Las Vegas Nascar Predictions

Last week at California we made the following predictions. We have also listed under their name how they actually finished. Except for Denny Hamlin and Dale Jr., it was a great week.

1. Matt Kenseth
5th
2. Jimmie Johnson
2nd
3. Kyle Busch
4th
4. Clint Bowyer
19th
5. Carl Edwards
1st
6.Denny Hamlin
41st
7. Tony Stewart
7th
8. Jeff Burton
12th
9. Kurt Busch
13th
10. Dale Earnhardt Jr.
40th
11. Kasey Kayne
9th
12. Jeff Gordon
3rd

This week we head to Las Vegas and with their higher banking this should be an exciting week. Here is how we see it this week.

1) Jimmie Johnson
Won the last three races here. Starting position isn't as important here.
2) Jeff Gordon
2nd last year and has been consistent as of late.
3) Matt Kenseth
Roush is good here and he has won twice at this track.
4) Carl Edwards
Won last week and will do well again this week.
5) Kasey Kayne
Will be in the Chase this year. Much improved over a year ago.
6) Denny Hamlin
He is too good not to rebound this week.
7) Tony Stewart
"Smoke" is always a contender.
8) Mark Martin
Won the Busch race and likes the track.
9) Greg Biffle
He's back!!!
10) Jeff Burton
Veteran driver who has done well on this track.
11) Kyle Busch
This aggressive driver will be in the top ten if he stays out of trouble.
12) Kurt Busch
Same as Kyle.

Nebraska baseball looks much improved; especially the pitching. After getting behind 17-0 against Stanford in the first game a week ago, NU has played real well. Johnny Dorn looks like an All-American. The rest of the staff has done well also. Defensively the overall have played pretty well. DJ Belfonte has led the hitting. Mitch Albeita has two home runs this season and with Dave Stewart and Cody Neer will lead the power department although this team won't win with the home run.

Nebraska basketball took a little bit of a hit today losing to Oklahoma St. by 14 points. They shot well but had way too many turnovers. Alex Maric didn't have one of his better games. You have to love Doc Sadler though. He's a hardworking, genuine guy.

Sports Shorts

Cookie Miller did not separate his shoulder. This is great news for NU basketball. The MRI shows a shoulder sprain. He could be back in a week.

Also, how are the NU football players doing at the combine. Purify is doing well.

Husker Extra

This writer watched the NU baseball team play its double header at Stanford last Friday. Really hard to tell how good Stanford is, but NU has some good promise. Johnny Dorn was sensational and looked mid-season form. He did throw a lot of pitches for the first game(118). Dan Jennings pitched well also on Saturday and Sunday.

Offensively, DJ Belfonte looks like the real deal. He was 6-11 on Friday with five RBI's and a double. Defensively he played very well. Nebraska has a lot of hitters and hit well in the double header except when they faced Jeremy Bleich. Hopefully Bleich is an excellent pitcher because the Huskers struggled against him. When he left the game the Cornhuskers hit well.

NU played well considering they haven't been able to practice outside.

This writer had the opportunity to meet many of the Husker Sports Network personnel. Jim Rose is one of the nicest people you will ever meet. He is a genuine guy who knows sports extremely well. Matt Davison is fun and can tell interesting stories without end. Greg Sharpe is very knowledgeable and is a really good guy. He will do very well in 2008 announcing Nebraska football. Lane Grendel is very good at what he does. He is an up and coming star. He told me that he owes a lot to Jason Hale, his former football and basketball coach at his high school in Iowa. Hale is now the head coach at Holdrege High School.

What are great bunch of people who leave their egos in check and care about NU sports!

Predictions for the Nascar California Race!

