The Holiday Bowl, 12/30/10: Washington 19, Nebraska 7

Before this game started, I was telling people I knew that we were going to lose. My father, whose opinions regarding college football I always respect and take heed of, was warning those around him that "It's going to be a lot worse than you think." I don't know what kind of responses he got, but what I heard varied from contemplative silence to "Well, I don't know..." to "But we're favored by 14!"

If there's one thing I've learned after researching betting lines and college football, it's that no one predicts better than 60% consistently. There were games this year that the bookies had right on, and there were some betting lines I saw that made me stop and say, "What? Are you kidding?" (e.g., the Oklahoma State vs. Texas Tech game on Oct. 16 where the line was Tech -3.5; if those who make the lines had actually watched each of these teams play, they would have clearly known that OK State wasn't going to lose). It would seem that too many betting lines are created by people who only look at overall statistics and not those who actually watch the games. So, when I heard that Nebraska was favored by 14, I knew once again that no one with any clout was paying attention.

How did I know we were going to lose? Four pretty obvious reasons:

1) Washington was coming off a three-win streak at the end of their season
2) They wanted Nebraska blood spilled for the embarassing loss we gave them in week 3 on national television and were hungry for revenge
3) They had plenty of time to prepare for our now totally predictable offense and research the weaknesses in our defense
4) With Shawn Watson as our offensive coordinator, we have nowhere to go but down

Remember the way Texas beat us on Oct. 16? Washington did the exact same thing, but they did it better. Once again, we waited until we were desperate to go to our extremely talented tight ends/slot receivers. Once again, Taylor Martinez displayed his inexplicable ignorance with his dangerous short forward passes to avoid yardage losses (on the second one, he would have actually gained two yards as he ran out of bounds had he held on to the ball). Once again, instead of throwing an opponent a curve ball by starting a quarterback other than Taylor Martinez, we put all our chips on T-Mart and kept on playing that hand until he couldn't run any more.

We have seen that once given a little time to settle into a game, Cody Green can perform well enough to keep opposing defenses off-balance even with his sporadic efficiency. I actually feel sorry for him. He works hard and has a good attitude, and there he has stood, ready and able on the sideline, having to play a strict second fiddle to T-Mart because of T-Mart's ego and the coaching staff's lack of cojones. We could have been using them in a tandem attack that would have turned our season into something to truly remember instead of another black mark on our scarlet hearts that we will pray to forget for years to come. Congratulations to Steve Sarkisian and his staff, Jake Locker, and the Huskies.

Game Prediction Results for 12/4/10

No. 17 Nevada 35, Louisiana Tech 17
Nevada won by 18, four more than I had called. Pretty close. Betting line was Nevada -7.5.

No. 2 Oregon 37, Oregon State 20
Oregon won by 17, and I had said they'd do it by at least 12. Lookin' good. Betting line was Oregon -16.

No. 1 Auburn 56, No. 19 South Carolina 17
Auburn won by 39. Not quite the max of 6 that I predicted. Betting line was Auburn -3.5. The bookies didn't even see this one coming. What the hell happened, Gamecocks?

No. 15 Virginia Tech 44, No. 21 Florida State 33
Predicting a game based on emotion almost never works, and it sure didn't here. I just wanted five games to write about, and this one was an easy shortcut. I won't be doing that again. Betting line was Virginia Tech -4.5.

No. 9 Oklahoma 23, No. 13 Nebraska 20
I got the winner correct, and during the fourth quarter I was fully expecting the Sooners to score that last touchdown. I'm actually surprised they didn't, seeing how gassed our defense was. Unfortunately for my last desperate hopes for Husker dignity, I was right on with the fumbles and dropped passes. Betting line was Oklahoma -4.5.

Overall, the predictions went very well. It's too bad I didn't have the time to have more fun with this over the season.

Underinformed Game Predictions for 12/4/10

This is my first installment of Underinformed Game Predictions. I'm always underinformed, but this year I've been busier than usual and haven't had as much time to devote to watching every game possible and reading up on results and analysis. Since there are so few teams I've gotten to watch this year, my predictions will be very limited.

No. 17 Nevada at Louisiana Tech : Those Louisiana boys are tough. Really tough. However, even though this is a home game for LT, I think that Nevada's persistence in the second half with their varied offensive looks and well-learned pass defense will confuse the Bulldogs enough to pull out a win by 14.

No. 2 Oregon at Oregon State : The Beavers are unpredictable this year. I think coach Riley was relying on the Rodgers brothers too much (even before the injuries) and painted himself into a corner. Oregon State will try to perform their historic role as spoiler in this rivalry, but Oregon's defense is maniacal. There is no other word for them. They're just in-your-face mad. Because of this, the Ducks win it by 12 at least.

