspective. Namely a school like Michigan State, which looked pretty good against the Weasels. But there's still that loss to Notre Dame, which is worse than Nebraska's loss to Wisconsin in my book, so I'll give the Huskers the edge there.

And that victory over Washington is looking more impressive all the time; the Huskies are 5-1. It's also time to show some love towards Kansas State, who's quietly up to 6-0.

Husker Mike's Blasphemy Ballot - Week 8

Rank	Team	Delta
1	Oklahoma Sooners	--
2	LSU Tigers	--
3	Alabama Crimson Tide	--
4	Wisconsin Badgers	--
5	Boise St. Broncos	--
6	Stanford Cardinal	--
7	Oklahoma St. Cowboys	3
8	Oregon Ducks	1
9	Arkansas Razorbacks	-1
10	Clemson Tigers	1
11	Virginia Tech Hokies	1
12	South Carolina Gamecocks	1
13	Kansas St. Wildcats	5
14	Nebraska Cornhuskers	2
15	Michigan St. Spartans	--
16	Washington Huskies	5
17	West Virginia Mountaineers	6
18	Michigan Wolverines	-11
19	Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets	-5
20	Auburn Tigers	2
21	Penn St. Nittany Lions	3
22	Houston Cougars	3
23	Illinois Fighting Illini	-8
24	Arizona St. Sun Devils	-7
25	Texas A&M Aggies	--
Dropouts: Baylor Bears, North Carolina Tar Heels

SB Nation BlogPoll College Football Top 25 Rankings »

Also added to the poll is Texas A&M, who didn't collapse in the 2nd half against Baylor. I debated about knocking out Illinois out of the top 25 altogether, but they suffered enough being Zooked.

Sunday Brunch: Nighthawks Sail Off Into the Great Beyond

2011-10-16T14:35:00.000-05:00

We all knew this probably was the outcome, but I held out hope that it would work. ProFootballTalk reports that the UFL is cancelling the final two weeks of the season and will hold their championship game next Friday night, with Las Vegas playing at Virginia instead of the Omaha Nighthawks. Last night's 13-6 loss to Las Vegas ended not only Omaha's season, but also the Nighthawks franchise in all likelihood.

I wasn't surprised by the news this morning. The ads for yesterday's games looked bargain-basement, and the clearance sale on tickets yesterday (all tickets $15) smelled like a going-out-of-business sale. But I am disappointed. I really hoped the UFL would work in Omaha, and the lackluster attendance at TD Ameritrade Park this season really dampened what little optimism I had for the future of the league. I would hope that the drop in attendance was because fans didn't want to sign on to watch a dying franchise, and not because Omahans don't want to have pro football here.

It's a longshot at best, but I still hold out a little hope that the NFL will come in and salvage the UFL. The NFL sees value in televising Arena and Canadian football games, so I don't automatically assume the NFL isn't interested. Whether that's enough is hard to say; chances it isn't. But you have to have hope.

A simply horrible weekend for UNO hockey in Alaska, losing both games and scoring only one goal in two games, the Mavs will surely exit the national rankings. A rematch of Friday night's shutout loss is on tap for UNO this weekend, as Alaska-Anchorage flies to Omaha. No word as to whether senior Alex Hudson might be reinstated to the team; he'd be a welcome addition to a hapless offense. The Mavs need something to break the bad Karma that has hit the Mavs (and some of their fans) over the last two weeks.

Interesting poll from Public Policy Polling about some local issues regarding sports, along with the usual suspects of policy issues like Health Care Reform and Gay Marriage. In Nebraska, Tom Osborne has an astonishingly high 86% favorability rating, and Bo Pelini isn't far behind at 70%. When you consider the number of people who don't follow college sports, that's a remarkably high number. The old debate about whether the College World Series is better downtown at TD Ameritrade Park or at Rosenblatt was a 50/50 split at 35% each. Looking at the cross-tabs, it appears that in the 2nd Congressional District (which includes most of Omaha except for Bellevue), it's a 42%-41% split in favor of Rosenblatt. With a margin of error of 3.6%, it's not a significant difference.

Another slam dunk was Nebraska's move to the Big Ten: 65% of Nebraskans approved of that move, while 12% of Nebraskans disapproved. My guess is that those 12% were mostly Missouri, Kansas, and Texas fans. The final surprise was that the Chicago Cubs are the most popular Major League Baseball team in the state of Nebraska at 20% to 17% for Kansas City. It's even more dramatic in Omaha's second congressional district, where the Cub fans outnumber Royals fans 23% to 13%.

Update 10/16 8:00 pm: KOZN's Mike'l Severe reports via Twitter that Omaha will play Sacramento to close out the season at 7 pm Friday night at TD Ameritrade Park. With UNO playing Alaska-Anchorage at the same time, it should be a busy night downtown.

Tuesday Night Beer: Sipple Labels Chatelain Column Unfair

2011-10-11T23:38:00.001-05:00

One final addendum (or so I hope) on the whole unfortunate Dirk Chatelain column from last week. Steve Sipple of the Lincoln Journal-Star basically summed up the whole issue with Chatelain's ultimatum rather neatly yesterday:

By suggesting last week that Martinez should be one subpar outing from being benched, the quarterback's critics essentially backed Pelini into a corner -- the clear implication being that if Martinez fails, so does the head coach.
It seemed an extreme stance one game into the Big Ten schedule. It's an extreme stance, period, to place such dire consequences on a young player. One more chance, kid, you'd better not blow it, or else.
What are the consequences for those who casually put Martinez under the gun in that manner? That's right, there are no consequences.
In my opinion, it becomes an issue of fairness.
Nobody's saying Pelini or any other coach is immune to criticism and second-guessing -- whether from local sports know-it-alls or a girl in the quarterback's spanish class.

I'd argue that not only will Chatelain not suffer consequences, he's probably going to be complimented by his superiors over at World-Herald Square for writing something attention-getting. It drove eyeballs to the World-Herald's web site, and probably sold a few extra papers. So behind closed doors, Chatelain probably is being praised. I remember back in the middle 1990's, a Nebraska beat-writer cornered ESPN's Mike Tirico before one of Nebraska's National Championship games and asked why ESPN's on-air talent made so many outlandish comments. Tirico replied that most of their shows were not really sports journalism, but rather entertainment programming. They are edgy and controversial to get people's attention.

