Husker Pre-game prayer

The words to the Husker pre-game prayer are pretty awesome.

Football Pregame Prayer
Dear Lord,
In the battles we go through life
We ask for a chance that's fair
A chance to equal all our strife
A chance to do or dare
And if we win,
Let it be by the code
With faith and honor held high
And if we lose,
Let us stand by the road
And cheer as the winners go by.
Day by day
We get better and better
A team that can't be beat
Won't be beat.
This prayer fits the Nebraska football team and their head coach.

Nebraska so far has been inconsistent . One play they execute like a championship team and the next play they mess up. By messing up the first thing that comes to mind is penalties. We have for the past several years killed drives on offense, especially, with a personal foul or holding. That has to stop to be of championship caliber.

A good team can run on Nebraska. Idaho ran the ball on their left side over and over and made a few yards. They didn't break any big plays but they could go five yards on a consistent basis. Out linebackers are second teamers. David has been all over the field but we do not have a replacement for Compton yet that is in the right place to make the plays we need yet.

The secondary had interceptions left and right last week. Will they gamble a few too many times this week and get caught with a couple of long pass plays for touchdowns?

On offense we just have to be smarter. Penalties and turnovers have to go way down.

This week, its Nebraska 23 Washington 14. Any win over 21 points and I'd put NU in the Top 3 in the country. If NU wins by 14-20 points, they are Top 10. 7-13 points puts them in the Top 15. A win keeps them in the Top 25. We'll see this week how good Nebraska looks to be at this point of the season this week. The first two weeks were only practice sessions.

Idaho will be a tough one!

Idaho is not a football school. The Vandals played last week before 11,000 fans. They are like 0-zillion against BCS Top 25 schools. But... they have a Nebraska boy from North Platte with a NFL arm that will catch the Huskers off guard a few times Saturday morning afternoon. I'm not entirely sold on the Huskers secondary yet but hopefully I can eat crow this week. Nathan Enderle can throw the ball a long ways. The year we recruited and lost Josh Freeman, Enderle was throwing the longest ball in the QB camps.

Look to Idaho throwing a couple of long touchdowns when our secondary gets caught out of position or takes one too many chances.

Be surprised if you want but this writer says Nebraska 38 Idaho 24.

Please run the fullbacks. That's Nebraska football!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Don't be surprised is Florida State knocks off Oklahoma this week. Should be a close game.

Nebraska wins versus Western Kentucky but doesn't tell us much!

Not much was learned about Nebraska vs. Western Kentucky. Here's what this writer noticed.

1. Taylor Martinez is very fast and will be a running threat. Not since Jamaal Lord has Nebraska had this kind of running quarterback.
2. The offensive line played well against the competition they were playing against.
3. The defense struggled after the first quarter and Western Kentucky had a major time of possession advantage.
4. Rex Burkhead is fun to watch!!
5. Mike McNeil was open for touchdowns at least three times and wasn't thrown to.
6. T-Mart's favorite target is Niles Paul. He needs to look more to the rest of the field.
7. Nebraska misses Philip Dillard
8. The secondary takes some chances that will be corrected, I am sure.
9. Brandon Kinnie looks to have a great season as a receiver.
10. Three true freshmen will have an impact this year; Andrew Rodriquez, Ciante Evans, and Quincy Enunwa.

Taylor Martinez was 9-15 for 136 yards and ran seven times for 127 yards and three touchdowns. That compares to first game starts by Tommy Frazier who ran 14 times for 77 yards and was 9-20 passing for 157 against Missouri. Eric Crouch rushed for two touchdowns and was 11-17 passing in his first start vs. UAB. Martinez did well for a first game.

Right now there are only two Huskers from last year's team on a NFL roster--N. Suh at Detroit and Phillip Dillard for the Giants.

Danny Woodhead made the Jets roster.

