College Football Preseason Top 25: #12 Nebraska

Al Dannity | Updated Jan 05, 2023

Something old, something new, something borrowed, something…Scarlet and Cream. Nebraska’s marriage to the Big Ten may be a little out of the ordinary but Al Dannity likes the Huskers to do just fine in the restructured conference.

The schedule Nebraska’s early schedule is just the ticket for a team looking to pad its resume with convincing wins against opponents with familiar sounding names. After a surefire win over Chattanooga, the Huskers host Fresno State and Washington. The Bulldogs always sound like a good team to beat but they will be big underdogs heading into Lincoln and with good cause. The Huskies famously beat Nebraska in the Holiday Bowl after losing to them earlier in the season. The big difference is that Jake Locker is no longer in town.

A road trip to Camp Randall should do plenty to shake off any complacency still lingering in Lincoln. The Huskers kick off the home part of Big Ten play by hosting Ohio State a week later. October 29 promises to deliver a potential division deciding game, at home to Michigan State. The rest of the slate should see Nebraska heavily favored but hold on to your hats when the Huskers hit the Big House for a date with Michigan.

The players With 6 starters back on offense and 7 on defense, the Huskers are primed for a run to the Big Ten title game this season. The defense is stacked with four players who earned all-conference selections last year back for another go round in 2011. College Football betting fans should pay particular heed to Jared Crick, Cameron Meredith, Lavonte David, and Alfonso Devard.

The star of the offense, indeed the man who mad Nebraska’s offense relevant again, is sophomore quarterback Taylor Martinez. The signal caller’s quarrels with coach Bo Pelini are well documented but there can be no understating his importance to Nebraska. If Martinez performs, he has the talent to bring this team to a BCS bowl. A slip up by Martinez and this team can wipe off a couple of wins from the ledger.

The forecast It’s a relative down year for the Big Ten. The Buckeyes are reeling from sanctions, Iowa looks to be rebuilding, ditto Penn State, and Michigan is still an unknown quantity. That gives the Huskers all the room they need to make a run at the Legends Division. Crucially they will have Michigan State at home, rather than having to travel to East Lansing. That should be enough to get them to a conference title game for the third year in succession. I don’t think the third time will be the charm however for the winners of the Leaders division have the talent to stop them. You’ll have to wait to find out who I have tabbed for that honor.

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