Sadly, it appears that the World-Herald's sports department has embraced that perspective, at least with their Husker football coverage. Maybe I'm naive for not realizing it sooner, but it's clear that they've jumped the shark. Just look at Lee Barfknecht's follow-up column where he emphasizes that the World-Herald is the "state's largest news enterprise" and they'll cover Nebraska football their way, no matter what anybody thinks. Sounds an awful lot like ESPN.

Too bad the Lincoln Journal-Star doesn't deliver to Omaha.

The rumor mill coming out of UNO is that TD Ameritrade Park will be the site of an outdoor hockey game in early February 2013. There have long been discussions about the Lancers playing an outdoor game, but now it seems to be getting serious with UNO as well. It makes sense to have both Omaha hockey teams involved; most of the costs are in the set up, so using an outdoor rink for multiple events makes a lot of sense. The rumored opponent would be North Dakota, so that would seem to guarantee a sellout crowd. You'd have to figure 5000 or more Sioux fans would happily travel south down I-29 for an outdoor game..maybe more if Omaha fans don't grab all of the tickets up front.

My only issue with this idea is playing both games on one day as a double-header. As the NHL learned with the Winter Classic in Pittsburgh, you may need some flexibility to get the game in. And let's be honest, asking Omaha hockey fans to spend the entire day outside in Feburary is potentially dangerous. At the very least, schedule the games on different days, and better yet, back-to-back weekends on Saturday afternoon. If the weather gets too nasty, postpone it to the evening or Sunday.

Is outdoor hockey a gimmick? Kind of. The ice usually isn't as good, it adds some extra variables to an important game, and for fans, the sightlines are horrific. But that's not the point of playing an outdoor game: the point is that it's an event, something fun and unique, and it draws attention to the sport. So while I wouldn't advocate making it a regular event, I'm all in favor of playing an outdoor game as a special event. I just hope it won't be in a blizzard or with wind chills below zero.

Confidential to the Red Army: Karma.

As a Cub fan, I can't help but be excited about the possiblity of Theo Epstein leaving the Red Sox for the Cubs. Say what you will about the Sox' collapse this season, you can't argue with his record in Boston in breaking the curse. Now, about that first baseman that wears #5... Hey, Cub fans are known for dreaming. And it's a heck of a lot more realistic than, oh, like suggesting the Royals are going to win the World Series in 2012.

Week 6 BlogPoll Ballot: Bumping Huskers to #16

2011-10-10T10:00:00.000-05:00

After Oklahoma demolished Texas (awwww...), I have to leave Oklahoma at #1 no matter what LSU did. The Sooners defense scored more points than Texas did; that's domination. And it doesn't matter what Sooner linebacker Travis Lewis tweeted last week; no way I can root for burnt Orange.

One correction from last week: The vote for Washington State was a typo. I may be dumb, but I ain't stupid.

Husker Mike's Blasphemy Ballot - Week 7

Rank	Team	Delta
1	Oklahoma Sooners	--
2	LSU Tigers	--
3	Alabama Crimson Tide	--
4	Wisconsin Badgers	--
5	Boise St. Broncos	--
6	Stanford Cardinal	--
7	Michigan Wolverines	--
8	Arkansas Razorbacks	--
9	Oregon Ducks	--
10	Oklahoma St. Cowboys	--
11	Clemson Tigers	--
12	Virginia Tech Hokies	--
13	South Carolina Gamecocks	--
14	Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets	--
15	Illinois Fighting Illini	4
16	Nebraska Cornhuskers	4
17	Arizona St. Sun Devils	4
18	Kansas St. Wildcats	5
19	Baylor Bears	5
20	North Carolina Tar Heels	5
21	Washington Huskies	--
22	Auburn Tigers	-5
23	West Virginia Mountaineers	--
24	Penn St. Nittany Lions	--
25	Houston Cougars	--
Dropouts: Florida Gators, Texas Longhorns, Washington St. Cougars, Florida St. Seminoles

SB Nation BlogPoll College Football Top 25 Rankings »

I moved the Huskers up to #16 this week. I can't believe I voted for Penn State, but it's hard to argue with their 4-1 record.

Huskers Rain Down on Ohio State and Dirk Chatelain

2011-10-09T02:12:00.002-05:00

It was a tale of two completely different football games in one sixty minute game when Nebraska faced Ohio State in the first Big Ten game in Lincoln. The Huskers came out fired up and the crowd responded with an electric atmosphere. But then the game started, and the Huskers bugaboo from last week continued: poor secondary play let Ohio State dominate the opening period. Early on, Nebraska was stout against the Buckeyes offense in rushing situations, only to let the Buckeyes off the hook with passes or scrambles in passing situations. Second and 12? 21 yard pass play. Second and 9? 11 yard pass. Third down scrambles by Braxton Miller for 12 and 24 yards... and boom, the Buckeyes led 17-3 in the second quarter.

Meanwhile on offense, Nebraska kept trying to pound the ball, primarily with Rex Burkhead. Eleven first half carries, 10 yards. Nebraska tried a variety of short screen passes early on, but couldn't sustain a drive. Martinez wasn't playing badly for most of the first half, but wasn't able to get the offense untracked either. Just before halftime, a potentially fatal strategy error struck. Rather than let the clock run out, Martinez overthrew Kyler Reed, with Orhian Johnson intercepting the pass at midfield with seconds left. Braxton Miller scrambled for 29 yards on the next play to set up a field goal. Halftime score in Lincoln: Buckeyes 20, Huskers 6. (Edit: Someone on the Grand Island Independent forums pointed out my typo on the score. That's what I get for writing well past my bed time. I've corrected the score.)

I'm sure if I had a smartphone at the game and checked Twitter, I'm sure the ridicule would have been extreme. Everyday Should Be Saturday simply said "Nebraska you are horrible." And they were right. A few fans booed the horrible strategy decision and the horrible interception.