Hated to see Kansas get beat this weekend. With Turner Gill, they will get it going. It's just unknown how many wins they will have. Kansas lost the nucleus of its team last year.

The Ohio Bobcats are led by Boo Jackson, who was a highly rated quarterback in college. They beat Wofford 33-10. Wofford did not complete a pass. Phil Bates (Omaha) had 51 yards on six carries and Noah Keller (Kearney) led in tackles with nine.

Larry Asante and Steve Octavian were not on an NFL roster today. Hopefully some Nebraska players will make some practice squads and will be available if injuries occur.

Best Proposal: Nebraska 50 Yard-Line Proposal

Taylor Martinez will debut tomorrow!

Taylor Martinez will have his first start. Hopefully he will have many more. It would be nice to get him some experience before we go to the Big 10 next year and that tough first year schedule.

Larry Asante had seven tackles for the Cleveland Browns on Thursday night. Barry Turner had three tackle and a sack for a loss of ten yards for the Bears.

Danny Woodhead had a touchdown for the Jets and hopefully will make the final cut.

Let the 2010 season begin tomorrow. James Dobson is a big part of the success we have this year. He is the strength and conditioning coach for football.

Nebraska has a lot of depth this year. A lot of kids will play and it will be interesting as to who rises to the top by year end.

Tennessee vs. Western Kentucky game highlights 2009(Lane Kiffin's first ...

Dennis Ferrer - Hey Hey

Surprise quarterback starter this weekend!

Everybody is talking Lee or Martinez as starters this week, so be to be different this writer goes with Cody Green. Why Cody Green? There has been things said by the coaches like they don't want to create a "circus atmosphere" about naming a starter earlier. They don't know "how some players will react to their first game jitters as a starter." This may be in reference to the quarterback position. This narrows the choice down to Taylor Martinez and Cody Green. I think the coaches like Green and he does have some game experience so Cody Green will start our first game. Of course he may not be the starter at the end of the season which is most important!

The only starters, for sure on defense, look to be Pierre Allen, Jared Crick, Steinkuhler, and Meredith, Prince, Dennard, and Harvey. The rest of the positions are close and we will see a lot of different starters this next year. One linebacker position and the two safeties that start look to be unknown at this time. Look to see 25 different defensive players on the field even in the tough games, which Western Kentucky is not.

Again just having more fun with predictions. We'll see all three quarterbacks on Saturday and I think they will all perform well. I think the quarterback race will go most of the season.

Now on to the conference alignment.

One side will consist of Illinois, Indiana, Ohio State, Penn State, Purdue and Wisconsin while Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Nebraska and Northwestern will be in the other division. Each school will play the other five schools within its division and will also play three teams from the other division, including one cross-division matchup guaranteed on an annual basis. The first championship game will be played December 3, 2011, at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

Here are the schedules for 2011 and 2012 for Nebraska.

2011 NU Big Ten Schedule
Oct. 1 - @Wisconsin
Oct. 8 - Ohio State
Oct. 15 - Bye
Oct. 22 - @Minnesota
Oct. 29 - Michigan State
Nov. 5 - Northwestern
Nov. 12 - @Penn State
Nov. 19 - @Michigan
Nov. 26 - Iowa

2012 NU Big Ten Schedule
9/29 - Wisconsin
10/6 - @Ohio State
10/13 - Bye
10/20 - @Northwestern
10/27 - Michigan
11/3 - @Michigan State
11/10 - Penn State
11/17 - Minnesota
11/24 - @Iowa

2011 will be a very tough schedule for Nebraska. Ohio State, at Wisconsin, at Michigan, Michigan St., Iowa, at Penn State, and Washington. I think Pelini will love this schedule because he likes to take on the best every week but it will be a murderous schedule. I will wonder how the Nebraska fans will like the jump to the Big 10 after 2011. Hopefully we can take one challenge at a time and be successful.

