The 2008 USA Today/Coaches Poll has been released (HT: In the Bleachers).

1. Georgia (22) 1,438

2. Southern California (14) 1,430
3. Ohio State (14) 1,392
4. Oklahoma (3) 1,329
5. Florida (5) 1,293
6. LSU (3) 1,163
7. Missouri 1,143
8. West Virginia 1,008

9. Clemson 999

10. Texas 979
11. Auburn 888

12. Wisconsin 747

13. Kansas 714

14. Texas Tech 644

15. Virginia Tech 568

16. Arizona State 560
17. Brigham Young 547

18. Tennessee 506
19. Illinois 422
20. Oregon 399
21. South Florida 350
22. Penn State 313

23. Wake Forest 203
24. Michigan 112
25. Fresno State 91
Others receiving votes
Alabama (7-6) 83; South Carolina (6-6) 64; Utah (9-4) 60; Florida State (7-6) 53; Rutgers (8-5) 53; Boston College (11-3) 47; California (7-6) 41; Pittsburgh (5-7) 34; Boise State (10-3) 25; Oregon State (9-4) 23; Nebraska (5-7) 17; Cincinnati (10-3) 13; Virginia (9-4) 12; Connecticut (9-4) 9; Michigan State (7-6) 9; Mississippi State (8-5) 6; Kentucky (8-5) 5; Notre Dame (3-9) 5; TCU (8-5) 5; Maryland (6-7) 4; North Carolina (4-8) 3; Texas A&M (7-6) 3; UCLA (6-7) 3; Central Florida (10-4) 2; Georgia Tech (7-6) 2; Louisville (6-6) 2; Arizona (5-7) 1; Colorado (6-7) 1; Oklahoma State (7-6) 1; Tulsa (10-4) 1.
------
A few comments:

• We are 36th.
• We got more votes than Notre Dame.
• And Colorado. Yay.
• Missouri ranked seventh, behind Florida AND LSU, the LSU that doesn't have a quarterback?
• Alabama isn't in the Top 25. Hyuk!
• Gee, that's five ranked Big 12 teams in the top 14, but more important the lowest of which is higher than the SEC.
• Could it be that the Big 12 is challenging the SEC for conference domination this season? YES! But don't dare say that around SEC people because they're not rational about it. They'll start throwing all sorts of Southern Drawl spew at you and just wear you down, so you might do well to remember the midwestern phrase:

Never Teach A Pig to Sing
It Wastes Your Time And Annoys the Pig

Did I just call SEC fans pigs? Only metaphorically. Does that count?

Earlier tonight I was interviewed on The Big Show - 590 AM radio in Omaha - about the Nebraska yearbook 'A Sea of Red'. - Here is the Audio Link.

At one point the host, Matt Perrault, asked me the question 'when you were writing did you feel like 'oh this is me talking like a fan' or did you let your fan voice be heard.... because there's a difference between speaking like a fan and looking at it from a media perspective."

I wasn't 100% sure what he was asking at the time, and I stumbled through the answer. On the drive home, I got to thinking about it a little further. I believe what he was asking is this:

"When you're writing for a publication, how do you handle the line between being a homer and being what a journalist aspires to be, which is objective?"

I've never considered myself a journalist, even back when I was writing a lot in in the computer industry, just so you understand that. But Perrault's question deserves a better answer than the one I gave on air. To do that I'd have to start by mentioning a goal I always had in mind when I decided to put together the book, namely, that is was going to something that covered a broad range of Nebraska football issues from different perspectives - some of them that may not be what Husker fans want to hear.

This is something very different than looking at things from solely as a fan. As a fan, I want Nebraska football to go 10-2 this season, beat Missouri, win the Big 12 North and play in the Big 12 title game. I (we, including all of the other writers included) could have made up all sorts of reasons as to why this will happen and made them sound good. We could have drank the kool-aid and said that the 2008 team is destined for glory and greatness, but we didn't do that for one specific reason:

It wouldn't have been honest.

I do believe that good writers seek the truth. Sometimes, especially when you're blogging, you're just letting it all hang out or having fun, which I hope we do a lot here at CN. And sometimes, writing becomes something where you're trying to figure out what's going on within a specific issue and what you get out of it may be something you never expected nor really what you intended originally to say.

And that's the difference between writing from a media perspective and writing from the standpoint of a fan - something along those lines is what I should have stated as an answer for Mr. Perrault, but I'm not quick enough to do that during a radio interview.