The second half didn't start much better. Martinez slipped on the wet turf on the Huskers opening possession and punted. Then cornerbacks Ciante Evans and Andrew Green got roasted by the Buckeyes on deep passes. Five minutes in, it was Buckeyes 27, Huskers 6. Blowout city. Maybe the Huskers belong in the Mountain West or Conference USA. The people who sit in front of me packed their bag and headed home.

Then the game changed. I attributed it to the insertion of Stanley Jean-Baptiste at cornerback. But Lavonte David's incredible strip of Braxton Miller was the big play. Suddenly the Huskers had the ball in scoring position, and Taylor Martinez used one of his incredible slight-of-hand ball-fakes to send the defense (and every cameraman covering the game) chasing Burkhead on the sweep while Martinez sprinted into the end zone. On Ohio State's next possession, Miller injured his ankle and the mobile quarterback was replaced by the immobile Joe Bauserman. And from that point on, it was game over.

Without needing to worry about scrambling, the Husker defense was able to pressure Bauserman into errant throw after errant throw. Bauserman was able to complete only one of 10 passes; the one completion took advantage of a Jean-Baptiste miscue to extend an Ohio State drive. But without the threat of a mobile quarterback, the Huskers were able to shut down Ohio State on offense the rest of the way.

Whether Nebraska's offensive line was able to make some adjustments or they finally wore down the Buckeye defense isn't clear, but the Nebraska offense took over from there. Those 2 yard Burkhead runs in the first half became six yard runs. And to complement Burkhead, Martinez time and time again stepped up and picked up key first downs on scrambles. Need three? Martinez picked up four yards twice. He kept his poise all night long, much to the chagrin of a couple of Martinez-bashers that were within earshot of me. He completed clutch passes to Kyler Reed, Kenny Bell, and then checked down to Rex Burkhead for a 30 yard touchdown to tie the game at 27-27. And with the Buckeyes on the ropes, Nebraska pummeled them into submission. You knew Rex Burkhead was going to get the ball, and Ohio State couldn't stop it. And suddenly, Nebraska's greatest comeback in school history was complete as the Huskers led 34-27.

Jean-Baptist's diving interception was a beauty and I firmly expect him to start in two weeks at Minnesota. After the game, I overheard parts of Bo Pelini's postgame press conference where he lit into Dirk Chatelain of the Omaha World-Herald for his hatchet piece in Friday's newspaper. Some members of the media took offense, but the offense was Chatelain's yellow journalism. It's one thing to report, another thing to analyze and critique. Then there is simply trying to inflame people...and that's what Chatelain tried to do. Should Pelini have just brushed off Chatelain's article? That wouldn't be Bo Pelini: he's always going to look out for the people in his program first and foremost.

Chatelain has a serious dilemma on his hands. His Friday article destroyed his relationship with the football program. He could choose to continue to be the contrarian for Nebraska football...but he'll likely have to do it with minimal interviews and comments from the program. Or, he may need to find another beat to cover because I don't think he's going to be able to cover the Huskers anymore. Whether that's another sport (Creighton basketball?), going outside of sports (politics?), or even leaving Omaha and finding another employer, I don't know.

This criticism of Chatelain isn't to criticize people who write critical articles. Chatelain went beyond that with a horribly biased and conflicted article. It was a muddled mess: Martinez played injured last year, there are no other quarterbacks ready to play, therefore Martinez should be benched. Got that? Maybe that's a gross over-simplification of Chatelain's article, but Chatelain's article was a gross over-simplification of the Huskers' quarterback situation.

Nebraska's comeback against Ohio State gives fans a taste of the football team fans like myself hoped we'd see this season. Good defense and a potent offense. We saw about 25 minutes of that tonight, 20 minutes last week against Wisconsin, and a quarter against Washington. Have the Huskers turned a corner? We may find out in three weeks when Michigan State comes to Lincoln.

Husker Fans Manic-Depressive Relationship with Taylor Martinez

2011-10-03T22:54:00.002-05:00

Listening to sports radio today, clearly the majority of sports radio callers are squarely placing the blame for Nebraska's blowout loss to Wisconsin on Taylor Martinez. I do not share that opinion. While Martinez's three interceptions in the second twenty-minutes of the game contributed greatly, the single biggest factor in Nebraska's loss was the poor play by the defense. Wisconsin's last punt of the game came when the Badgers trailed 14-13. Yes, three turnovers by Martinez led to a 34-14 deficit, but keep in mind that the defense had a hand in those points...and bore sole responsibility for the last fourteen points the Badgers scored.

Caller after caller today made the case that Martinez shouldn't be starting anymore. They point to lineup changes on the offensive line, wide receiver, and in the secondary. If you play poorly, someone else comes in. There's one problem with that analogy. In all of those other situations, another player proved themselves enough to convince the coaches to put them into the game. Brandon Kinnie's drops in the early games led to more playing time for Kenny Bell and Jamal Turner. Offensive line struggles led to Seung Hoon Choi getting a chance. And the tragically bad secondary has created numerous opportunities for players to get playing time.

Who's pushing Taylor Martinez for playing time? Frankly, nobody. And that's the problem. Cody Green transferred to Tulsa. Jamal Turner switched to wide receiver. Bubba Starling chose baseball. Brion Carnes looked really rough in mop-up duty against Chattanooga. And today, Bo Pelini said the gap between Martinez and Carnes is "pretty wide".

Bottom line is that no matter what you think about Taylor Martinez, he's the best quarterback on the roster.

Oh, how Husker fans have been to both extremes with Martinez. Last year, some people tried to position Martinez as a Heisman candidate. Now, they want him gone. Some of their observations are correct, but the manic-depressive response is wrong on both ends.

Martinez is a better quarterback now than he was when he started. He's improved as a passer, but not enough to make him an elite quarterback. He's a better decision maker than he was last season, but not enough to be an elite quarterback. Some people will even disagree with those assertions, but I have seen progress on his weaknesses. He needs to improve...a lot more...

Some people are ready to throw in the towel at this point, forgetting he's a sophomore. Note I didn't say he was a freshman, and I didn't say that his mistakes should be excused. But he's only been playing quarterback since his junior season in high school. He arrived in Lincoln a raw talent, and we're seeing just how raw he was.

