Husker FB

Since I mentioned Husker basketball, I probably should go to football. While I am excited by this year's prospects, I'll note that it is only due to the last couple of season's mediocrity.

In truth, I have not been the biggest Bill Callahan fan to date -- probably less to do with him than how the firing of Frank Solich was handled, or rather mishandled, by AD Steve Pederson, although I could blame Coach C for the rather stiff way he dismissed some of the assistant coaches. That Turner Gill stuck around the first year is probably more a testiment to him, and his loyalty to the school, than to Callahan. Enough history.

We have nine starters returning from an 8-4 team on both sides of the ball, are favored to win the Big 12 North, and the pre-season ratings I have seen are predicting a 9-3 season. I'm going out on a limb here, but I don't think that is good enough -- I want 11-1 or 10-2, minimum. I know we are playing USC and Texas this year, but we have to be able to beat those kind of teams with regularity if we are going to return to the glory days. I think we could ambush USC on Sep. 16, and will be very disappointed if we don't at least make it a tight game.

Moreover, we have to beat the teams we should, and not lose to perennial lightweights like Missouri or Kansas except the once in a generation when they have an exceptional year. The program likens itself to USC, Texas, Oklahoma, Michigan, Ohio State, etc. and has to have those kind of expectations. Beating a underachieving Michigan squad in a second (third?) tier bowl game was nice (going to a bowl game was nice, too) but we have a group that I think should contend for a top ten national ranking this year.

I hope they make the cut to contend with the teams of the past, but in my mind, the jury is still out on this coaching staff. Much will ride on the defense, they had better be as good as advertised, and I don't want to see the kind of breakdowns that happened last year. Zac Taylor has got to stay healthy and set a new school passing record for TDs, and the running game had better find a way to repeat the success they had in the bowl game, consistently throughout the season, and particularly in the red zone. I'll say a lot more when I see a depth chart and the season approaches.