No. 1 Auburn vs. No. 19 South Carolina : South Carolina is familiar with a loss to Auburn already, and people say the second time around in the same season spells disaster for the team who won in the first meeting. However, if Auburn can come from behind and win like they did last week, then it would seem that they can survive any storm. But then, South Carolina beat Alabama too. Hmm. I can see this one possibly going into overtime, but I think Auburn will win it outright. In either case, I don't think they win it by more than 6 points.

No. 21 Florida State vs. No. 15 Virginia Tech : Honestly, I haven't seen either team play very much this year,  so I can't call this one with anything other than emotion. Being from Nebraska, I really don't like either one of them. I think Virginia Tech has been overrated for a long time and I'm a sucker for rooting for the underdog, so I'll pick Florida State by 7.

No. 9 Oklahoma vs. No. 13 Nebraska : If you read a couple of my other posts, you'll know how I feel about Nebraska's offense and the reasons why we suck. The only things that give me hope are that we actually looked like a real football team against Oklahoma State and Bob Stoops can be predictable and stubborn to adjust on the fly. With that said, I'll have to resort to the metaphysical to predict this game. Because Brent Musberger and Kirk Herbstreit are providing the commentary, I predict that Brent's mildly handicapped ramblings and Kirk's deep but hidden resentment for Nebraska will affect the Nebraska faithful worldwide. They will create a vacuum for hope during the beginning of the second quarter that will dig us into a hole of fumbles and dropped passes that we won't be able to recover from. Musberger and Herbstreit will create, in effect, an anti-prayer. Oklahoma wins by 9 or 10. If, by some miracle, the 'Huskers dig deep and do the right thing, they could pull an upset by 5 or less.

One way or another, it's going to be an exciting day in college football.

Brock Huard: ESPN, Give This Guy a Promotion

It's pretty obvious that ESPN gives out their commentator assignments based mostly on seniority. If they based the assignments on the individual's ability and presentation, goofballs like Bob Davie, Brent Musberger, and biggest-asshole-in-the-business Craig James would be relegated to lesser duties while people with real talent for the profession would take over the prime spots. The man poised for an elevated position in the ranks more than any other is Brock Huard.

Mr. Huard, a former quarterback, was the Gatorade National Player of the Year in high school. He continued his career at Washington where he still holds many school career records to this day. He was an Academic All-American and held a 3.6 GPA. His time in the NFL was brief (1999-2004) with the Seattle Seahawks and Indianapolis Colts. I'm assuming that he left because of his injuries, but the available information doesn't specify this. His time at Washington was also plagued with injuries. Perhaps someone was trying to tell him something. Here's his Wikipedia page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brock_Huard

Whatever the case, we as college football fans are blessed that he left the field and went into the booth to don the headset. The man is a natural when it comes to calling the color commentary for football. It's as if he was born for this profession. His perspective and analysis on the game is in-depth and complete. He captures the mood of the game and keeps the listener informed without having to slap you in the head with statistics every time he speaks. Plus, his commanding baritone voice makes the game relaxing and fun to listen to without lulling us into boredom.

Jesse Palmer was rewarded with a quick rise to commentator fame because of his ability to remember stats and spit them out like a damn computer while maintaining an even level of professionalism no matter who he talks about, and he has a knack for pointing out angles of the game that other commentators neglect. Plus, I'm sure he scores well among the female viewers. Brock has the same level of talent without being a stats monger and should be rewarded for it.

ESPN, he makes far too many of your current commentators on staff sound like total amateurs. For God's sake, promote him. Please put him in place of one of your more agitating airbags. I've given you three obvious examples already, and replacing Bob Davie is the most logical move. You know I'm right, ESPN. Don't procrastinate with this. Just do it.

Oklahoma's Fight Song: The Most Annoying Thing In College Football

There is a blog post that came out on Sept. 30, 2010 titled "The Top 10 Most Annoying College Football Fight Songs". The writer is dead on with some of his choices, but he made one glaring mistake. While I agree that "War Chant" (Florida State's favorite song) gets old quickly, there is no tune that comes close to the level of annoyance that "Boomer Sooner" accomplishes.

In response to the blog post previously mentioned, there was a post on OrangePower.com about this. One member cleverly posted his amended top ten list with Boomer Sooner occupying all ten spots. I'd like to take this opportunity to post my amended top 10 list. You'll see some similarities.