Some say if he hasn't improved more by now, well, he's never going to improve enough. Perhaps. But let me throw out another quarterback. A certain NFL quarterback was ridiculed in 2005 for showing almost no progress in his passing skills in his first four years in the league. Five years later, he's now regarded as one of the league's most improved quarterbacks. One could argue that sitting in the slammer for a couple of years helped his mental approach, but there's no doubt that Michael Vick, once regarded as hopeless as a passer, improved to become an asset. And that seems to be rubbing off on Vince Young, who's also been deried.

Bottom line to me is that in this "what have you done for me today" society, it's easy to throw Martinez under the bus. But like I preached caution about hyping Martinez last year, caution is also in order if you are ready to give up on him.

BlogPoll Ballot: Dropping the Huskers to 20th

2011-10-03T10:00:00.000-05:00

For this week's BlogPoll ballot, I dropped Nebraska to #20. I thought about dropping them lower...but I ran out of teams to move above them at this point. (Though Florida State and Arizona State are close.)

Husker Mike's Blasphemy Ballot - Week 6

Rank	Team	Delta
1	Oklahoma Sooners	--
2	LSU Tigers	--
3	Alabama Crimson Tide	--
4	Wisconsin Badgers	2
5	Boise St. Broncos	-1
6	Stanford Cardinal	-1
7	Michigan Wolverines	4
8	Arkansas Razorbacks	2
9	Oregon Ducks	4
10	Oklahoma St. Cowboys	4
11	Clemson Tigers	7
12	Virginia Tech Hokies	-5
13	South Carolina Gamecocks	-5
14	Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets	5
15	Florida Gators	-6
16	Texas Longhorns	4
17	Auburn Tigers	--
18	Washington St. Cougars	--
19	Illinois Fighting Illini	2
20	Nebraska Cornhuskers	-4
21	Arizona St. Sun Devils	1
22	Florida St. Seminoles	1
23	Kansas St. Wildcats	2
24	Baylor Bears	-12
25	North Carolina Tar Heels	--
Dropouts: South Florida Bulls, TCU Horned Frogs, West Virginia Mountaineers

SB Nation BlogPoll College Football Top 25 Rankings »

For teams to add, I was between North Carolina and Washington...believe it or not. Really running out of teams to add into the rankings.

Badgers Embarass The Huskers

2011-10-01T23:46:00.000-05:00

It was what I had hoped wouldn't happen, but feared it might. Nebraska matched up with Wisconsin for the first 20 minutes, but then self-destructed in the next 20 minutes. The final 20 minutes was pure mop-up time, as the game was no longer in doubt. On second thought, "self-destructed" is only part of the problem. Those three Taylor Martinez interceptions were the killer, but credit has to go to Wisconsin, who played about as flawlessly as they could. Russell Wilson was absolutely magnificent, if not Heisman-esque. He found open receivers, and when no receivers were open, he danced around and made plays with his feet. An absolutely magnificent performance on his part.

As the scoreboard tilted into blowout territory, the inevitable comparisons to 2007 and the Southern Cal game emerged. On the surface, it's easy to make the connection. ABC primetime broadcast. ESPN Gameday in town. The game was close for a little while, but then blew up just before halftime and the loss was embarrassingly large.

But I don't think these two losses were quite so comparable. Let's not forget how Southern Cal dominated Nebraska's defense that night. The Trojan offensive line opened up holes that you literally could parallel park an SUV in. This wasn't that kind of physical domination.

No, tonight, there were breakdowns in the secondary and aided by Wilson's scrambling to buy him time. But it wasn't a physical breakdown as much as mental errors. In my mind, tonight was more like the 2008 Missouri game when a bad defensive performance led to a blowout loss.

So what has caused this secondary to implode as badly as it has? Was it simply the loss of Prince Amukamara, Eric Hagg, and Dejon Gomes? Or does the change in coaches from Marvin Sanders to Corey Raymond bear some responsibility as well? Is this a talent problem or a coaching problem ... or a little of both? Right now, listening to Bo Pelini, I get the idea that it's a little more of the latter.

It's easy to throw the blame at Taylor Martinez's three interceptions, but even without those turnovers, Nebraska would have lost tonight...and probably by more than the spread. Were they bad decisions? Absolutely. Was it a mistake to abandon the run late in the second quarter? ABC noted at one point that in 12 plays, Nebraska had thrown 6 incompletions and three interceptions. That's not the balance that Nebraska needs. KLIN radio's John Bishop noted that Rex Burkhead only had six carries in the first half. That's a clear warning sign that something wasn't right in the offensive play-calling.

Martinez actually started off the game playing pretty well. His passing was on-target, and I really liked how Jamal Turner was part of the game plan with five catches for 84 yards. Not sure that unveling the quasi-option/screen pass late in the game was such a good idea in a lost-cause game. But where was Kyler Reed again this week?

This game is going to hurt for a while, and it's going to be tough to shake the national image of Nebraska getting blown out in big games. One sign of optimism in my mind is that Bo Pelini recognizes the problem and isn't sugar coating it. His postgame apology to the state doesn't make it better... but it's better than trying to snow the people of this state and pretend that there really isn't a problem here. If that sounds like trying to blame still Bill Callahan for Nebraska's problems, I might remind folks that people love to bring out the pre-Pelini results in criticizing Pelini. Yes, Nebraska is 2-16 versus top ten teams this century...but most of those losses aren't the fault of Pelini. I'll blame Pelini and his staff for tonight, but not anything prior to his arrival.

It's Finally Here: Nebraska in the Big Ten

2011-09-30T23:51:00.001-05:00

Tomorrow night, Nebraska's move to the Big Ten becomes reality as the Huskers take the field at Camp Randall. Sure, we celebrated the move last year and on July 1st, and laughed as the Big XII imploded over the last few weeks. BTN has televised a couple of Husker football games, and Nebraska's volleyball and soccer teams have played conference games.