Nebraska will need to play Penn State in a cross-divisional game on an annual basis. This will be a tough annual game and will give some of the other teams in the division an advantage for the best record. This schedule gives parity somewhat to the conference.

A guess at the new Big 10 alignment!

Here is my guess at the Big 10 alignment that is to be announced tomorrow. I guess I am just doing this for fun because its all a guess.

For fun we will call the divisions the White and Black divisions!

White
Iowa
Nebraska
Minnesota
Penn St.
Northwestern
Illinois

Black
Indiana
Purdue
Michigan St.
Michigan
Ohio State
Wisconsin

This writer feels the divisions would be pretty equal. You would keep the Michigan St.-Michigan rivalry which they won't give up. You would keep the Iowa-Minnesota game annually. The Michigan-Ohio St. rivalry would be guaranteed an annual game. Indian-Purdue is somewhat of a regional game. Penn St-Nebraska would be huge each year.

Tomorrow we find out! Should be interesting.

Maurice Clarett to the Nighthawks?

Maurice Clarett, the sensational running back from Ohio State, may play for the Omaha Nighthawks if he can get a judge to release him to Nebraska. Clarett was a key player of the 2002 Ohio State national championship team. Clarett was cut by the Denver Broncos in 2005 when he was convicted of armed robbery.

This new football league is for real and should produce a fun product to watch. Jeff Garcia will quarterback the Nighthawks and Ahman Green will be in the backfield.

Nebraska basketball is getting a quality point guard next year. Bo Spencer is transferring from LSU and will have to sit out this year. He will be a walk-on.

The 6-foot-2 Spencer started 28 of 31 games last season for LSU and averaged 14.5 points, 2.7 assists, 3 turnovers and 2.5 rebounds. He shot 33 percent from the field (138-of-414) and 80 percent from the free-throw line (99-of-118). He scored more than 20 points 11 times, including back-to-back 25-point games against Tennessee and Kentucky, and averaged 36 minutes a game.

Spencer was dismissed by the LSU team for failing to meet academic requirements.

Drake Beranek has been awarded a scholarship by Doc Sadler. One of the keys of Nebraska's success is having Nebraska boys on the team. They lead the way in work ethic and they know the Nebraska culture.

Using "Cheatsheets" when you draft your fantasy football teams is like using Rivals.com to determine your recruits. Its a guideline but you have to use other tools to pick the best players. A lot of years the hot players do little of nothing.

This year I like Ladainian Thomlinson as a sleeper. Shonn Green is all anybody is talking about but LT has some juice left and the Jets will allow him to show his skills. LT isn't listed in a lot of the cheatsheets. I think Eddie Royal will rebound and have a year like in had in 2008 when he caught 91 passes. Go with your gut and you will probably do better than the magazine you are using to draft with.

Western Kentucky won't tell us much!

This game won't tell us much about the defense or offense as Western Kentucky is really bad and we should win this one by a score in the neighborhood of 66-3. I don't see this one being much different. It doesn't much mean the offense is back or the defense is dominant. Western Kentucky is just bad.

WKU was 0-12 last year in the Sun Belt Conference. They have a new coach for 2010. Just another reason, because they are learning a new system, that the Hilltoppers will not have a great start to the season. Their new coach is Willie Taggert.

Willie Taggart was named head football coach at Western Kentucky University on November 23. Taggart spent the last three seasons as running backs coach at Stanford. He coached the runner-up to the Heisman, Toby Gerhart, last year. He previously spent eight seasons as an assistant coach at WKU from 1999-2006. As a standout player at quarterback for Western Kentucky, he set 11 school records.

Believe me a 66-3 score does not mean the offense is back. What it will tell us is who the starting quarterback is. It will give us a chance to see a lot of players on the field. A few unknowns will have a good game and give us something to talk about.

Who will this years Phillip Dillard be? This writer thinks that he was as valuable as Suh was last year in a lot of the late games. He was underrated, but was all over the field. Do we have that player this year? We probably won't know until we get into Big 12 play.

