Nebraska Non-Conference Report - 08/02/11

Each week we will update you with news and notes regarding our non-conference opponents. Once the season gets started, we will also review how our non-conference opponents did the past weekend.

Tennessee-Chattanooga is picked to finish fourth in the Southern Conference. We can get a better cupcake than that right?

Wiedmer: Can Mocs finish above predicted fourth in SoCon? | timesfreepress.com
Fourth? B.J. Coleman to Joel Bradford — the Butch and Sundance of FCS football — and the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Mocs are still picked fourth by the Southern Conference coaches and media?

Mocs' stud Gunner Miller is eager to return so he can shoot us down.

Chattanooga Mocs’ Miller is ready to return | timesfreepress.com
No University of Tennessee at Chattanooga football player is more eager for practice to start than linebacker Gunner Miller.

Fresno State is picked to finish second in the WAC. That's not saying much this year.

2 polls put Bulldogs second in the WAC | abc30.com
Both the coaches and media polls picked Fresno State to finish second in the WAC this year. The Bulldogs head into the season with a new quarterback and a re-shuffled offensive line.

 

Washington is picked to finish 3rd in the new PAC-12 north. Preseason polls are so predictable. Poor Colorado. They even picked UCLA to finish above the Buffaloes. What if they win their division and have the best conference record? The PAC-12 title game would be in Boulder on the first weekend of December. Wonder if Larry Scott thought that one through, or just assumed that Colorado would never be good enough to host the game.

UW Picked To Finish Third In North Division By Media - University of Washington Official Athletics Site
NORTH DIVISION:

1. Oregon (29), 239

2. Stanford (13), 220

3. WASHINGTON, 142

4. Oregon State, 120

5. California, 110

6. Washington State, 51

SOUTH DIVISION:

1. USC (24), 230

2. Arizona State (13), 207

3. Utah (4), 170

4. Arizona (1), 140

5. UCLA, 89

6. Colorado, 46

Huskies notes from the PAC-12 media days.

ASAP Sports Transcripts - Football - 2011 - PACIFIC-12 CONFERENCE MEDIA DAY - July 26 - Chris Polk - Steve Sarkisian
COACH SARKISIAN: Well, it's an exciting time to be part of the Pac-12 now. Being two Southern California guys and being raised in this thing when it went from Pac-8 to Pac-10, to Pac-12, it's just exciting. I think for us as the University of Washington and our program as we're growing, we couldn't be in a better conference at you a better time for the exposure needed for us and for this conference.

Fall camps are starting up soon at most schools, including Washington.

UW Football Fall Camp Starts In One Week - University of Washington Official Athletics Site
The first practice of the 2011 season will begin at 3:15 p.m. on Monday, August 8, and the Dawgs will work out each day except for Sundays through the end of the camp session on Thu., Aug. 25.

Washington should be fundamentally better this year than last. Let's hope those fundamentals kick-in on Week 4.

Pac-12 preview: Washington Huskies headed in the right direction | Deseret News
"I think we've got a football team — that you saw at the end of last season — starting to play a brand of football that we believe in," Sarkisian said. "That is one that is physical, that believes in running the football, and in playing sound defense."

The Wyoming Cowboys are picked to finish 6th in the Mountain West Conference.

Wyoming Picked Sixth in 2011 MW Preseason Football Poll - University of Wyoming Official Athletic Site
The Mountain West Conference released its 2011 preseason football poll on Tuesday, and the Wyoming Cowboys were selected sixth in the eight-team Mountain West. Boise State was picked as the preseason favorite, receiving 28 of 31 first-place votes from conference media members. Defending Champion TCU was picked second, receiving the other three first-place votes.

Here's another preview of the Cowboys. I'm kinda shocked they are picked as high as 6th.

The Upset: MWC 2011 Preview: Wyoming Cowboys
When your team loses a lot of experience on both sides of the ball, it’s nice to know you have an experienced signal caller under center (or in the shotgun, at least). Such was the case for Wyoming, who was ready to roll for a third season with Austyn Carta-Samuels, the 2009 MWC freshman of the year. That was, of course, until January 10, when the man Wyoming fans called ACS announced he was leaving the program.

Here's a good Cowboy blog to get more info from.

University of Wyoming Sports Blog
Wyoming senior linebacker Brian Hendricks said he was impressed with the Cowboys’ two true freshmen quarterbacks this summer — Brett Smith and Adam Pittser. Hendricks was impressed with Smith’s overall strength, and said he did some good things in the weight room. Smith enrolled at UW in January and went through spring drills. Hendricks also said Pittser is an impressive athlete with a good arm, who is trying to learn the offense as fast as he can.