10) "Tribute to Troy" (USC)
9) "War Chant" (Florida State)
8) "The Eyes of Texas" (Texas)
7) "The Eyes of Texas" (Texas)
6) "The Eyes of Texas" (Texas)
5) "Boomer Sooner" (Oklahoma)
4) "Boomer Sooner" (Oklahoma)
3) "Boomer Sooner" (Oklahoma)
2) "Boomer Sooner" (Oklahoma)
1) "Boomer Sooner" (Oklahoma)

Here's the thing about the the Pride of Oklahoma Marching Band: It's not that they play "Boomer Sooner" in its entirety repeatedly. It's that they play one part of the middle section (a stanza, if you will) by itself. It's only fifteen notes long. They play it over and over and over again, and then they play it again. Then, just when you thought it couldn't get any worse, they play it over and over and over and over again, no matter what the hell happens in the game. Sometimes they play it twice, sometimes three times, and just to be dicks they'll sneak in those fifteen notes just one time through, inserting that goddamned melody in any available dead airspace. I can't stand it. It makes me want to shove the first long and sharp instrument I can find in my ears to make it stop.

Attention CIA: If you want to extract information from enemy combatants, here is your song. It's such an easy solution, you should have no trouble getting all the dirt on Al-Qaeda you would ever want. In fact, just torture them with the entire replay of the Oklahoma/OK State game that just aired. That song combined with the sloopy mumblings of Brent Musberger should make all captured enemies turn to butter in your hands. Just think! No more waterboarding! No more scandals or international incidents growing from accusations of breaking the terms of the Geneva Convention! Your answer is right here in America's greatest sport.

In all seriousness, I don't see how Bob Stoops hasn't gone literally batshit insane yet. Perhaps he had to let part of his brain die in order to keep coaching there. Perhaps they put something in the water and subliminally taint the nightly news in Norman to make you think that hearing the same fifteen note excerpt of "Boomer Sooner" makes you smarter and happier. I don't know, but if there ever was a conspiracy in college football involving mind control, it would have to be this.

p.s.: While writing this, I had those fifteen "Boomer Sooner" notes stuck in my head. I couldn't concentrate and had more misspelled words to correct than ever before when trying to write anything. I literally had to listen to USC's "Tribute to Troy" to get my mind back to normal and finish this post.

Oklahoma vs. Oklahoma State, 11/27/10

Oklahoma beat Oklahoma State in a crazy game by six points, 47-41. I honestly didn't root for either of them in particular, but I find the notion of playing Oklahoma in the Big 12 title game much more exciting from a nostalgic point of view. If OK State won it, they'd be primed to give us a serious revenge beating, doing the damage they probably should have done to us the first time. No matter who wins the Big 12 south after the BCS turns out the final numbers, I know that Nebraska is going to have a hard time not getting the crap kicked out of them in the championship game. Congratulations, Sooners, and I hope we don't play against you like we did Texas. I really hope we bury you the entire game, just so we don't have to hear your stupid fight song so much.

Shawn Watson: It's Time To Go

 (this image borrowed from http://nebraska.scout.com/2/1020168.html)

Shawn Watson is the offensive coordinator for the Nebraska Cornhuskers. He was retained after the former head coach Bill Callahan and his staff were fired.

Yes, Bo Pelini gives him the thumbs-up. It is my opinion, however, that he needs to take a step back and re-evaluate his position concerning Mr. Watson. The reasons why are many, if you happen to know who Nebraska has on offense and you watch any of the games. While it's true that Watson was dealt a bad hand without much depth at quarterback, there are still some glaring faults.

First of all, Nebraska's offense has a lot of talent at many positions. We have big-time playmakers that make the ESPN highlights and get the talking heads talking. (On that note: ESPN, please relax the Taylor Martinez hype. He's an unproven freshman with a long way to go. Yes, he shows great promise, but for God's sake just shut up about him for awhile and let him grow.) It is these playmakers that, in the end, cover up Shawn Watson's bad decision making and short-sightedness. Over the course of so many games, he has been lucky that Roy Helu, Taylor Martinez, and Rex Burkhead have been able to do the things that they have with the obvious help of the offensive line. It has been their performances that have saved Watson's image in the eyes of many. But no longer. Just as it had with Bill Callahan's and former defensive coordinator Kevin Cosgrove's bad decisions, Watson's are catching up to him, and the typical Nebraska fan's patience with incompetence (due to their practice of trying to rationalize other reasons why things fail) won't last much longer. It's time to replace him.

Why? Allow me...

1) His play calling is transparent. He is totally predictable, just the same as when he worked for Callahan. There was some variance in the beginning of this season when Martinez was healthy, but that is now gone. During yesterday's game against Texas A&M, I counted about six plays where A&M didn't know what was going to happen before the ball was snapped. We send in the running back that we're going to hand off to, and that's that. With Martinez unable to run, the single back who lines up is who's going to get the ball, except on those rare occasions when it's a fake that ends up a pass attempt (that usually fails). I must stress that this season is not unique where patterns like these are concerned. As I stated before, Watson's been lucky that these single backs have been able to make big plays (thanks again to the Nebraska offensive line).

