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The Big Ten bowl games play like January 1st used to be, with four games going on between 11am and 4pm.
Click the link for SB Nation's previews from Bill Connelly.
11am CT (ESPN2): The Gator Bowl between Northwestern and Mississippi State. My pick? Northwestern.
11am CT (ESPNU): The Cotton Bowl Classic between Purdue and Oklahoma State. My pick? Oklahoma State.
12pm CT (ABC): The Citrus Bowl between Nebraska and Georgia. NO PICK.
12pm CT (ESPN): The Hall of Fame Bowl between Michigan and South Carolina. My pick? South Carolina.
4pm CT (ESPN): The Rose Bowl between Wisconsin and Stanford. My pick? Stanford.
7:30pm CT (ESPN): The Orange Bowl between Florida State and Northern Illinois. My pick? Northern Illinois.
I don't forsee a great day by the Big Ten but it's possible we may pick up 2 or 3 wins as a conference.
As I've mentioned before, Nebraska will have to play clever if they want to beat Georgia. Their defense is large enough that we'll need to use their aggression against them. And our defense will need to be solid against the run for us to have a shot.
I trust Pelini to get the team prepared this year. But I'm not sure if it'll be enough. It all depends on how the players respond to the year's adversity.
I think they're tired of the negativity and we're in for something special. But don't quote me on that.
Happy New Year, everyone.
UNL Athletics
Our team has been doing good things off the field and we should be proud of that.
Hopefully the foundation is solid and we'll start seeing the dividends sooner rather than later. A win today would be nice but I think most fans will be happy to see the team give a national title game runner up a run for their money.
UNL Football
(One of) Nebraska's biggest mistake(s)? Not having a QB coach for Taylor for the last three years.
It's nice to see Nebraska is once again a football laboratory, isn't it?
If Big Ten officials were officiating this game, they may as well just penalize both defenses 60 yards a possession for roughness during the catch.
Really highlights our depth issues on the defensive line.
It's a tough life for the walk-ons.
Capital One Bowl
Sean Callahan offers up his keys to the game.
Hail Varsity analyzes Nebraska's chances against the Georgia D. Prognosis? Stable but we're still under surveillance.
Two teams needing a good finish to avoid a bad taste heading into the off-season. Someone is going to be disappointed.
Any given Saturday. Or in this case, Tuesday.
It was a long fall down from the pinnacle that Tom Osborne left us on. The question that remains is whether Nebraska is fighting its way back up or is trapped on a snowy plateau.
This isn't just for Pelini - his assistants and his players need to step up as well. But I agree - Nebraska has to play close, even win, for the off-season to not be insufferable.
Don't forget - Nebraska aspires to be the best in the SEC too. And the ACC. And the Pac-12. And of course the Big Ten. It's going to take focus and determination to get there. And it's going to take playing above where people think you are.
Good luck, Nebraska.
National News
What we learned yesterday is that schools should really consider turning down bowl invites if they're not motivated to play in them. (That includes Nebraska and the Holiday Bowl in 2010, by the way.)
No surprises here. Expect San Diego State to follow suit and look for Navy to change their minds as well. The remnants of the Big East will be absorbed into the C-USA or MAC soon, I wager.
Interested in things to read while recovering from New Years and waiting for kickoff? Why not take a look at some of SB Nation's longform pieces from the past year?
Kirk Ferentz to the NFL almost rides on whether or not Pioli is retained, I think. Expect a second round of college silly season at some big time programs though.
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That's all for today. Join us shortly for today's open threads as we take in a SMORGASBORD of college football. It's the last one until August 29th.
GO BIG RED. BEAT THE BULLDOGS.
-Salt Creek and Stadium