But now it's real. The days of playing Kansas State and Missouri are over. Now it's Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Michigan. All the anticipation reaches a crescendo tomorrow night in Madison, Wisconsin. Seemingly tens of thousands of Husker fans will be in the area...perhaps has many as 40,000 in the area, and maybe 20,000 in the stadium. It's a historical moment and many people just want to be a part of it. ESPN GameDay will start things off as the sun rises, and ABC's primetime telecast will take us well past sunset.

What do I expect? Heck if I know. Nebraska has been inconsistent this season. Wisconsin hasn't played anybody. The Nebraska team that emerged from halftime against Washington will win this game... easily. The Nebraska team that played the first half of the Fresno State game probably gets blown out. I've ran through every scenario in my mind: blowout win, blowout loss, close game. Taylor Martinez taking the nation by storm with a performance like he had on the road last year against Washington, Oklahoma State, and Kansas State. Or Martinez melting down like he did late in the Big XII championship game.

I've been asked time and time again what my prediction is. My mind doesn't compute this one. Too many variables, too many possibilities. So I've taken the approach that it's a historic game, and needs a historic score. And I look back towards some of those classic matchups between Nebraska and Oklahoma, two Big Reds in the 70's. 35-31 perhaps? Maybe. But I'm going back to my first Nebraska-Oklahoma game in 1978. John Ruud decapitating Kelly Phelps. Billy Sims fumbling on the three yard line.

Nebraska wins 17-14. And that works for me. Badgers? We don't need no steeenking Badgers.

Thursday Night Beer: Saturday Night Hockey For Diehards Only

2011-09-29T23:59:00.003-05:00

I've got to hand it to a few of my friends who are UNO hockey fans that are showing excitement for Saturday night's exhibition game against British Columbia. Let's be honest: this game is for diehards only. There likely will be three or four times more Omahans in Madison, Wisc. than will be inside the CenturyLink Center. It's an exhibition game; it doesn't even count. And it's simultaneous with one of the biggest regular season Nebraska football games in quite some time.

And when I say "diehards", I mean that the only people who'll be there are people who could not care less about Nebraska football.... or outright loathe it. Or are forced to be there. So some UNO fans will put on their brave face and show up, but I'll be surprised if there are more than 4000 fans in attendance on Saturday night.

From my perspective, the season really starts the next weekend on Friday night against Mercyhurst in the Stampede. Speaking of the Stampede, with UNO playing in the season opening IceBreaker tournament in Kansas City, will this be the final edition of UNO's tournament? One can only hope. The Stampede started with a noble goal, but with excessive ticket prices and lackluster attendance, it's simply not worth it for UNO.

One final hockey note: it's an ominous sign that senior Alex Hudson was suspended for a training-camp violation. It's not the fact that he'll miss the exhibition game; that's no big deal. It's the idea that one of UNO's most talented players, a senior, and a captain, would put himself in that position. That's starting the season out on the wrong foot.

The World-Herald's Rob White and the management of Omaha's former AAA baseball team likely needed a chiropractor this week after straining to pat themselves on the back for their 1% attendance increase out at the Trailer Park. So 2010 was not a "normal" year? OK...then what makes 2011 a "normal" year? New stadium, new merry-go-round, etc. And the institutional amnesia of the history of the franchise ("never before turning people away") makes the story even more ridiculous. Bottom line on the Trailer Park: it doesn't matter the attendance. They charge more for tickets, charge for most parking, and keep all of the concession revenue. So as long as attendance doesn't drop much, the new stadium is a financial windfall for the owners of the franchise.

And of course, taxpayers will be holding the bag...once the county board finally admits how they are going to pay for it.

BlogPoll Ballot: Huskers Stay #16, Sooners Still #1, Welcome K-State

2011-09-25T22:47:00.000-05:00

After Saturday's so-so performance against Wyoming, I'm not moving Nebraska up - or down - on my ballot. I still think Nebraska could be a top 10 team, and a victory this week should shuffle things up a whole bunch. But until Nebraska plays like a Top Ten team, I can't rate them in the Top Ten. It's still early though.

Here's my ballot:

Husker Mike's Blasphemy Ballot - Week 5

Rank	Team	Delta
1	Oklahoma Sooners	--
2	LSU Tigers	--
3	Alabama Crimson Tide	--
4	Boise St. Broncos	--
5	Stanford Cardinal	--
6	Wisconsin Badgers	--
7	Virginia Tech Hokies	--
8	South Carolina Gamecocks	--
9	Florida Gators	1
10	Arkansas Razorbacks	-1
11	Michigan Wolverines	1
12	Baylor Bears	1
13	Oregon Ducks	1
14	Oklahoma St. Cowboys	1
15	South Florida Bulls	3
16	Nebraska Cornhuskers	--
17	TCU Horned Frogs	3
18	Clemson Tigers	5
19	Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets	2
20	Texas Longhorns	5
21	Illinois Fighting Illini	1
22	Arizona St. Sun Devils	--
23	Florida St. Seminoles	-12
24	West Virginia Mountaineers	-7
25	Kansas St. Wildcats	--
Dropouts: Texas A&M Aggies, Ohio Bobcats

SB Nation BlogPoll College Football Top 25 Rankings »

The additions for this week are Arizona State (in because of an impressive victory against Southern Cal and their only loss to Illinois doesn't look so bad) and Kansas State (for winning in Miami). Dropping out are Ohio (losing to Rutgers) and, yes, Texas A&M. I'm even more skeptical of the Aggies after blowing a game at home than I am of the Huskers. Win this week in Jerry World, and we'll talk.

Huskers Beat the Spread Against Wyoming...So Should Fans Be Disappointed?

2011-09-24T23:06:00.002-05:00

Looking at Nebraska's 38-14 victory over Wyoming, I think it's one of those situations where you ask whether the glass is half-full or half-empty. On one hand, Nebraska won by three scores and beat the spread . . . On the other hand, I frankly don't think I've seen the Husker team I expected this season. In fact, other than the third quarter against Washington, I don't think Nebraska has played to it's potential. And maybe that's the problem: were my preseason predictions and prognostications out of line? At a certain point, you have to accept that Nebraska is what we've been seeing on the field, not what we had hoped we'd see.