Ode to Bo

Sports Shorts!

The PGA golf championship was exciting at the end. Dustin Johnson gets a two stroke penalty and missed what looked like a three way playoff. Martin Kaymer beat Bubba Watson in the playoff.

Chris Brooks wins the ex-Nebraska player of the week with three catches for 50 yards. Terrance Nunn had one catch for six yards, also with Tampa Bay.

The Nebraska players are receiving pickles to eat after practice for medicinal purposes. Brad Dickson wrote in the Omaha World Herald "We won't have BLACKSIRTS anytime soon for you, son, but there's a nice juicy pickle in your locker." Dickson used to write for Jay Leno.

Lance Thorell and Austin Cassidy are practicing holding for field goals. Brett Maher is the number one holder.

Kevin Harvick wins at Michigan.Clint Bowyer moved into the top 12 for the Chase. In contention still are Mark Martin (13),Ryan Newman (14), Jamie McMurray (15), Kasey Kahne (16), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (17), and David Reutiman (18). Mark Martin is close to the top 12 only 35 points out.

Now there is no doubt a lot of things will change as to who plays due to effort and injuries but right now the two deep chart is starters.

Four defensive starters are seniors. They are Pierre Allen (defensive end), Prince Amukamara (cornerback), DeJon Gomes (safety) and Anthony West (safety). The only two deep position is one of the safety positions with Gomes and Ricky Thenarse.

On offense the following are entering their senior season: Zac Lee (QB) Roy Helu (Running Back), Mike McNeil (Receiver), Niles Paul (Receiver, Punt Returner, and Kickoff Returner), Keith Williams (Left Guard), and Ricky Henry (Right Guard).

Redshirt listed on the two deep charts are as follows on defense: Thaddeus Randle (Defensive Tackle) and Jason Ankrah (Defensive End).

Redshirt freshmen listed on the two deep charts on offense are as follows: Jeremiah Sirles (Left tackle), Brent Qvale (Right and Left guard), and Cole Pensick (Center).

Also Alex Henery is a senior, which is huge with his backup Adi Kunalic also a senior.

Notes from the Texas Longhorn football team:
1. Cody Johnson has drawn even with Tre’ Newton and Foswhitt Whittaker as the team’s every-down tailback.
2. The offense is running 60 percent under center. It might be too early to project that for the season. But that’s where we are right now.
3. Mack Brown thinks this could be the best defense he’s had at Texas.

kittens inspired by kittens

The Kennedy Center Honors Johnny Carson - 1993 - pt. 3 of 3!

Let's get ready for football!

Tonight the NFL starts its preseason with Cincinnati and Dallas. Former NU players Maurice Purify plays for the Bengals and Steve Octavien plays for the Cowboys.

Nebraska has started practice. Heat has to be a factor. 105 players are allowed to practice this fall before school starts. Some notable scholarship players that didn't make the 105 were sophomore linebacker Micah Kreikemeier, junior cornerback Marcus Mendoza and redshirt freshman offensive lineman Nick Ash. I am a little surprised by Ash not practicing. Maybe he has a possible injury. Kody Spano is not playing due to rehabbing his injury. The fact that Mendoza isn't on the 105 could be a reflection that the talent level is increasing on offense now.

The touted Ohio running back, Braylon Heard, will not be on the roster this fall and will start school in January.

A healthy Zac Lee will be our quarterback this fall. He knows the offense and takes care of the ball. His arm is back after surgery. Look to spot play from Martinez and Green. Martinez could play more as the Big 12 play begins. Having Martinez, Helu, and Burkhead on the field at the same time would be awesome for our running game.

I'm still on the fullback running the ball and I hope we see this finally this fall. Use all weapons or get at least two running backs on the field at the same time that will run the ball even if it isn't a fullback.

Ben Cotton may be our main tight end this fall but I like Kyler Reed and Dreu Young also.