I believe (as I stated) that you could make the case for Nebraska being 3-9 or 9-3 next season and I stand behind that statement. Maybe that's the most beautiful thing about this upcoming season - just watching what's going to happen. Are they going to pull themselves together and be the Nebraska team we want them to be, or is the confidence going to fail them as they fall apart again this season? No one can answer that right now, not the fans, nor the pundits. Not even the coaches or the players themselves. Like I said, it's going to be a fun season watching it all play out.

Incidentally, Mrs Corn Nation listened to it late tonight and laughed at the part where I said I try to set my expectations for each season at a reasonable level so that I'm not disappointed. She laughed because she knows come August 30th that all level of 'reasonable' will fly out the window as it does at the beginning of every bloody Nebraska football season that I can remember....

  So, the first three games of the 2008 season are on PPV at $30 apiece. Barry Trammel at the The Oklahoman ranks all the Big 12 games, and he puts our three PPV games at #75 (Western Michigan), #81 (San Jose State), and #84 (New Mexico State) out of all 96 games being played by Big 12 teams this year.

I know how to rational the cost - it's less than the price of a ticket - or in my case, much less than the cost of a ticket plus travel back and forth to Lincoln. While I'm not denying happiness at being able to see the games, I feel a certain amount of resentment at paying $30 for lousy football even if I have a near-psychotic addiction to it. The question keeps bugging me - why do we keep paying more for less of a product?

The Big 12 will not be standardizing injury reports, why should they? As the main KU man Mangino says:

Well, bloggers want to know about injuries too but we're not mentioned..... unless you realize that I'm clearly one of those undesirables he's talking about.

It's clear that Mangino has a huge list of things he finds desirable, from moldy pizza to cornerbacks that tackle well, but certainly not me, gamblers, or opponents.

Perhaps I should head back to counseling for the self-esteem problem I've always had. Or better yet, perhaps something cheaper and more effective..... something that would make me more desirable to Mangino.....

The start to Danny Woodhead's NFL career has not gone well. Woodhead apparently experienced a serious knee injury when practicing with the New York Jets, and has been placed on the waived-injured list. That sucks.

I think this year I'll be paying more attention to Kyle at our Georgia blog Dawg Sports because Georgia will garner a lot of pre-season #1 rankings. Kyle has posted a 2008 blogpoll for feedback and he has Nebraska ranked at #21 above both Texas Tech, #23, and Kansas #25. For the rest of the Big 12, he has Mizzou #4, Oklahoma #6, and Texas at #11.

I suppose I'd better start figuring out my blogpoll as well. I doubt I'll be ranking Nebraska. I think we have a lot to prove before we deserve a ranking. I echo Kyle's sentiment that Kansas is overrated, but I'm not sure about Texas Tech. Tech is the Mizzou of last season - always on the edge of success but never quite there. That changed for Missouri in 2007, can it change for Tech in 2008?

I will be basing my poll on the 'Power Poll' concept, mostly because I'm not going to look at statistics, resume ranking sounds too, well, boring, and I can come up with a suitable argument for any team I rank when using the power method. BTW, if you think ranking teams is easy, try it for a while. When you get into 20-25 it's pretty darned hard week by week.

Matt Hinton, who wrote the Opponents preview for "A Sea of Red 2008" and is the Sunday Morning Quarterback is leaving SB Nation to become the Yahoo sports college football editor. Congratulations on moving up the ladder, Matt. We'll be watching you at Yahoo, ready to pounce on every single error you make... as if.

Hinton is an excellent, entertaining writer who knows his subject extremely well.

Speaking of 'A Sea of Red' - the guys at Big Red Network - who contributed to the yearbook - are giving away four copies as part of a contest. Hurry, it ends soon!

I have a request from someone who is looking for the 1978 Nebraska-Oklahoma game. They'd like to get a copy of it on tape or on DVD, and they are willing to pay for it. If you have it and can help, please contact me via email, and I will put you in touch with the interested party.

Last year, George Dare gave us 'Nebraska Nation' - a theme song for Nebraska football. It received airplay on radio stations across Nebraska.

Not to be outdone by last year's success, Dare this year is releasing his first polka composition in honor of new head coach Bo Pelini - the "Bo Pelini Polka"!

"Bo Pelini Polka"
By George Dare
P c 2008 Udeenee Magic Music Publishing - BMI

Dare is releasing an updated 'Nebraska Nation', which includes a little more funk and upbeat tempo, a good thing because last year's version was a little.... uh... slow... like way slow. This year's - more better.