Are we at that point? Not yet...but I'm getting closer and closer to accept that my expectations were a little optimistic this season. Nebraska's offense IS better than at the end of last season, but it's not anywhere near better enough. More concerning is that the defense isn't quite to the level we've become accustomed out of Nebraska in recent years.

Take tonight, where Wyoming true freshman quarterback Brett Smith found holes in the Nebraska secondary multiple times tonight. Is Smith talented? Looks like it; he kept his poise all night. But he is a true freshman, and he's played two 1-AA and a MAC team so far in his college career. That being said... he also only completed 17 of 33 passes for 166 yards. So while I shouldn't be pleased...should I be concerned?

Let's look at some positives... namely Rex Burkhead, who had a monster night: 15 carries, 170 yards, two touchdowns. Always steady, tonight, he simply couldn't be contained by the Cowboys. The other freshmen backs looked pretty good as well, combining for 87 yards on 15 carries. Brandon Kinnie broke out of his slump in fine fashion with three clutch catches. Loved the second quarter catch where he made two moves to get the first down.

But plenty of negatives, starting with Taylor Martinez in the first quarter. The last two weeks, I've felt that Martinez has improved his accuracy passing, but tonight, he regressed. Hit a wide-open Kyler Reed at least partially in stride..and it's a touchdown. Instead, Nebraska settles for a field goal. Martinez took a bad sack by stepping up into non-existant pressure. That sack wasn't the fault of the offensive line.

One thing I took out of this week's game is that it seems Nebraska's coaching staff treated this game much like an exhibition game. We saw lots of experimentation and lots of new looks. Sometimes it was to see how Nebraska would respond. Sometimes it was to give our new Big Ten opponents something else to chew on. Like the return of Rex Burkhead taking the snap and Martinez split out wide. Like Eric Martin seeing some significant playing time early on. How about leaving cornerback Josh Mitchell back in Lincoln after he saw significant playing time last wee. Tonight, Corey Cooper was thrown into the fire for his first start. Got burned a couple of times in his first significant playing time of the season.

So in that light, perhaps it's not a surprise that Nebraska still looks a little disjointed. Nebraska's playing a lot of young players, especially in the secondary which is probably leading to some of the issues we've seen. That being said, it's time to get real. Wisconsin, Ohio State, and Michigan State are all on the schedule next month. Up to now, you could excuse these problems. Starting next Saturday night, it's time to stop making excuses and start executing.

Tuesday Night Beer: I Just Can't Quit The Train Wreck Nebraska Left Behind

2011-09-20T23:20:00.002-05:00

If someone ever put together a highlight video of the new Big XII Conference, the soundtrack would have to be Yakety Sax. My goodness, the story just gets weirder and weirder each and every day. Can the dysfunctional family that is the Big XII be salvaged? Strangely yes. Despite Dan Beebe's negligence and Texas' arrogance, the Big XII makes sense for most everybody left in the Big XII. I never really bought into the idea of Oklahoma in the Pac-12; it doesn't really fit. But in the everybody-for-themselves world of the Big XII, everybody is desperate to find some foothold.

How does the Big XII survive? Well, no matter what Tom Shatel says, Dan Beebe has to go. Heck, Fake Dan Beebe is more qualified, even after a 12 pack of Danny Dan juice. The Big XII needs new leadership - someone who can take charge of the entire motley crew. A Larry Scott/Jim Delaney type. The other concession that will be necessary: dismantling the Longhorn Network. It's like toxic sludge or nuclear waste, destroying conferences and relationships. Texas knows this, as the Big Ten, ACC, and Pac-12 (twice) have made it clear that those shenanigans will not be tolerated. Texas knows they have two options: Big XII or independence. (Though don't be surprised if the Texas to the Big East rumor gets floated...) And Oklahoma has made it clear that LHN can't be part of the Big XII going forward.

Tonight's announcement that the Pac-12 isn't going to expand for now might force everybody back to the table...but it doesn't solve the Big XII's problems. It's more like a temporary restraining order. Everybody is waiting for the next opportunity to bail until something - anything - changes.

Good move for UNO to move Maverick basketball to the new Ralston arena. It sounds more economical than playing at the Civic Auditorium, and frankly, my perception is that Ralston is closer to the campus (especially the South Campus) than downtown. Will UNO ever build their own arena for hockey? I still have mixed feelings. A campus facility would be nice, but I get the feeling that UNO can't afford the size that UNO hockey needs. I still think that Dean Blais will make a UNO hockey arena infeasible; if UNO hockey starts regularly drawing crowds greater than 10k-12k, there is no reason for UNO to build an arena.

If it wasn't for lawsuits, I get the feeling that there would be an independent league team playing downtown next summer. Might even have started this season, for all we know. But MECA got themselves into a mess with the Northern League that's going to hold this up for another year. Could an independent league team make it downtown? That's debatable. Certainly not a team in a league like the Northern League, which almost makes the Big XII look viable (even with Dan Beebe in charge). But the American Association is another matter entirely. You've got regional rivalries (Sioux City, Lincoln, Kansas City) with reasonable travel. The schedule likely meshes better with Creighton and the College World Series.

Is it going to be as good of a product on the field as AAA baseball? Heck no. But the owners of the AAA baseball team that used to be in Omaha have reminded us time and time again that the vast majority of minor league fans don't care about the quality of play on the field. It's about the experience and the surrounding atmosphere. That's a double edged sword for independent league baseball in Omaha. On one hand, you've got a gem of a ballpark downtown that's conveniently located, with ample parking, bars/restaurants, and businesses to help drive traffic nearby. The people will come downtown. But on the other hand, one thing we've learned from Alan Stein and company is that they won't allow anybody to outpromote them. It'll be tough to build an environment downtown that exceeds what's happening out at the Trailer Park...because the bar has been set very high out in BFE.

But considering the attendance out west this year, don't dismiss the idea of independent league baseball. There's a reason why attendance at the Trailer Park didn't increase anywhere near what the average new ballpark does.

BlogPoll Ballot: Sooners Still #1, Huskers #16

2011-09-19T10:00:00.000-05:00

After last night's thrilling victory on the road, I feel pretty confident leaving Oklahoma on top of my Top 25 this week. Some will still vote for Alabama or LSU...but I'm sticking with the Sooners. The top stayed the same for the most part. Florida State falls to 11, though that could be a little harsh.