Last week we made the following predictions for the Daytona 500.
1. Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Finished 9th
2. Tony Stewart
Finished 3rd
3. Jimmie Johnson
Finished 27th
4. Jeff Gordon
Finished 39th
5. Michael Waltrip
Finished 29th
6. Kyle Busch
Finished 2nd
7. Kurt Busch
Finished 4th
8. Ryan Newman
Won the race
9. David Ragan
Finished 42nd
10. Dave Blaney
Finished 38th
11. Mark Martin
Finished 31st
12. Reed Sorenson
Finished 5th

Not a real good week but had six of the top ten in a very unpredictable race.

This week, its California. Here's how we see the driver's finishing.
1. Matt Kenseth
Won the last two Auto Club 500 races. Tested well. Rousch runs well here.
2. Jimmie Johnson
Won on this track last fall. Usually rebounds well. This is his home track so he could be a winner.
3. Kyle Busch
Our prediction to win the cup this year. His trouble will be being getting himself into too much trouble by being too aggressive. He'll do well this week.
4. Clint Bowyer
Tested well. An up and coming racer.
5. Carl Edwards
Has the second best record in the past eight races. At the top of the chart in testing.
6.Denny Hamlin
Does well at this distance
7. Tony Stewart
The "smoke" is always at the top.
8. Jeff Burton
Finished in the Top 5 in both races last year. Has the experience to get it done. Almost won at Daytona.
9. Kurt Busch
Should be in the Top 10.
10. Dale Earnhardt Jr.
The new aggressive Earnhardt will do well with his new owner.
11. Kasey Kayne
He is back!
12. Jeff Gordon
Won three times in California. This is also his home track. Should have a good week.

Nebraska baseball starts Friday!

Picture courtesy of Huskers.com Scott Bruhn/Husker Media Relations

The Nebraska baseball team opens its season on Friday vs. Stanford in a doubleheader at Stanford. The Cornhuskers have a lot of new players this year. Should be an interesting season. Johnny Dorn is the top returner for Nebraska. He leads a pitching staff that also includes Thad Weber and Dan Jennings.

Mitch Albeita is back at catcher. Cody Neer, the transfer from Florida, should start at first base. Tyler Farst will play first base and the outfield. Cody Neer will back up Mitch Albeita at catcher. At second base there is Jake Opitz. Both Jeff Tezak and Ben Kline will play shortstop. Jake Mort should be at third base. In the outfield, NU has DJ Belfonte and Bryce Nimmo. Also Nick Sullivan, Farst, and David Stewart will all start at times.

The schedule is made for younger players. The pitching and speed will be team assets. Power is not expected to be a positive. Hopefully some players will step up.

Huskers.com

2008 Daytona 500 predictions

The season is about to start! Who will win this year. Normally the race is won with a starting position in the Top 15. Here is how we see it.

1. Dale Earnhardt Jr.
The best plate driver. Has joined the best team in Hendricks. Has won two races at Daytona already in the last week. Needs to stay out of the "Big One".

2. Tony Stewart
Won the Busch race today. Smoke is a great driver in the plate races. Now if he can keep his temper down.

3. Jimmie Johnson
Has the pole. Always a contender to win. Another Hendricks' team driver.

4. Jeff Gordon
Gordon has won six times on this track. Another Hendrick's driver. Has been the top COT driver.

5. Michael Waltrip
Has come a long ways from a year ago with his Toyota engine. He likes the plate races.

6. Kyle Busch
A great driver. He is more mature. Has switched to the Gibbs Racing team.

7. Kurt Busch
Does well in plate races. Will contend.

8. Ryan Newman
He performs better in a plate race than people give him credit for. He is good enough to win this event.

9. David Ragan
Has the best finishing average of all drives in the Daytona 500.

10. Dave Blaney
Tested and practiced well for this race.

11. Mark Martin
One of my favorite all-time drivers. Tons of skill and has great temperament for this race.

12. Reed Sorenson
Starts fifth and races well at the Daytona Speedway.

Other contenders are Casey Mears, Kevin Harvick, Greg Biffle

Who are your top three choices?