Mike McNeil will be our top receiver this year in passes caught. Niles Paul may have the most yards with Brandon Kinnie competing for both. We actually could have two or three receivers drafted next spring. Well I think we could.

NU basketball has a commitment from Corey Hilliard, a point guard from Kansas City, Missouri. Nebraska has two scholarships for the 2011-2012 season.

One of the fan's most hated NASCAR drivers won today at Watkins Glen. He is Juan Montoya. Recently attending the race in Daytona it wasn't hard to see who the fans hate the most. They are Montoya and Kyle Busch.

We hope to have more posts coming now that the football season is beginning. If you have any ideas to make this better, let me know.

Alex Gordon has winning homerun tonight

Alex Gordon hit a three run homer in the ninth and Kansas City beat Baltimore 7-5. It was a great hit for Gordon, who has been struggling.

Bruning State Bank - Country Bank in Holdrege Nebraska

Michigan State

Mark Danatio is the head coach at Michigan St.Dantonio, who served as head coach at Cincinnati for three seasons prior to his arrival in East Lansing and also spent six years as an assistant coach at Michigan State from 1995-2000, became Michigan State University's 24th head football coach on Nov. 27, 2006. He has worked for some of the top coaches in the game, including Nick Saban, Jim Tressel and Earle Bruce.

A Zanesville, Ohio, native with Midwest ties, Dantonio has 28 years of collegiate coaching experience and coached in his 14th bowl game as the Spartans faced Texas Tech in the 2010 Valero Alamo Bowl. Before last season he had led Michigan State to three-straight bowl appearances - a first for the program since 1995-97 - and had already won 22 games at MSU, the second most by any Spartan head coach in his first three seasons.

Last year, however, was not a very good season for the Spartans. They were 4-4 in league play and they were 6-7 for the season.

Michigan State likes to pass and they are have been at the top of the league in passing with Danatio.

Michigan St. plays Notre Dame in 2010 in a non-conference game.

the Golden City

Greatest Dad That Ever Lived!

My dad was the greatest dad that ever lived. If I could change anything about my dad, what would I have changed? Nothing. I have thought about this may times and I honestly can't think of anything.

Dad had many passions. He had a passion for his wife, my mom. He had a passion for his kids and grandkids. He had a passion for his family. He had a passion for fishing and hunting. He had a passion for visiting with people. He had a passion for his garden. He had a passion for his faith.

Dad loved life but we lost him on October 4, 2006. Now when I say we lost him, but he is still here living in us. Many businesses have a mission statement and core values that drive their decisions. For myself, since dad's death and even before that, my decisions are made by asking myself "What would dad do?". By using this for my driving force in life, decisions have been better and easier because I end up making decisions that are right, even if everybody does not agree. I always know that if I do what dad would have done, God would be very happy because he was a great example of how we are to do things.

On this Father's Day, I think about all the great memories I have of my dad! I think of stacking hay as dad brought in the bales with the farmhand. Irrigation was a big part of our summer and when we had a break in the ditch, dad and I would pitch the dirt towards the break where my sister was laying in the ditch trying to keep the water from running so fast. A big part of my life was all the fishing and hunting experiences I had the pleasure to be a part of with my dad. They were events. There are so many memories. My dad was the best hunter and fisherman I have ever seen but he was always more happy when us kids were successful. He was proud of his family.

Even though it is Father's Day, I feel very grateful that I have a mom that although she is different in some ways, she is just as great. Thanks mom!

I miss my dad. I miss him calling me and wondering when I was coming to Orleans again even though I had been there three times in the last week. I miss driving up to mom's house and not seeing him sitting at the patio table. I miss working with him in his garden. I miss the hunting and fishing experiences and talking about previous hunting and fishing experiences. I missed dad at my two daughter's weddings. He was ALWAYS so proud of his grandkids. He loved them very much. I miss all his stories. I just miss visiting with him.