"Nebraska Nation"
By George Dare
P c 2008 Udeenee Magic Music Publishing - BMI

George Dare's bio is below:

George Dare grew up in Omaha, Nebraska and is a big Nebraska football fan. Beginning his professional career as a singer, both live and in the recording studio on jingles, George's career took a major step when he was invited to compete in a national competition for a jingle for the City of Las Vegas. George won and was invited to bring his talents to Las Vegas, where he has lived ever since.

Today, George is considered a high-end music producer, arranger and composer, with many awards credited to his name.  From music for film scores, to theme songs and jingles, you've heard George's voice on jingles for McDonald's, Chevy, Brand Source and others.

George Dare's theme songs are impressive, as he has a long list of credentials in this area, including creating theme songs for:

1) International Firefighters
2) National Police
3) National Finals Rodeo
4) International Shriners
5) Official Theme Song for the City of Las Vegas
6) Make A Wish Foundation
7) Muscular Dystrophy Telethon
8) UNLV Basketball - this song came about after George moved to Las Vegas and found no area football team to cheer for.

He still goes to the local Husker lounge where other fans converge to cheer on their Nebraska Cornhuskers during the games. George also created the fire safety song "Stop, Drop & Roll" which is taught to over 8 million students and Sr. Citizens every year.

On of the most telling symbols of the Bill Callahan Clusterfool was this snapshot of Will  Henry's playbook, weighing in somewhere around the size of the Chicago phone book.  It symbolized the complexity of Callahan's offense.  Which sounds good, until you realize the futility of trying to master it.

The good news... it's gone on a diet.

Under Callahan, Slauson said, Nebraska routinely drilled hundreds of plays that never saw the light of Saturday.

"I don't know why," Slauson said. "They were good plays, they just didn't get used. But that's why he gets paid the big bucks and I don't."

A lighter Slauson is one of many Huskers auditioning for Slim-Fast commercials these days. Thin to win. But the most important trim-down of 2008 may be the Husker offense.

Less is more, according to coach Bo Pelini.

"(Watson) understands very much what I believe in defensively," Pelini said. "The best ideas are things the players can execute. They've had a lot of offense."

Pelini, cautious that his statement might be interpreted as critical, restated his point this way: "We still have a lot of offense," he said. "We have a lot of things we can do to attack defenses, but I just think (Watson)'s trying to do things to make sure the players are comfortable, confident . . .

"It's not like we're going to be out there and we're going to go into a game with four or five plays."

Callahan wanted the ability to call 250 different plays during a game, said quarterback Joe Ganz. The more options, the more likely a coach can find an edge in the strategic chess match.

In his previous stint at Nebraska, Pelini stressed effort over scheme...and we know the results.  A mediocre defense gained confidence and became a top-15 group.

The Huskers were coming off a disastrous 2002 in which they crumbled under Blackshirt expectations, resulting in coordinator Craig Bohl's dismissal.

During the first scrimmage of spring practice, Pelini ordered his defense into one very basic scheme for the entirety of practice. Won't the offense catch on and expose us, Husker defenders asked. Doesn't matter, Pelini said. Success starts with effort, not scheme.

"We went out and just dominated the scrimmage," [Pat] Ricketts said. "Right then and there, everybody bought into the system."

We all saw the effects of Bill Callahan's complex offense.  Highly regarded recruits would arrive on campus to much fanfare, only to find themselves relegated to the bench as they struggled to grasp the Callahan scheme.  Football is supposed to be an instinctive game, and the 2003-07 offense beat the instincts out of players.  You saw it in Joe Dailey, like on that infamous end of game scramble against Southern Miss where his instinct to run for the touchdown conflicted with his coaching to throw the ball or run out bounds.  You saw it in Sam Keller, who would stare down receivers.

Once you got over the learning curve, you could prosper in this offense.  Look at the numbers Joe Ganz put up after practicing the offense for three-plus years.  Look at the numbers Zac Taylor put up his senior year.  But in college, when you only have four years of eligibility and limits on your practice time, there simply isn't time to put in a Callahan offense.  The scary thing is that Callahan felt he had streamlined the offense down to the college level... and it still overwhelmed his players.

The scary thing, is that Callahan realized this back when he coached the Raiders.  But he thought it only applied to defense back in 2003, as he told Dan Pompei of the Sporting News:

Even Callahan, who is espousing defensive simplicity, says "The more the merrier on offense." And his philosophy of coming up with new ways to get matchup advantages obviously has worked for him and others.