The NU basketball team will probably win two or three more games this year but they are still fun to watch. They need to be more consistent to be a contender. It is hard to believe they will be that much better next year losing Alex Maric but with Roburt Sallie joining them, they should be better shooters.

Have you seen "Corner Gas" yet on WGN. Great show!

2008 Nebraska Baseball Season

The Nebraska baseball team start their season at Stanford in less than two weeks in a double header. They play two games on 2/22; then play single games on 2/23 and 2/24.

Nebraska has four transfers that should contribute right away. Cody Neer was the starting catcher for Florida last year. With Mitch Albeita coming back as the starting catcher, Neer may be the starting first baseman. He should hit in the middle of the lineup. Joe Hataski is a left handed pitcher who transferred from Arizona State. Tyler Farst, an outfielder, and Erik Anderson, a right handed reliever, have transferred from junior colleges.

Husker Extra

Sean Ratliff of Stanford is on the Brooks Wallace Award Watch list. He was chosen as on the first team of the Pac 10 last year. Stanford has three of their four starters back from last year. Stanford returns 29 players from last year's squad.

Stanford Baseball

Did the 2008 NU Football Team fill needs?

The 2008 recruiting class been announced. NU may add a player or two to the class but for the most part, we know who the class will be. Let's take a look at how we filled future needs.

In 2008 we will have seven defensive and seven offensive players back. However for the purposes of analyzing the 2008 recruits, we have actually moved forward to the 2009 season.

Here was our assumptions at that time. Joe Ganz, Marlon Lucky, Nate Swift, Zach Potter, Barry Turner and the many others are graduated. These are the guys that generally you want this year's recruits to replace and or move up the depth charts. Who is left and are we bringing in the right players. Of course with this analysis, we have to make some assumptions. We have also made some guesses as to what positions the new recruits will play.

This year's class includes fifteen offensive players and thirteen defensive players.

Let's start with the offense for the 2009 season.

Quarterback
1) Patrick Witt
2) Zac Lee

Recruits
Kody Spano

Picking up Kody Spano is huge for the Huskers. He has passed for 4000 yards, rushed for 900 yards, and has been involved with 75 TD's the past two seasons. He was originally a commit to Oklahoma State. He is 6'2"202 lbs and runs the 40 in 4.7. He has good feet and with two years of development, he could be our QB.

Kody Spano will play some football at Nebraska in two to three years.

Rating 6 (A high number reflects how Nebraska filled the need for this position this year.)

Running Back
1) Quentin Castille
2) Roy Helu

Recruits
Collins Okafor
Lester Ward
Justin Rogers

Nebraska ended up with three commits at this position this year. We have good talent at this position but it is a position where you could lose two or three to injuries. No four or five star recruits this year but we should be in pretty good shape at this position.
Rating 7.5

Fullback
1) Quentin Castille??
2) Justin Mackovicka

Recruits
Kyler Reed

We have three other walk-on FB's that will be on the team. The fullback needs to touch the ball by running or receiving 5-8 times each game. We have 11 men on the field and we need to utilize all of them. Remember the time Steve Kriewald ran the ball in 2004? He went 55 yards on one play against Oklahoma. He ran three times that year for 54 yards. An 18 yard average. Dane Todd ran one time in 2006 and that is four attempts for 54 yards the past four years. Look to Castille to move to fullback in 2008 so we can get him on the field. At the very least, he should play a little fullback. Kyler Reed is a good addition but he could be a tight-end, linebacker, or defensive end.
Rating 7 Depends on what recruit plays fullback in the future.

H-Back/Tight End
1) Mike McNiel
2) Dreu Young

Recruits
Ben Cotton
Tyson Hetlzer
Kyler Reed

The addition of Cotton boost this position. McNiel and Young should develop well. Hetzler and Reed are food additions. Reed could play other positions as stated above. Walk-on Damon Bechtold of Omaha Westside is scholarship quality.
Rating 9

Wide Receiver (X)
1) Menelik Holt
2) Will Henry

Wide Receiver (Y)
1) Niles Paul
2) Curenski Gilleylen

Recruits
1) Antonio Bell
2) Khiry Cooper
3) Tim Marlowe
4) Steven Marlowe

We signed four wide receivers thanks to the staff's late push. In two years, our depth will be surprising thin. The new recruits are a good group and will play football in two years.