I just miss him because he was the greatest dad that ever lived.

So if your dad is still alive give him a big hug today and tell him you love him. Our time on earth goes so fast.

JEANNE ROBERTSON VIDEO! Don't Bungee Jump Naked!

SNL - Awkward Carpool [Alec Baldwin & Kristen Wiig]

Michigan

TEAM-MICHIGAN
COACH-RICH RODRIQUEZ

Michigan is one of the two top teams in football in the Big 10 over the last few decades. Ohio State is the other. Michigan has been down the past couple of years and they went 1-7 in league play in 2009.The lost seven of their last eight games last year.

Rodriguez graduated from North Marion High School in Grant Town, West Virginia in 1981 where he played four sports and was an all-state football and basketball player. After high school, Rodriguez attended West Virginia University. Playing as a defensive back, Rodriguez recorded 54 career tackles over three seasons.

After Rodriguez's return to WVU as a volunteer coach with the outside linebackers for the 1989 football season, he left again to take over as head coach at Glenville State College.

Rodriguez left Glenville State at the end of the 1996 season to serve as assistant coach, offensive coordinator, and quarterback coach for Tulane University from 1997 to 1998, under head coach Tommy Bowden. Rodriguez was part of Tulane's success, including their 12–0 season in Rodriguez's last season at Tulane, mainly for his spread offense with quarterback Shaun King. When Bowden was hired as the head coach at Clemson University, he retained Rodriguez on his staff. Rodriguez served as the offensive coordinator and associate head coach until the end of the 2000 season, traveling to a Peach Bowl and Gator Bowl.

On November 26, 2000, WVU's athletic department announced that Rodriguez would again return to West Virginia, this time as head coach to replace the retiring legend Don Nehlen.

Rodriguez was one of the most successful coaches in West Virginia history.[citation needed] He was credited with the first back-to-back Top 10 finishes in school history, four consecutive New Year's bowl appearances (joining USC as the only program at the time to do so), the school's first BCS bowl win, three Big East championships, eight wins over Top 25 teams, twenty-six straight weeks in the Top 25, a 30-6 record from 2005–2007, and a home-attendance average of 98% of capacity. [citation needed] Rodriguez brought his unique offensive style to WVU and after a disappointing first year, led the Mountaineers to four straight winning years, in three of which (2003, 2004, & 2005) the Mountaineers won or shared the Big East Conference championship. Rodriguez led the team to five straight bowl appearances (the 2002 Continental Tire Bowl the 2004 and 2005 Gator Bowls, the 2006 Nokia Sugar Bowl, the 2007 Gator Bowl, posting a 2-3 record in those bowl games.

On December 16, 2007, Rodriguez informed players at West Virginia that he was leaving to succeed Lloyd Carr as the University of Michigan head football coach.[11] Rodriguez's decision came on the heels of a loss to the unranked Pittsburgh Panthers, which eliminated WVU from national championship contention.[

Rodriguez was introduced by Michigan as their new coach at a news conference held on December 17, 2007.

Rodriquez has a record at Michigan of 8-16, a Big Ten record of 3-13, and a career record of 113-78.

Michigan plays at Ann Arbor, Michigan with a capacity of 106,201. Rodriquez runs the spread offense and a 4-3 defense.

This is a huge year for this coach to be successful or they may be looking for a replacement. With the coaches history, the bet is they will show much improvement in 2010.

Next stop-Iowa!

IOWA
HEAD COACH-KIRK FERENTZ

The 2009 roster shows Shaun Prater from Omaha Central and Jeff Tarpinian from Millard North.

Kirk Ferentz is in his 12th year as head football coach at the University of Iowa. His tenure as Iowa's head football coach trails only Hayden Fry, who led the Hawkeyes for 20 seasons (1979-98). Ferentz ranks second in longevity among Big Ten Conference football coaches.