Callahan has the luxury of working with highly experienced players, including a quarterback in Rich Gannon who prepares as well as any in the league. The Rams have an ideal situation in which the coach, Mike Martz, is an offensive visionary, and the quarterback, Kurt Warner, can handle a heavy mental load. But many NFL coaches do their offense a disservice by expecting their players to retain as much as Callahan's and Martz's.

"You can only do what your players can handle," Chiefs offensive coordinator Al Saunders says. "If the quarterback can't handle it, you can't do it. Trent Green became much better last year because he was able to handle so much more than the previous year.

It blew up in Oakland when Rich Gannon went down to an injury.  And it failed at Nebraska with new quarterbacks in 2004, most of 2005, and in 2007.

In 2008, what does this streamlined offense mean?  Well, first of all, we'll see if some of the young talent that's been sitting on the sidelines (Menelik Holt, Chris Brooks, Niles Paul) will grasp this new streamlined offense and be able to make an impact on the field.  We'll see if linemen like Lydon Murtha finally "get it".  And we'll see if players end up on the same page, working in sync for the first time in many years.

A ways back when John and I were still pumping out podcasts of MidWest Coast Bias, we spoke about Tim Beck combining his Texas resources with Shawn Watson.  These are beginning to bear fruit in the form of three commitments in the past three days.  Offensive linemen Jess Coffey and Nick Ash join Emerson Evans as the three newest members of the 2008-2009 recruiting class.  What do they bring to the table?  Aside from a budding Texas pipeline, let’s have a look:

Coffey gets to go first since he committed first.  At 6’7" 270 pounds, those numbers immediately tell me that there’s some work to be done.  S&C Coach Dobson can easily put 30-50 pounds of muscle on the frame and if we go to the video tape, my suspicions are confirmed.  For 6’7", Coffey’s a lanky dude and doesn’t have the power he can with more beef on his bones.  He stands his man up okay but when you come into the Big XII conference, you have to be ready for a defensive lineman whose main objective is to rip your quarterback’s heart out and feed it to him coming off of the line.  Right now I don’t see that in Coffey, however I do see a very "heady" player.

While Coffey’s weight and blocking may not be up to snuff just yet, his movements and motions are.  He knows where he needs to be and he knows the force he needs to deliver, but again we run into the issue of not having the physical tools necessary to compete jumping in.  I look at Coffey and I think "project" but not in a bad way.  If Dobson can get his hands on him, he is coached properly and gets a few snaps in his initial freshman and sophomore years. Coffey could turn out to be a solid prospect.  He’s got a way to go before he reaches that peak, but he could get there.

Emerson Evans then pulled the trigger giving Nebraska a 6’1" 230 "defensive end".  Note the quotation marks I used there.  I don’t see Evans as a defensive end at all.  I see him as a hybrid and not just in the way that he gets 50 miles per gallon and runs off of stuff grown in the ground.  I think Pelini could utilize Evans as a very special sort of MIKE.  We’re talking about a guy that could do just as much damage in pass coverage as run stopping not to mention bringing him straight through the middle on an all out blitz.

Nick Ash is a very good pick up for the Cornhuskers looking to regain offensive line "Pipeline" status.  At 6’5" and 261 pounds, Ash presents a more polished Coffey in my eye.  Watching him from the guard position, he has good push, plays like his hair’s on fire and can get downfield in a hurry.  Coffey and Ash also carry the same brightness.  Very smart guys both of them.  I suppose when Harvard offers you as they did Coffey that’s an indication of something, but that could just be me.

Ash holds his own as a pass-blocker as well.  He can keep his man at arm’s length and the thing I REALLY like about Nick is his footwork.  Constantly grinding, constantly moving.  I would also like to note that Barney Cotton was assigned to Nick.  Originally it appeared that Cotton had been striking out left and right with the past year’s recruits and now this year’s, but with the Ash commitment, Barney definitely did good so a tip of the cap today to Coach Cotton.  Whether he can get Ash and Coffey where they need to be we’ll find out later on down the road.

It's been a few months since I've posted any book reviews and I apologize for that. I have quite a few stacked up, and it's about time I get back to it. I haven't taken the approach that I need to be the first to review a book, and I doubt I ever do because the fact is books have a much longer life than blog posts and they remain relevant for many years after the first publish date. Given that.... here's the first of many to come.

'Game Time: Inside College Football' is the second book I've reviewed by author Ted A Kluck. The other is 'Paper Tiger', Kluck's shot at participatory journalism as he attempts to play semipro football for the now defunct Battle Creek Crunch of the Great Lakes Indoor Football League.