Husker Mike's Blasphemy Ballot - Week 4

Rank	Team	Delta
1	Oklahoma Sooners	--
2	LSU Tigers	--
3	Alabama Crimson Tide	--
4	Boise St. Broncos	--
5	Stanford Cardinal	--
6	Wisconsin Badgers	--
7	Virginia Tech Hokies	1
8	South Carolina Gamecocks	1
9	Arkansas Razorbacks	1
10	Florida Gators	1
11	Florida St. Seminoles	-4
12	Michigan Wolverines	--
13	Baylor Bears	--
14	Oregon Ducks	--
15	Oklahoma St. Cowboys	--
16	Nebraska Cornhuskers	1
17	West Virginia Mountaineers	2
18	South Florida Bulls	2
19	Texas A&M Aggies	2
20	TCU Horned Frogs	2
21	Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets	--
22	Illinois Fighting Illini	--
23	Clemson Tigers	--
24	Ohio Bobcats	--
25	Texas Longhorns	--
Dropouts: Michigan St. Spartans, Ohio St. Buckeyes, Auburn Tigers, Tennessee Volunteers

SB Nation BlogPoll College Football Top 25 Rankings »

I'm only moving Nebraska up one spot, mostly because I want to see more from the Huskers. That third quarter performance, if it repeats itself in October, will rocket the Huskers above many of those teams. Michigan State and Ohio State disappear after failing to show this weekend. Georgia Tech arrives in the rankings this week with an impressive thrashing of Kansas.

I admit my selection of Frank Solich's Ohio Bobcats is a sentimental pick, but let me justify it. Ohio has two impressive victories this season. Ohio's 44-21 victory over New Mexico State was one week before the Aggies upset Minnesota in Minneapolis. Then Saturday's 44-7 victory over Marshall was bigger than #17 West Virginia's 34-13 victory over the Herd. If you are using pure resume voting, you arguably could rank Ohio higher than a lot of teams on the list.

For One Quarter Against Washington, the Huskers Look Like Contenders

2011-09-17T23:59:00.000-05:00

There were a lot of things to like in Nebraska's 51-38 victory over Washington. There also were a few things to dislike: namely 38 points and 420 yards given up on defense. But after the Holiday Bowl debacle against those same Washington Huskies, Husker fans should be ecstatic with a win.

On offense, the Huskers finally got the I-backs unleashed...especially in the second half. The first half, it was the passing game that got the Huskers started...starting with the opening snap. Kenny Bell's 50 yard pass reception not only set up the opening score just 34 seconds into the game, but also kept Washington from stacking the box the rest of the day. Like on the final drive the week before, Rex Burkhead found some running room. Not enough to keep drives going, but still more than he had seen earlier in the season.

In the second half, the Huskers pounded the ball at Washington. Martinez only threw four passes as the Huskers rushed the ball 37 times. It wasn't anything fancy either; just pure bread-and-butter plays like pitch plays to the I-backs. Even a couple of fullback traps, the first of which was a 36 yard gain. Rex Burkhead was back in prime form, bouncing off of tacklers, juking and jiving for extra yardage. Burkhead's not a game breaker, but the Huskers need a couple of yards, Rex is the man Nebraska needs in the game. Taylor Martinez carried the ball 17 times, but it didn't seem that way because Martinez is becoming more judicious with his carries. Eric Crouch and Scott Frost might cringe to see a Nebraska quarterback running out of bounds or sliding to avoid a hit, but considering what happened to Nebraska after Martinez got hurt last season, avoiding unnecessary hits is a necessity. It also was nice to see Martinez taking extra care of the ball late in the game. Nebraska only had one fumble on the day, and that was on a punt.

Defensively, it was a mixed performance. An average first half, an outstanding third quarter, and a bad fourth quarter. I liked Josh Mitchell entering the game at cornerback in nickel situations, as Ciante Evans does a better job at nickel than Justin Blatchford. Andrew Green had a couple nice plays at corner, but several more blown coverages. Fortunately, it sounds like Alfonzo Dennard could be back in a couple of weeks. That can only help the Blackshirts to finally have their shutdown corner back on the field. But does that explain giving up 38 points? Not entirely. This defense isn't playing to Nebraska standards yet.

I found some of Nebraska's strategy questionable late in the game, especially after Nebraska's final touchdown where Brett Maher pooched the kickoff, giving the Huskies the ball near midfield. Then with Nebraska facing a fourth down and two and under three minutes left in the game, Nebraska elected to go for the first down rather than kick a field goal. Maher likely would have made the 39 yard field goal and given Nebraska a 16 point lead, which would have required three scores to lose the game. Burkhead came up a yard short, and it wasn't until Austin Cassiday's interception that the thirteen point lead was solid.

Watching the game in the stadium, I didn't get the same feeling about the kick interference penalties that television viewers did. Of course, I didn't have to listen to the insufferable combo of Matt Millen and Sean McDonough either. The second call on the Rex Burkhead return seemed to be noncontroversial to me; Burkhead seemed to be hit simultaneous to catching the punt which should be a penalty. This isn't the old controversial halo rule where you get flagged for being within two yards. The rule is you have to have an "unimpeded opportunity" to catch the ball, and on that play, it seemed pretty clear to me that Burkhead never had that opportunity.

Nebraska is 3-0 and the offense is starting to become consistent. I have faith that Bo Pelini will figure out what ails the defense; they may not be a top ten defense this season, but they'll be better down the stretch. And judging from what I see in the Big Ten conference this season, that might be enough to put Nebraska in position to win the west division this season. And if we see more of what we saw in the third quarter when the Huskers were clicking on both sides of the ball, even more than that. Much more than that.

We Can All Learn From Ameer Abdullah & Ron Brown

2011-09-16T12:56:00.001-05:00

Dirk Chatelain of the Omaha World-Herald brings us an outstanding feature on the relationship between freshman I-back Ameer Abdullah and Ron Brown, his position coach. Brown is a fervent outspoken Christian who frequently quotes scripture in his day-to-day conversation. With Brown, every he does revolves around Jesus Christ. He's been frequently criticized outside of football circles for that.

