Huskers Stay On Course During BCS Chaos
By Tyler Wanek
Mandatory Credit: Bruce Thorson-US PRESSWIRE
Wow, what a night. This is why we love college football. It’s Senior Day in Lincoln. Tom Osborne leads the team onto the field one last time. Nebraska takes care of business against the Gophers. Then, to put icing on the cake as Husker fans enjoy not having to reach for the heart pills, No. 1 Kansas State and No. 2 Oregon fall in the same night.
Crazy, crazy college football.
Social media in the state of Nebraska begins to light up with “Who will Nebraska play in the Rose Bowl now??” I even found myself trying to do the math in my head.
However, Husker Faithful, as fun as possible scenarios are to dream up, I offer a single caution: Pump the brakes.
I’m not worried about the team. Come tomorrow, I’m sure there will be no mention of future possible matchups in practice. A short week of practice at that. Coach Pelini said that Nebraska “must win out”. We all remember that after the Ohio State beating.
5 wins down, and only 1 to go.
That being the case, and I mentioned this in conversation even before kickoff against Minnesota, “Iowa worries me.” It’s been a gut feeling I’ve had all week, as I wasn’t too concerned about Michigan falling at home to the Hawkeyes. The collective response to this concern has been “Why?”
True, Iowa has had a rough season but humor me on this one. Thanks to a big loss in the Big House, Iowa is no longer bowl eligible. Teams have the ability to change dramatically when they have nothing to lose. Iowa is now that team. Now, Nebraska must travel to Iowa City next Friday, on their Senior Day, and basically Iowa’s bowl game against a rival school. Oh how the Hawkeyes would savor a spoiler. Granted, this is just all food for thought. There’s no reason Nebraska should leave Iowa City with an “L”. There just isn’t. Stranger things have happened, though, and the Huskers have had it anything but easy on the road this season.
Truly, the wait between weekends is as unbearable as ever. The “potential” Big 10 Championship and “potential” trip to the BCS feels so close and real, and yet so far away. So many things could still happen, not just in the Big 10, but across the country.
First, the Big 10 Conference. A much improved Wisconsin team fell to Ohio State in a heavy brawl. While that may sting, Wisconsin has plenty of time to bounce back as their ticket is essentially already punched. I like Ohio State’s odds next week against Michigan in Columbus, but Michigan truly has more at stake than the Buckeyes in the long run. Next weekend could either go down as expected, or the Legends division could see one final shake-up.
On the big scale, the top two losses bring the SEC back into the picture, but there’s much more football to be played in that conference. Florida, Alabama, and Georgia could each still notch a loss. Notre Dame is in the driver’s seat to Miami, but USC has always been a huge road block for the Irish. With the win tonight, Stanford controls the Pac 12 North and could be a Rose Bowl contender as long as they win out the rest of the season.
See? I’m trying with all my will not to look past November 23rd, and I’m still making indirect predictions for the Rose Bowl.
Crazy, crazy college football.
By Tyler Wanek
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