'Game Time: Inside College Football' is a collection of 15 stories that cover quite a range of topics. The stories include interviews and first-hand accounts from the subjects. The stories are as follows:

- The Holy War: James Bell and Taylor University versus University of Saint Francis

- The Game of the Century: Charlie 'Mad Dog' Thornhill and Michigan State versus Notre Dame

- The Fortune Teller: Phil Steele

- The Turnaround: Brian Leonard, Greg Schiano, and the Rutgers Football Renaissance

- The Regenerator: Danny Wuerffel

- The Only All-Star Game That Matters: The Senior Bowl

- The Recruiter: Mark Hagen, Purdue University

- The Agent: J Harrison Henderson III

- The NFL Draft Guru: Todd McShay, ESPN

- The Walk-On: Max Pollock, LB, Michigan

- The Most Bizarre Recruitment in Recent History: Ronald Johnson and the University of Southern California

- The Big Brother: Dan Bazuin, Central Michigan, All-American

- The Free Agent: Herb Haygood, Michigan State

- The Winningest Quarterback in NCAA History: Cullen Finnerty, Grand Valley State University

- The Pro Day: Central Michigan University

There's something here for everyone. If you're a Phil Steele fan and you thought listening to him on EDSBS Live gave you a taste of how freakishly consumed he is by college football, then Kluck's story about him will confirm it and fill in more details. Danny Wuerffel's story is more about his work with inner city youth than it is about his football career. The agent and recruiter don't fit the caricatures most often painted by their stereotypes.

I like Kluck's writing. It's easy to read, conversational and frequently humorous. Unfortunately, overall the book is somewhat disjointed. The stories don't fit together particularly well to form a central theme, so at the beginning of the book you're left wondering where Kluck is headed. Some parts pull together nicely as you realize how closely intertwined the subjects are - the players, the agent, the NFL draft guru, and the pro day - and Kluck makes sure you're aware of how nutty the NFL draft process is.

Kluck has the problem in that he's not as well-known to college fans as Stewart Mandell, although you get a much closer look at the insanity of the Pro Day process than you will from Mandell's 'Bowls Polls and Tattered Souls'. It's a good, not great book. It may be because as Kluck writes in the forward "...maybe I don't have enough big names attached because big names sell books." It may be because all of the people in the book are generally decent, and Kluck's writing portrays them as real human beings instead of super heroes or villains. Even when he confronts the reader with the insanity of the NFL draft process - pointing out that 40 NFL scouts are gathered at Central Michigan's Pro Day to argue about an objective method of hand-timing the 40-yard dash - he doesn't condemn it as much as point out that's the way it is.

That's ultimately the problem with "Game Time: Inside College Football". There are no great super heroes and no horribly evil villains. It's lukewarm. Because of that, I'd recommend it if you can find it discounted. At full price, there needs to be more contrast - it's a tough world.

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!

As part of the Big XII Media Days, Bo Pelini announced the depth chart for the start of fall practice.  (And yes, we're banning the use of the word "training camp" here...)

Tight End:  Mike McNeill, Ryan Hill

Hunter Teafatiller would be on this list, but he's got bigger problems. This situation looks fluid here.

Left Tackle:  Lydon Murtha, Mike Smith

Will Murtha finally break through this season?  Enquiring minds want to know.  Personally, I'm skeptical.

Left Guard:  Mike Huff, Keith Williams

Huff gets a love/hate response from fans.  I wonder if Williams can push him this season.

Center:  Jacob Hickman, Mike Caputo

Insiders talk about the progress Caputo has made at center.  This one bears watching.

Right Guard:  Matt Slauson, D.J. Jones

This might be the most loaded position on the offensive line if Slauson returns to form.

Right Tackle:  Javorio Burkes, Marcel Jones

There's a lot of youth on this side of the line.  Burkes got some significant playing time at the end of last season.

WR(X):  Nate Swift, Menelik Holt, Chris Brooks

Holt or Brooks needs to step up this season.  Swift is a decent receiver, but not a game breaker

WR(Y): Todd Peterson, Niles Paul or Curenski Gilleylen

See above.  The walkon Peterson has made some clutch plays, but the Huskers need Paul or Gilleylen to rise this season.  My darkhorse here is Marlon Lucky in some sets.

FB:  Thomas Lawson, Justin Makovicka

Seeing a Mak on the depth chart at fullback is a sight for sore eyes.