Matt Donahue, who will transfer from Ohio and walk on at NU, is a good. He will redshirt next year and then he should see some playing time.

Rating 8

Left Tackle
1) Mike Smith

Left Guard
1) Keith Williams

Center
1) Jacob Hickman

Right Guard
1) DJ Jones

Right Tackle
1) Jaivorio Burkes

Recruits
Rick Henry
Baker Steinkuhler
Brandon Thompson
David Grant

We have some good talent in the line in two years. We also have a good recruiting class in this area. The good news is that we have four commits. Henry and Steinkuhler will have a huge impact in two years. Walk-on Brian Thorsen is very good. He was previously going to Buffalo on a scholarship.

Rating 8

Offensively, the recruiting class is very good. Spano will need to be good as one quarterback is usually not enough.

DEFENSE in 2009

Left defensive End
None

Right Defensive end
1) Pierre Allen

Recruits
Cameron Meredith
Josh Williams



Five recruits non-committed in December that played for defensive end. Defensive is the key position on defense. NU may have to switch some players around to beef up this position. Cameron Meredith and Josh Williams are both excellent recruits. Walk-ons in clude Kenny Anderson (Millard West), Conor McDermott (Creighton Prep), and Josh Molek (Omaha Skutt). At least one of the walk-ons will need to step up. McDermott could be the one.

Rating 7 (Lower rating based on the number of recruits not quality of our recruits)

Nose Tackle
1) None

Recruits
Quentin Toailoa

We will need to depend on other existing players to develop. It is possible that a defensive end recruit will develop into a line position. Toailoa is this year's diamond in the rough.

Rating 4



Defensive Line
1) Ty Steinkuhler
2) Ben Martin

Recruit
Quentin Toailoa

Again, we could use a couple of recruits in the defensive line to shore up this position. Quentin Toaliloa is a fine player out of California. He has been the main addition since we named our new coach. Eddie Brown, out of Texas, is visiting next week. NU has not made an offer to him yet, but don't be surprised if he ends up at NU. Justin Jackson of Norris is our walk-on recruit. Nebraska has a commitment from Cole Pensick at this position in the 2009 class.


Rating 4.

Sam linebacker
1) Blake Lawrence

Will linebacker
1) Major Culbert

Mike Linebacker
1) Philip Dillard

Recruits
1)Will Compton
2)Sean Fisher
3)Micah Kreikemeier
4) Alonzo Whaley

Great recruits. Add four walk-on that will play linebacker and this position should be covered pretty well.

Rating 8.5



Left Cornerback
1) Anthony Blue

Right Cornerback
1) Anthony West

Recruits
1) David Whitmore
2) Alfonso Dennard

Blue and West will be exceptional players. Adding Whitmore and Dennard will help. Prince Amukamaru is the fastest man on the team and will be a factor on special teams and defense in 2008.

Rating 8

Strong Safety
1) Larry Asante

Free Safety
1) Ricky Thenarse
2) Ricky Hagg

Recruits
1) Mason Wald
2) John Leverson
3) PJ Smith
4) Courtney Osborne

Can you imagine how good Thenarse will be for Bo Pelini? Talk about the perfect fit. Our four recruits will be impact players in two to three years.

Rating 9

Kicker
1) Alex Henery
2) Adi Kunalic

Punter
None

We will need to recruit a punter in the next year or so. A walk-on this year would give us some experience. Walk-on Brett Maher from Kearney could be our kicker after Henery leaves.

Nebraska filled needs at most positions with strengths being the offensive line, wide receiver, and defensive back. The biggest weakness in this year's class is in the quantity of defensive ends and defensive linemen we signed. Linebacker could be a concern also. Signing only one quarterback is a concern also.

