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Friday Reads: The Biggest Game of Bo Pelini's Career

This Saturday night is the biggest game of Bo Pelini's career, whether he'd admit that or not.

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Ask Bo Pelini if this is the biggest game of his career, and he'll tell you that it's like any other. He's right, of course, from his perspective, because it's all part of that process he talks about all the time, probably even at holiday dinners. Do the same thing every day you can to be your best with emphasis on EVERY DAY so that EVERY DAY IS LIKE ANY OTHER. We get it, Bo, we've heard it enough times.

Putting it into practice.... well, that's a little bit different isn't it. EVERY DAY? That's a lot of work. I'm tired. My hair needs washed or something.... uh.. where was I?

Despite denials to the contrary, the upcoming Michigan game is the biggest game of Pelini's career, whether he wants to acknowledge that fact or not. You could try to argue that one of those Big 12 championship games was bigger, but I would slap you down and point out that those are all in the past you can't change and the only thing that matters is the future because that's the only thing you can control.

Win this game, Bo Pelini, and your goals are still intact. Lose, and about half the Husker fan base will lose interest in a team that's one it's way to another boring nine-win season and start bitching and moaning because our egos are unfulfilled and our prayers unanswered. NOT ANOTHER OUTBACK BOWL DAMMIT!

Start adding in tidbits, little morsels of pressure, and the intensity gets worse. The Big Ten Conference is in a down year with two of its better teams ineligible to win the Big Ten Championship game. It's the first game between two teams with over 850 wins. It's the first time Michigan has come to Lincoln, Nebraska in over a century. It's Taylor vs Denard in a national spotlight.

Maybe the rest of the country doesn't give much of a damn, but you better, because it really doesn't get much bigger than this for Nebraska. WoohoOO!!!

Husker win appears mandatory - Hamburg, IA - Hamburg Reporter

If the Nebraska Cornhuskers want to make it to Indianapolis and earn a chance to end an over-decade-long conference title drought, a win this week at home against the Michigan Wolverines appears to be almost mandatory.

Not much here, really, except that reinforcement that it's a really big game. Mandatory, in fact.

Michigan visits Nebraska in key Big Ten matchup - chicagotribune.com

Making their first trip to Lincoln in more than a century, the 20th-ranked Michigan Wolverines come calling on the Nebraska Cornhuskers in a pivotal Big Ten Conference matchup this Saturday night.

Pivotal, this one says.

Michigan ready to experience Nebraska's famed 'Sea of Red' | MLive.com

"They don't have anything down there but their college football," Campbell said. "It's going to be exciting."

Oh, don't you get tired of hearing this kind of crap? We have beer and deer and tractors, just like they do. Maybe not as many chain saws, though.

Pelini Comfortable with Running Back Options - Huskers.com - Nebraska Athletics Official Web Site

Following practice, Head Coach Bo Pelini discussed the team's situation at running back heading into this weekend. Pelini said that the fact that sophomore Ameer Abdullah may have to take on a heavier load won't change his duties on kick returns.

It's Now Official: Evans NU's Defensive MVP - Huskers.com - Nebraska Athletics Official Web Site

Without even the slightest encouragement, Pelini heaped praise on Ciante Evans, the Arlington, Texas, junior cornerback who put Northwestern quarterback/wide receiver/ playmaker Kain Colter in lockdown mode. When Colter finished the game with only three catches for 17 yards, Pelini didn't need film analysis before heaping praise.

5 keys to victory: Michigan must stop an offense built like its own (with prediction) | MLive.com
For Michigan to knock off Nebraska, it must stop itself.

Shatel: In firecoach.com world, Osborne all about #Perspective - Omaha.com

Could NU develop a firing mentality? "I sure hope that doesn't happen," Osborne said. "It takes time. I just see enough positives here right now that it would be a mistake to start talking about that or even thinking about that.

Nice article by Shatel, but given my contrarian nature I can't help but think - it's pretty darned easy to have "perspective" when your career is over and you're heading into retirement.

Osborne has been a great leader (understatement of the year), but his time is coming to an end and we should let it. Nebraska can get alone fine without Osborne - that sounds like blasphemy I know, but soon it will be time to let the guy go and stop leaning on him for EVERYTHING.

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Huskers fans prefer to downplay these mistakes, particularly the ones on special teams, when projecting how their team will do against upcoming opponents. Against Michigan, though, they won't be able to afford to play sloppy no matter how many yards they end up racking up on offense.

"Downplay these mistakes..." - he's talking about turnovers.

I'd like to know what Husker fans he's talking about, honestly. Everywhere I look, we're talking about turnovers and how they're costing the team.

I can explain part of the perspective by his being a Michigan man. While Ohio State has their sheer arrogance, Michigan has their way of walking through the world completely ignorant of everything that isn't Michigan. Many of them fail to acknowledge the outside world exists in any real sense.

Paralyzed ex-Husker Budge Porter, family get new barrier-free home - Omaha.com

Former University of Nebraska football player Budge Porter and his family got the keys to a new, barrier-free, wheelchair-accessible home on Thursday.

Congratulations to Budge Porter, and a tip of the hat to Kent Pavelka, who really kept this in the public eye until completion!

Nebraska volleyball gears up for intense weekend against No. 20 Ohio State and No. 1 Penn State - Daily Nebraskan

Through 10 conference matches, the Nebraska volleyball team has a 9-1 record in Big Ten play. That record puts the Huskers second behind Penn State’s 11-0 record, and ranked fourth in the nation with a 17-2 overall record.

Women’s soccer prepares for final match of season against Minnesota, upcoming Big Ten Tournament - Daily Nebraskan: Sports: huskers, unl, soccer, mennesota, big ten

Coming into the season with disappointment about not making the Big Ten Tournament last season and a roster filled with freshmen, the Huskers were uncertain about what the season would bring. Despite a rough start to the season, the Huskers have managed to come together down the stretch to grab some key conference wins that earned them a spot in the conference tournament.

I would love to see Nebraska have success in soccer. All my kids have played or are playing competitive soccer. I've learned to love the game. And the Daily Nebraska could learn to spell.... although maybe that "mennesota" thing was done as snarky!