Ferentz, a two-time Big Ten Coach of the Year (2002 & 2004), led the Hawkeyes to a third place Big Ten finish in 2005. An overtime loss to Michigan and a last-minute, one point loss at Northwestern is all that kept the Hawkeyes from sharing a third Big Ten title in four years. Following the 2005 season Iowa was one of four teams (Southern Cal, Georgia, Florida State) in the nation to play in four consecutive January bowl games. The overtime loss to Michigan ended Iowa's 22-game home winning streak, the fourth longest in the nation at the time.

Ferentz is 81-55 the past eleven years. He is 49-39 in the Big 10. His career record is 93-76.

Ferentz coaches one of the Big 10 old school teams, similar to Wisconsin. They run the ball and emphasize a very strong defense. Last year they were 2nd in the conference in points allowed and 1st in pass defense in the league.

Ferentz joined the Iowa staff after serving as assistant head coach and offensive line coach of the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League. He had been a part of the Baltimore (Cleveland Browns prior to the move) organization for six years. He has been mentioned many times the past few years as a possible NFL coach.

Iowa will probably become a big game for NU. It is apparent that they will be in the same side of the conference when they split it into two divisions. We will likely become an annual game and they will be a formidable opponent.

Iowa beat Georgia Tech in this year's Orange Bowl 24-14.

Introducing the Big 10 coaches.

Our next school is Indiana

INDIANA
HEAD COACH-BILL LYNCH

Indiana has no current Nebraska players on its roster. The Hoosiers played their home games in Memorial Stadium in Bloomington, Indiana.

Bill Lynch is a native and lifelong Hoosier with 32 years coaching experience in the state, Bill Lynch will be entering his fifth year at the helm of the Indiana football program. In his four seasons, the Hoosiers reached the postseason and won seven games in a season for the first time since 1993 and won the Old Oaken Bucket for the first time since 2001. IU has boasted three All-Americans, two second-round NFL Draft picks, eight NFL Scouting Combine participants, nine All-Big Ten selections, one Academic All-American and 52 Academic All-Big Ten honorees.

Lynch completed his first season as Indiana head coach in 2007, leading the Hoosiers to a 7-6 record and a trip to the Insight Bowl. He is the only head coach in Hoosier history to guide a team to a bowl game in his debut season and just the fourth coach in IU lore to patrol the sidelines for a postseason contest. The team's seven victories were the second most for a first-year Indiana head coach, behind only James M. Sheldon, who went 8-1-1 in 1905.

With the Hoosiers' trip to the Insight Bowl in 2007, Lynch made his third appearance in a bowl game as a coach. He was the quarterbacks coach (1993-94) under former Hoosier head coach Bill Mallory when Indiana faced Virginia Tech in the 1993 Independence Bowl. Lynch served as the Ball State head coach and led the Cardinals to the 1996 Las Vegas Bowl.

In 2009, Indiana was 4-8 overall and 1-7 in conference play. They lost the last five games of the season. On offense, they run the "PISTOL" offense.

Let's meet the new players in 2011.

Over the next several days we'll talk about the Big 10 football coaches. The coaches represent the culture of the league. After 2010 we won't see the likes of Bob Stoops, Mack Brown, and Turner Gill. What is Turner Gill thinking right now. He gets the chance to go to the Big 12 and now Kansas is going to be looking for a new conference, most likely. The excitement of the matchup of Bo Pelini and Turner Gill on an annual basis is now gone.

Sure we can play some of these teams in our non-conference schedule but realistically we won't have an annual game with Kansas or Oklahoma. Perhaps a non-conference game with Ohio is smart as this area may become a key recruiting area.

The Big 10's top two coaches in the past, in this writer's opinion, is Bo Schembechler and Woody Hayes. They were huge in college football and are know nationally as two of the best coaches of all time.

Let's start with Illinois in the Big 10.