Also the walk on program seems to be back in force and will be a factor in the future. The walkons will fill in nicely where we have the weaknesses.

OVERALL RATING 8

FFUL

Our football fantasy ultimate loser was awarded this last week. To get this cherished award, you have to place LAST in the Orleans League of fantasy football. The person that finished LAST was Jeff Cox of Holdrege. He managed to place almost 400 points behind the winner this year, Charles Wiiest.

Jeff mismanaged his team the whole year and was without a doubt the easy winner. Even with Brett Favre he couldn't come close. We would name the rest of his team but you wouldn't recognize any of the names.

Last year's winner was Dr. Jeff Berney! In the above captions, Dr. Berney is presently Jeff with the green coat. Jeff is ready to cry at this point but feels better later when Dr. Berney hands over the FFUL award.

The award was established by Brad Hartzog and will continue on for many years. My guess this award will be in the Cox house for a good part of the next decade.

CONTEST!

The Patriots win today 35-24!! Brady, Moss, and the defense are just too good. A couple of mistakes by Eli Manning late in the game will be the difference. Give Eli Manning credit for becoming a great NFL player at the end of this season.

WHAT IS YOUR PREDICTION?

Anybody that predicts the exact score will win $25.

Sport Shorts

What's next diaper bags in deer blinds? Read this story in "Hook and Bullet" in the Houston Chronicle.

Hook and Bullet

The Z Report from the Houston Chronicle predicts who the Houston Texans may take in Rounds 1-6 in the NFL draft. A lot of Big 12 players are mentioned but no Nebraska players.

Houston Chronicle

Al Saunders is back with the St. Louis Rams as Offensive Coordinator.

USA Today

The Big Red Report gives the State of the Union for the Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, and Texas football teams.

Big Red Report

The Kansas City Royals have their first three starters set for their pitching rotation. But who will be the fourth and fifth starters; the young kids or the old geasers.

Kansas City Royals

Nebraska adds three more football recruits!

Nebraska now has 21 recruits in the 2008 class. Today we added two receivers and one defensive back. Unless there are some position changes this will be our first two receivers in this class. With the west coast offense, having two-three receivers was a necessity. We also needed to add a defensive back so it was a very good day for Nebraska football.

Husker Extra

Ava Fiore, Playboy model and boxing champ, arrested in Nebraska on I-80 for drugs.

Celebstoner.com

Can Michael Beasley and K-State beat Kansas this week. Jason Whitlock thinks so.

Kansas City Journal Star

The Sunday Telegraph in Australia reports a possible coverup in Heath Ledger's death!

The Sunday Telegraph in Australia reports that Mary-Kate Olsen's bodyguards went to Heath Ledger's apartment three minutes before the emergency unit arrived. Did they clean the area of some illegal drugs? Read.......

Sunday Telegraph

The Lawrence Journal-World discusses how Aleks Maric wants to play in the Olympics for Australia. Read on.......

Lawrence Journal-World

Big Week for Nebraska recruiting!!

Nebraska's recruiting weekend is huge. Nebraska has some holes yet to fill. Wide Receiver is a position that we still need two to three recruits. Linebacker, defensive end, and the defensive line are still areas of continued need. Nebraska is hitting Texas hard and the coaches are going after athletes. Husker Extra has a list of the players visiting this week.

Husker Extra

Jason Whitlock of the Kansas City Journal says the Patriots are beatable.

Jason Whitlock

Bowhunter magazine is one of my favorite magazines. Read some stories and look at their website.

Bowhunter

In-Fisherman is a great place to read to improve your fishing techniques and read stories about fishing.

In-fisherman

The Oklahoma Sooners have two five-star recruits and one four-star recruit coming in from Alabama this week to visit.

NewsOK

Terrance Harris of the Houston Chronicle discusses how Mark Turgeon is in a tough situation following Billy Gillespie. Read more....

