Monday was the start of the 2008 Big 12 football media days. Nebraska took three players to meet the media - Joe Ganz, Barry Turner, and Matt Slauson. I'm not 100% sure what it is I like so much about Slauson.

I don't think it's the face paint. Maybe it's how he talks and yesterday he made some comments worth noting. If you have any doubt about how big the Missouri game will be this fall, look no further than this:

Now I'm not sure how good the 2008 version of the Cornhuskers will be, no one does. Not the coaches, not even the players know what's going to happen when they walk out on the field for those first few games.

I'm sure there are gobs of Mizzou fans (most of whom have just recently come out of some hole in the ground) who believe that all they have to do is show up for the games next season and win the Big 12 North.

It's pretty obvious that Missouri will have a big target on them when they show up in Lincoln for the first conference game of the year. One game doesn't a season make and it could well be that either team has a loss coming into the game. But having Mizzou start out the Big 12 North race at 0-1 would be more than sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet!

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The guys from the Missouri blog Rock M Nation are doing 2008 previews, devoting a week to each of their upcoming opponents. This week is Nebraska week at Rock M Nation, so they've asked CN a bunch of questions about the 2008 edition of Husker football. But before you get to the answers, let's understand the significance of the Nebraska - Missouri game this coming season.

It's the first Big 12 conference game of 2008 and the most important game of the season for Nebraska. Husker fans will get an idea of how the rest of the season will play out by what we do against Mizzou as their offense is typical of what we'll see for the rest of the season. If we can shut it down, you can bet that the season will turn out well. If not, well, we'll have to hope that the other Big 12 North teams beat each other up to have any realistic shot at a North title.

Missouri hasn't won in Lincoln since 1978. Rick Berns ran for a (then) record-setting 255 yards and two touchdowns, but Missouri's quarterback James Wilder countered with four touchdowns and pulled off a 35-31 upset. The loss came just one week after Tom Osborne had finally beaten Oklahoma for the first time as a head coach.

Missouri is coming off their best season in school history. Nebraska.. well, we know what happened last year. As far as what we see coming this season, read on, as answers are provided by myself, Blankman and Husker Mike.

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