Freshman Ameer Abdullah is a Muslim.

This week, we were reminded of the horrors that 19 Muslims committed ten years ago. Some people try to push the blame away from the terrorists who murdered so many people on 9/11 and onto the entire faith and Muslims everywhere. That's patently unfair. Christians are also capable of unspeakable acts, and have done so in the past. Even today, some whackjobs take their faith to extremes, all in the name of Christianity.

Brown and Abdulah show us how we should deal with our differences. We should never compromise our beliefs...but we should always respect the beliefs of others. It is OK to disagree and believe different things. Disagreeing is not hate. Having a different opinion is not an attack.

Yet too often in our society, we try to ascribe evil intent to others who have sincere, differing opinions on what is right and what is wrong. Rather than try to find a way to come together and find ways to move forward, people reject the whole of those that don't subscribe perfectly to our ideals. People who don't subscribe to our personal political philosophy. People with funny names. People with different lifestyles. That doesn't mean you have to agree with everything. It's ok to disagree.

It's not ok to dismiss the whole of another person because one aspect of that person conflicts with yourself.

We could all learn a lot from Ameer Abdullah and Ron Brown.

Nighthawks Self-Destruct in Season Opener

2011-09-15T23:33:00.001-05:00

Disappointing would have to be the best way to describe tonight's season opening game for the Omaha Nighthawks, who lost to Marty Schottenheimer's Virginia Destroyers 23-13. Four turnovers and a bunch of penalties sunk the Nighthawks tonight, who actually didn't look too bad when they weren't self-destructing. Eric Crouch started the game, but split the snaps with former Oregon and Ole' Miss quarterback Jeremiah Masoli. Former Ohio State quarterback Troy Smith apparently was inactive; he was on the sideline in uniform sans helmet. The most surprising element of the new Nighthawks offense was the lack of running plays by the backs; the offense seemed to be based on quick throws by the quarterbacks out of a pistol or shotgun formation. Of the two quarterbacks, I sensed that Crouch was a slightly better passer downfield, though Masoli was deadly on rollouts. Crouch threw one interception that seemed to be a miscommunication between him and his receiver; Masoli threw two interceptions including a bad read. Crouch also fumbled the ball on a fourth down play when a motion back seemed to knock the ball out of his hands on the fake handoff.

Virginia's offense was much more efficient statistically, relying on a dink-and-dunk attack of slants and inside screens that the Nighthawks struggled to defend until the Destroyers reached the red zone. Former Husker Jay Moore blew up a third down play at the goal line by fighting through a block to batt down a Chris Greisen pass. Perhaps that was a tactical decision by Schottenheimer to go with a simpler offense; if so, it paid off because the Destroyers were more consistent in their execution tonight. That may not necessarily be the case in the rematch in late October.

The other disappointing aspect of the game was the size of the crowd. Officially announced at 15,836, I'd estimate the crowd at closer to 10,000 tonight. It was a fairly loud crowd, but it's not the type of crowd that encourages the UFL to return in 2012. And that's a shame because football is a good, bonus use of TD Ameritrade Park in the fall. Yes, the sightlines at Ameritrade aren't the best for football, and surprisingly, the modern digital scoreboards are ill-suited for America's game. But like during the spring and summer, the area around the Park came alive with activity. It's just a great place to hold events. But I worry that if more people don't come out in October, it might be the death sentence for outdoor professional football in Omaha.

Footnote: Regular visitors may notice a new template here at Blasphemy. Not sure what happened, but a recent Blogger upgrade seemed to wipe out the old design as well as broke a lot of links. Hopefully everything is working again. Not sure when I'll have a chance to clean things up further, but it appears to be functional, if not a little bland.

Nighthawks and Huskers Make for a Great Two-Fer This Weekend

2011-09-14T13:02:00.000-05:00

It's going to be a great double-header weekend for football fans locally. Thursday night brings us the second season of the Omaha Nighthawks before the Saturday "third time in a year" rubber match between the Huskers and the Washington Huskies. It'll be interesting to see how the Nighthawks do this season. I don't think the Nighthawks will sell out the first game, but I wouldn't be surprised to see a crowd of between 17,000 and 20,000 fans downtown. Scheduling the first game for a Thursday instead of Friday night might have been a bit of a mistake IMHO. (I suppose they were trying to prevent a conflict with a concert on Friday night...)

It's going to be an all-out new look for the Nighthawks on offense. Jeff Garcia is out, and in comes Heisman Trophy winners Eric Crouch and Troy Smith. The Nighthawks won't be running a traditional pro-style offense, though it could be argued that the Nighthawks didn't run much of any offense last season. Having a deep stable of quarterbacks makes running a college-style offense a little more practical at the pro level, though one might wonder how that will play with the NFL types who are going to be need to be wooed to ensure the league's existance after this season.

Can the UFL survive into 2012? I'm somewhat optimistic that it can...but only if Omaha fans continue to support the Nighthawks. The UFL needs more markets to support teams like Omaha did in 2010, and if Omaha fails to pull through again this season, I don't know how the NFL can be convinced to invest in the league. And even if the UFL fails, big crowds might convince someone to look at Omaha, perhaps the Arena League. (Now that the authorities are investigating the owner of the Omaha Beef, the future of that team looks even more cloudy.) I still maintain that the UFL serves a useful purpose as a training ground for skill players as well as a source for football-ready free-agents during the season. NFL Europe failed because it cost too much to fly players to Europe. And now with the NFL Network, the UFL represents another source of programming to fill in during the season.

In any event, I'm excited to check out the 2011 season of the Nighthawks. I see some familiar names on defense, such as defensive end Jay Moore and linebacker Steve Octavien. (I'd have loved to see Octavien spend some time working with Bo Pelini; he's got the natural talent, but who knows how much damage three years of Kevin Cosgrove did to his development.) Maurice Purify and Marlon Lucky didn't survive the final cuts. It'll be interesting to see how much rust is on Eric Crouch after being out of football for so many years.