Terrance Harris/Houston Chronicle

Three-star recruits are ok!

In checking out our recruits from 2002 to 2005, this writer found an abundance of great three-star athletes for the Nebraska football team. They include:
1. Nathan Swift
2. Terrance Nunn
3. Brandon Jackson
4. Andy Christensen
5. Lance Bradenburgh
6. Adam Carriker
7. Brett Byford
8. Corey McKeon
9. Cody Glenn

We also found a few four-star recruits who didn't have the career a four-star athlete should have:
1. Curt Dukes
2. Mark Leflore
3. Harrison Beck
4. Chris Brooks
5. Frantz Hardy
6. Leon Jackson
7. Josh Mueller

Hardy, Mueller, and Leflore played well at NU but not to the level they were projected out of high school by the raters.

Our current recruiting class is adding a few three-star athletes to it, but possibly we will find some of them will have the careers that Brandon Jackson or Adam Carriker had. They are both in the NFL right now.

ALABAMA JOB AND COACH WATSON

Birmingham News

Will both Whaleys come to Nebraska?

Alonzo Whaley has gave his verbal commitment to Nebraska to play linebacker. He becomes the the 19th commitment for Nebraska. Getting a linebacker recruit was huge as the need is high. Alonzo's brother, Chris, is a highly touted 2009 prospect at running back. Rivals rates him the 67th best player in the nation. Let's hope he joins his brother at Nebraska. They attend a high school in Texas. Nebraska continues to hit Texas hard in recruiting. It is paying dividends!!

This writer has been criticized for not being diverse in his writings so let's talk duck hunting. This is a true story that happened east of Orleans while one of the locals was hunting ducks. The story goes........

A man wakes up at the crack of dawn to go duck hunting.
He gets to his blind just before sunrise and settles in. Over the trees comes a perfect wedge.
BOOM!
He takes out the lead duck and watches as it falls from the sky, bouncing off of a barn,
hitting the fence and landing in the yard of the near bye farm.
The hunter sees no activity at the farm house and decides
no one will even notice if he quickly retrieves his trophy.
Just as he lays his hand on the duck he hears a shotgun rack a round in the chamber.
He looks up to hear the farmer ask "what ye' doin' boa' ?"
Hunter "gettin ma duck thar."
farmer "reckon thats my duck nao boa, hit mah bern, mah fen' dat ders' mah duck."
The hunter of course not one to quit attempts to argue. This gets him nowhere.
Farmer " I reckon they ain't but one way ta' settle dis un' , da country way boa'.
I kick you in da groin, you kick me in da groin n' whoeva lef stannin keepin' da duck."
The hunter has no choice and agrees.
Farmer "Ima goin first."
The farmer leaps off the porch at a dead sprint and kicks the
hunter with all he's worth right in the jewels.
The hunter spasms to the ground gasping for air,
it takes him 30 + minutes to regain composure and attempt to stand.
Hobbling the hunter says " guessin is' mah turn"
Farmer " Ah you keep dat ol' duck boa."

2008 Nascar preview

The 2008 season is just about ready to begin. The Winston Cup; sorry, I meant Nextel Cup; whoops,the now named Sprint Cup Race is just about ready to begin. What more fun could you have during this year's Nascar season than to join a fantasy league. If you are interested, e-mail me at jboehler54@yahoo.com and we can forward you the rules. We are in Yahoo Sports and you have to join Fantasy Auto Racing. After you get your team info completed, it will ask you join a group. To join our group, the ID# is 6979 and the password is racing. Please e-mail me prior to joining if you want to know the rules.

Now what has changed for this year's season? Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s switch from DEI to Hendricks Motorsports is the story for 2008. Earnhardt has enhanced his chances to win "The Cup". Hendrick's Motorsports dominated in 2007! Jr. won six times in 2004 but has only won twice since then. Jr. had no wins in 2007. So this year we try to figure out if Jr. is overrated as a driver or was not supported with the right equipment. He has the best this year! Tony Eury Jr. will be his crew chief. They have had good chemistry in the past. Look to Jr. to be at or near the top of the Sprint Cup race in 2008. Jr. will be driving the 88 in 2008.