IB:  Marlon Lucky or Roy Helu, Quentin Castille

Helu a co-#1 I-Back?  That "or" is big IMHO.  I'm thinking that we'll see Lucky spread around the field a little bit to get both of these backs on the field this season.

QB:  Joe Ganz, Patrick Witt, Zac Lee

Not a surprise to me that Witt's ahead of Lee at this point.  I do wonder if Lee better fits Pelini's plans for a mobile quarterback.

Open DE:  Barry Turner, Pierre Allen

No surprises here.

DT:  Ty Steinkuhler, Kevin Dixon.

No surprises here, though we need to see some younger players get some playing time this season, as both of these guys are seniors.

NT:  Ndamakong Suh, Dixon, Shukree Barfield

Ditto on the surprise factor

Base DE:  Zach Potter, Clayton Sievers

Same song...no surprises.

Buck LB:  Tyler Wortman, Blake Lawrence

Lawrence is up to 225, which might be more impressive with the downsizing the rest of the team has seen this year.

Mike LB:  Phillip Dillard, Colton Koehler

Dillard's back down to 235, which should be good news about last year's hybrid linebacker/nose tackle.

Will LB:  Cody Glenn, LaTravis Washington

Pelini stresses effort over scheme.  Glenn's development at linebacker will be the test of that philosophy.

LCB:  Armando Murillo, Eric Hagg

SS:  Larry Asante, Major Culbert

Has the Major found a home?

FS:  Rickey Thenarse, Matt O'Hanlon

We know Thenarse is going to hit someone and hit them hard.  The only question is whether Pelini and Marvin Sanders can make sure it's the right guy.

RCB:  Anthony West, Prince Amakurama

The youngsters will need to learn quickly

PK:  Alex Henery or Adi Kunalic

My guess it's the same as last year.  Henery will handle PAT's and short/medium FG's.  Kunalic will handle kickoffs and long FG's.

P:  Dan Titchener, Jake Wesch

Titchener goes down as the latest in a long line of recent great Nebraska punters.  Let's hope he's not needed as much this season.

As its editor, I'm proud to introduce the inaugural issue of 'A Sea of Red 2008', a Nebraska yearbook that should be available now in stores throughout Nebraska and Western Iowa. I have not yet received a specific list from the publisher, but you should be able to find it now where you'd find other football pre-season magazines, i.e., convenience stores, gas stations, Barnes & Noble, Borders, yada yada.

To order online:  Purchase the book at Maple Street Press or at Huskerpedia. Should be up on Amazon in the near future, but ain't there yet apparently.

The purpose of 'A Sea of Red' is to provide Husker fans with a full pre-season guide to the 2008 Nebraska Cornhuskers. That includes a review of how we got to where we are, and a healthy dose of Husker history. Below is an overview of the contents.

Letter from the Editor

Section: 2008 Nebraska Football

Meet the New Nebraska Coaches 
by Brandon Vogel

2007 Individual Statistics for Returning Players

2008 Offensive Preview
by Jon Johnston

2008 Husker Roster

2008 Defensive and Special Teams Previews    
by Jon Johnston

Nebraska Schedule Analysis
by Matt Hinton

The Nebraska Offense
by Steve Sipple

Why Callahan Failed: Arrogance, NFL Methods & Cultural Misunderstanding Led to Demise at NU
by Darren K. Carlson

2007 Season Review: High Expectations, Low Return
by Mike Jaixen

Meet the New Husker Recruits
by Brandon Cavanaugh

Section: State of the Husker Nation

The Return of Tom Osborne
by Mike Jaixen

2008 Nebraska Schedule

The Nebraska Way: The Complete Meaning or Lack Thereof
by Brandon Cavanaugh

Nebraska's Walk-On Program: Fantasy, Reality, Practicality
by Jon Johnston

Is Nebraska Unrivaled?
by Brandon Vogel

Are Nebraskans "The Greatest College Football Fans"?
by Mike Jaixen and AJ The Husker Hater

The "Greatest Fans" Signs--Should They Be Removed?
by Jon Johnston

Running: A Way of LIfe
by Roger Aden

Section: Husker History

Heroes In the Trenches
by Mark Fricke

Written in Stone: An Iconographic History of Memorial Stadium
by Brandon Vogel

All the Bills Have Failed: (Or "Why It's Better to Have a Nickname If You're Going to Coach at Nebraska")
by Jon Johnston

Legends, Workhorses & Vagabonds: Huskers in the NFL
by Jason Siffring