ILLINOIS
HEAD COACH-RON ZOOK

Illinois has no Nebraska players on its roster. The Illini played their home games at Memorial Stadium in Champaign, Illinois. Ron Zook is entering his sixth season as head coach.In 2009, the Illini finished the season 3–9 (2–6 Big Ten). The Illini failed to live up to the lofty preseason expectations, receiving almost enough votes in the AP Poll to be ranked (and were said to be the unofficial #26 ranked team in the AP Poll because of this).

Ron Zook was named the 2007 National and Big Ten Coach of the Year. Known as a tireless worker and recruiter, Zook led Illinois to the biggest turnaround in college football in 2007 and looks to reestablish the Illini among the elite in the nation. However in 2009, they had a set-back to reach that goal.

Zook was the head coach for Florida for three years before going to Illinois in 2005. His overall head coaching record is 44-53. He is an offensive minded coach as Illinois has let the Big 10 in rushing and passing over his five years. Zook's 2007 team defeated No. 1 Ohio State 28-21. Zook has never played against Nebraska.

"When someone came up with the statement `He has the fire in his belly, to be a great coach,' I think he was evaluating coaches that fit Ron Zook's profile. I had the opportunity to get to know Ron as well as watch him coach while he was at Ohio State and Florida. I recognized a coach with tremendous passion for what he does and a real compassion for those he works with and coaches."

- Dick Vermeil, Long-time NFL Head Coach

OSU is going to the PAC 10

Now its Oklahoma State to the PAC 10 as things are starting to unravel in the Big 12. Nebraska looks headed to the Big 10.

The fact that Nebraska is headed to the Big 10 is a lot more than athletics. It is about academics, research money, money for the athletic department and a long term stability in a strong conference.

Northwestern is all but the Midwest Harvard. Michigan gets tons of research money. The Big 10 TV conference is worth $10 million a year for each conference team. If they go to a playoff, which they will, that will bring in another $10 million.

Where does this leave the rest of the conference. The Texas schools except Baylor could go to the PAC 10. They are trying to tie up two BCS playoff teams.

Iowa State will go where. Time will tell. They might be a good fit for the MAC conference where Ohio plays.

Kansas is an elite basketball school so will they form a new conference with the Big East teams; maybe with Kansas State? Where will Missouri go? Big 10? Interesting. Could Texas go to the SEC? I don't think so. I am surprised that the Big 12 is deciding to disintegrate. If Tennessee left the SEC would they have split? I don't think so.

What's your comments. I still wished we would have stayed in the Big 12 but now the Big 10 is the way to go.

Maybe NU can make the league more offensive mined. I have been to a couple of Big 10 games are they are sort of boring with the strong defenses and unimaginative offenses. Great defensive coaching may be less of premium. What are all our defensive back recruits going to do? The linebackers should be happy as we may be back to the base defense in 2012, which is probably when our new schedules begin.

So much more to talk about. Will we play Kansas, Oklahoma, or Texas in the next few years. Turner Gill has to be disappointed. Will the Big 10 boycott Notre Dame in scheduling beings they didn't join the Big 10? I hope politics aren't that bad.

Sport Shorts!

Alex Gordon is hitting .372 at Omaha. How long before he goes to Kansas City. He is just one injury away from heading there.

Remember the big deal about Simi Kuli a couple of years ago. He was one of the top recruits in the country and he never attended Oregon State where he committed. What a waste.

Dr. Lehr, who I have heard speak a few times, says the present cleanup in the Gulf is presently like using a teaspoon to clean up a 200,000 cattle lot. What a mess. The oil is coming out at 4000 psi compared to a well in Nebraska on a pivot that would have a psi of 80. 4000 psi is like 50 wells pumping oil in the gulf.

Top movies I have seen lately is Ironman 2, Seven Pounds, and Taking Pelham 123.

The Big 10/Big 12/PAC 10 talk is interesting but it would be nice to know what is going to happen. NU is a key to what happens. I vote we stay in the Big 12.