When Jr. moved to Hendricks, then Kyle Busch had to move. He moved over to Joe Gibbs Racing and he should be just as good this year as last. Joe Gibbs Racing did very well in 2007 also. His sponsor this year is M & M 's. Joe Gibbs Racing is switching to Toyotas in 2008. Kyle Busch's challenge will be getting enough attention away from Stewart and Hamlin, who are also members of Joe Gibbs Racing. Kyle Busch will drive the 18 car in 2008.

Casey Mears stays with Hendricks but he is switching from the 25 car to the 5 car. This is an upgrade for him. He will have Kyle Busch's old crew chief in Alan Gustafson. This team has won four times in three years. Casey Mears will be driving the 5 car in 2008.

With Kyle Busch moving to Joe Gibbs Racing, J.J. Yeley was the odd man out. He joined Hall of Fame Racing which is under the Joe Gibbs Racing umbrella. Hall of Fame Racing also have switched to Toyotas in 2008. J.J. Yeley will drive the 96 car in 2008.

Jeremy Mayfield has switched from Bill Davis Racing to Haas CNC Racing which many feel will help him get back to the circuit full time again. Mayfield replaces Johnny Sauter in the 70 car this year.

Scott Riggs will also join the Haas CNC Racing team. He was with Gillett Everham Motorsports last year. Riggs replaces Jeff Green with this team. He will be driving the 66 car in 2008.

David Reutimann has switched from the 00 car to the 44 car with Michael Waltrip Racing. Reutimann will begin the year in the 00 car but will replace Dale Jarrett after five races. Reutimann drives to 44 car after the fifth race in 2008.

The new rookies in the Nascar Spring Cup in 2008 looks like a move from the best of the Indy Car series. Who are the best newcomers in 2008.

We'll start with Regan Smith who drives for DEI in 2008. DEI doesn't have a history of their first year drivers having much success. Paul Menard drove for them last year. Regan Smith mentored with Mark Martin and this is why he is the top rookie we see coming in. Smith is this writer's pick as Rookie Driver of the Year due to experience and the team he will run with. Smith doesn't have a sponsor yet so that could be a hindrance. Smith drives the 01 car in 2008.

Dario Franchitti joins the Chip Gannassi Racing team this year. He comes as the 2007 Indy Racing champion. His wife is Ashley Judd. Which 2008 race will YOU attend so you can see Ashley Judd? Franchitti will join Montoya on the Gannassi team. Really no experience in stock cars. Franchitti will drive the 40 car in 2008.

Sam Hornish Jr. joins Penske Racing South. He is in the field for the first five races and is sponsored all season by Mobil 1. He will have a large learning curve this season. Another Indy racer to Nascar. He will drive the 77 car in 2008.

Jacques Villeneuve has joined the Bill Davis Racing team. Another Indy racer. He will have a difficult time qualifying this year and will miss some races. He may be the best driver of all the rookies. He did race at Talledega last year and finished 21st but in his race at Phoenix, he finished 41st. He will drive the 27 car this year.

The final rookie to be mentioned is Patrick Carpentier who has joined the Gillett Evernham Racing team. His specialty is the road races. He led several laps at Watkins Glen last year. He will be a teammate of Kayne and Sadler. He will have a difficult time qualifying for races. He will drive the 10 car which was driven by Scott Riggs last year.

2008 Nebraska Football Schedule may toughest in nation!!

College Football News has released the 2008 preseason rankings. Nebraska will have a very difficult schedule playing five of the toughest 17 ranked teams in the nation. In fact, there isn't going to be an easy game with the exception of New Mexico St. ranked 108th.

Ohio State and Georgia top the rankings as one and two. Nebraska is rated 48th.