2) #44 Mike McNeill, Tight End/Receiver. Read about him here: http://www.huskers.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=100&ATCLID=325002
In my opinion, we have one of the best tight ends in all of college football. He's 6"4", has great hands, and he's hard to bring down. If he's getting tackled, he's good at falling forward for that extra yard (or two!). He can make catches that others simply cannot. There have been so many times we've been on second and third down and short that he could have been utilized to get the first down with ease. Whether it's a quick out pattern or just dumping it to him in the middle, he can make it happen. Even if he failed on a second down attempt, it would at least make the opposing defense think that there might be another angle of attack to watch out for. So, Watson, WHERE IS HE? INSTEAD OF MAKING PLAYS TO OUR TIGHT ENDS AN ACT OF DESPERATION, MAKE THEM THE NORM. This is one lack of strategy used by Watson over the past years.

3) We have some of our talent in the wrong places, and/or they just aren't being utilized to their fullest ability. I don't know if this is Watson's fault or not. Perhaps this lies on the shoulders of Bo Pelini. I'm going out on a limb here to assume that since Bo is a well-known defensive mind, he has trusted player's positions to Watson's judgment. Even if it isn't Watson's fault, it's happening on his watch. These players are seniors, and while I don't know if they are 4th or 5th year or what their intentions are on returning if they can, this needs to serve as an example of changes that should be considered. Here's one that's pretty simple: Switch Niles Paul and Roy Helu if you're going to keep them locked into single positions. Paul, at 6'1", can't catch the ball, but once he has it, he's simply dangerous. He can burst for yards quicker than Helu and he's much better at running side-to-side. If you need a reference point, watch his kick returns and dropped passes. Helu, on the other hand, is an inch shorter but is built differently and runs differently. He is not a good side to side runner where short bursts are concerned (watch the replays if you don't believe me). He has long strides, and while it takes him a couple extra to really get going, once he's in open space no one can touch him. With his long arms, he would be devastating to our opponent's defensive secondaries. It should be noted that he was an accomplished receiver as well as running back before he came to Nebraska. These are two multi-dimensional players that are being stifled by Watson's lack of vision. It makes you wonder who else we have on the sideline whose true talent may never be known.

Niles Paul: http://www.huskers.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=100&ATCLID=831272

Roy Helu: http://www.huskers.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=100&ATCLID=831215

4) He's just not good at calling the right plays when the chips are down. With all the talent we have, we should be dominant on offense. But we're not. At the very least, we shouldn't have a problem scoring touchdowns when things are OK. But we do. During the game against Texas, when we came at them with the same old looks that Texas had prepped for, Watson insisted on trying to run it up the middle. If you have watched Texas games over, say, the last FIVE YEARS, you would know that it's almost impossible to push Texas around and make holes in the middle. With the exception of the zone-read plays that failed miserably, he didn't deviate. He didn't adjust. HE FAILED. I was begging Watson to get the ball to Mike McNeill on short outside routes. It would have made all the difference. How did UCLA beat Texas? They outsmarted them. They showed Texas different looks on offense that kept them confused for the whole game. People give Rick Neuheisel a hard time due to his sketchy reputation, but he did what we could not. And all it took was a little planning. During the game against Iowa State, I was begging Watson through the television to put in Rex Burkhead to get our drives going. He didn't do it. He must have gotten the message from someone, however, because he sure did for the Texas A&M game. Unfortunately, it was too little, too late.

There are so many examples of his bad judgment that I can't even quantify it. When I remember more, I'll post them. Hell, I might have to hire someone well versed in the statistics to do it for me. Then again, it may even be too much for two people with jobs to handle. Thanks for reading this, and I hope it does some good down the line.

Nebraska vs. Texas A&M 2010

Congratulations, Texas A&M. You played an impressive game. I knew you would be a big problem for us after I watched you play against Oklahoma State.

Nebraska lost, and it was Nebraska's fault. Yes, there were a couple of bad calls on Nebraska that led to A&M scoring. By and large, however, Texas A&M's win can be attributed to three things.
1) Their defensive ferocity
2) Their ability to adjust on offense
3) Something that's been a divisive problem for Nebraska: Shawn Watson

Because item #3 is such a large topic, it gets its own post. Once again, congratulations to Texas A&M. Not only did you win, but you helped in proving my points about Shawn Watson in the next post. Your program is on its way back to national prominence.