Here are Nebraska's schedule followed by their preseason ranking:

Western Michigan (85) HOME
San Jose St. (82) HOME
New Mexico St. (108) HOME
Virginia Tech (17) HOME
Missouri (8) HOME
Texas Tech (10) AWAY
Iowa St. (63) AWAY
Baylor (95) HOME
Oklahoma (3) AWAY
Kansas (13) HOME
Kansas State (57) AWAY
Colorado (41) HOME

The good news is Nebraska has eight home games. The improving Iowa St. team will be no gimme. Kansas St will be tough away. Texas Tech and Oklahoma are rated in the Top 10 and we play them in their venues. Baylor has nine offensive players back and six defensive players.

Other interesting rankings are Arizona (51), Indiana (52), Mayland (53), Washington St. (54), Purdue (56), Louisville (59), and North Carolina (60). Kansas St. and Iowa St. are rated with this group. The line at Iowa St. may be even today. Kansas State could be even also looking at the present rankings and the fact that we play them in Manhattan.

2008 will be a very competitive year with Nebraska's season record depending on how well we play the close games. Looks like we will have a bunch of them next season.

College Football News

Kansas defensive coordinator Bill Young is leaving and has taken the same position with the University of Miami.

Jets hire Callahan!

Bill Callahan will be coaching the offensive line and will help improve the running game for the New York Jets next year. Read more.....

journal star

The fullback position will be productive in 2008!

On offense needs to use all its weapons. Our fullback has not been used except for blocking and a rare catch of the football. In 2008, look for a change. The fullback will be a factor in the game plan. Look to Quentin Castille and possibly Cody Glenn to switch to a role of fullback or split back. It wouldn't be a demotion for either but a chance to use their talents. If you switch talent like that you USE them in your game plan. It would be beneficial to have sets where Castille, Lucky, and Glen are all in the backfield at once. Or maybe Helu, Lucky, and Castille? What do you think?

What's the latest on Oklahoma recruiting? Reggie Smith is headed to the NFL. He was almost a Cornhusker!

Newsok

Mike Sweeney's $11 million salary is gone. The Royals plan to use it in arbitration to keep some existing players. Who will get this money? Read on.....

Fox Sports

Nebraska recruiting has big day!

Nebraska got a solid verbal and a recommit today. Doesn't sound like much but it is huge.

If Collins Okafor would have decided to go with Stanford, it would have been a big psychological disadvantage for Nebraska. Instead NU got a solid verbal from its only running back recruit so far this year. The need at running back is very high and Collins Okafor is a very solid back that will contribute at Nebraska. Okafor is a big fan of Marlon Lucky and the fact that Lucky is staying at Nebraska for his senior season could have been a big factor in keeping Okafor. Okafor spent a lot of time with Lucky on his visit.

Then we have Josh Williams who is a very talented defensive end from Texas. He had committed but then changed his mind when the coaching change took place. He committed to Colorado. After a surprise visit to Nebraska Saturday, he has decided to be a Cornhusker. This will be a psychological lift to the rest of our recruiting season. Josh has now joined a team that will show it has the best defensive coaches in the nation. Defensive end was another high need for recruiting.

James Dobson has been hired as the new strength coach for Nebraska. He was the assistant strength coach for Iowa.

Pelini is putting together a staff that has tremendous upside potential to be stars some day. Examples of those that fit this mold are Ekeler, Papuchis, and Beck. Tom Osborne now has hired Dobson as strength coach. None of them are household names but they are up and coming stars. Pelini is taking men who have enthusiasm for the game. They want to get better. It is exciting to see this approach versus taking a group of coaches that may not have this same passion for the game. Pelini has said many times "We have a lot of work to do." He now has the staff to get it done. There is no doubt they will work hard.

Nebraska has 18 recruits now. With the excitement today, look for this number to grow in the next two or three weeks to about 24. We will probably pick up two or three players after the signing period. Now if we can get Will Compton to make a solid commitment..................