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This has to be the most boring month of Husker football in quite a long time. Already the second bye week of the year, games against Illinois, Purdue, and Minnesota. Granted, the schedule sets up nicely for our defense to get its act together, and November is going to make up for how boring this month has been.
There will be some good games come this weekend - the best of the day being Florida State vs Clemson at night. Both are in the top five, and I know y'all will love to watch one of them lose.
Minnesota takes on Northwestern in the early Big Ten game. The Gophers are fairly one-dimensional, but if Venric Mark and Kain Colter can't play for the Wildcats it might be an interesting game. Otherwise, there's South Carolina vs Tennessee - your chance to see Javedeon Clowney in action and see for yourself if he's the best player in the nation.
Afternoon brings us UCLA vs Stanford - another really good game. Ohio State plays Iowa and Indiana plays Michigan. Not good looking, but some potential as we root for Indiana.... Iowa.... uh, no. Just can't do it.
Ah well, on to the reads!
Big Ten
What We Need to See: Michigan vs Indiana - Maize n Brew
Michigan welcomes a dangerous Indiana team to Ann Arbor a week after coming up short in Happy Valley. What must the team do to bounce back?
Indiana Football vs. Michigan: The History - The Crimson Quarry
Surprise, surprise. Indiana once again is going up against a conference opponent that they don't have much success with. Fortunately for the Hoosiers the past does not dictate the present as they go for the upset bid in Ann Arbor.
Remember that bit about Indiana not having won in Ann Arbor since 1967. And Michigan leads this series 52-9. History is not on the Hoosiers side.
Opponent Watch: Nathan Scheelhaase and Illlinois are Bipolar and Terrifying Edition - Bucky's 5th Quarter
Wisconsin looked really, really good last week, so naturally we should all freak out about 3-2 Illinois and Nathan Scheelhaase.
Chris Borland -- yes, Chris Borland -- likely to be Wisconsin's long-distance kicker against Illinois - Bucky's 5th Quarter
Wisconsin is giving Jack Russell a chance to kick field goals after Kyle French missed a 38-yarder against Northwestern. If the Badgers are forced into a lengthy attempt, though, watch out for Chris Borland.
Upon Further Review 2013: Offense vs Penn State | mgoblog
FORMATION NOTES: More tackle over stuff. This is the aforementioned play in Picture Pages that's just an I-Form with Lewan and Schofield flipped, mostly notable for PSU's super heavy package on the DL. Penn State brought this out three or four times. (all-dts) They had one snap in an offset pro-form with Hayes in the backfield.
A Coach's POV - Overtime Play by Play - Maize n Brew
I try to give a perspective of what the coaches are seeing and the changes they're making to counter the opposing team.
Northwestern is favored by double digits against Minnesota, but an injury to a defensive tackle against a power running team is an issue. And oh, yeah, Kain Colter and Venric Mark.
Lose Colter and Mark and the Wildcats' offense is reduced to ashes.
Minnesota Football: TDG Hangout Getting us Ready for Northwestern - The Daily Gopher
TDG Hangout is back and here to get you ready for Gophers vs. Northwestern. We cover a little football, a little hockey and even a little basketball. Enjoy... Just over 1 hour of your life...
What are the keys to Ohio State-Iowa? - Land-Grant Holy Land
We sat down with some Iowa blog friends to break down what OSU fans should expect from the Ohio State-Iowa game this week
Ohio State QB: Buckeyes would be ‘good matchup’ vs. Alabama | Hawk Central
Maybe Braxton Miller should just concentrate on the Iowa Hawkeyes and leave this stuff alone.
Michigan State basketball ranked No. 2 in Coaches Poll - The Only Colors
Basketball is almost here.
National
Charlie Weis shakes up offensive coaching duties for Jayhawks - CBSSports.com
After making sweeping changes to the Kansas depth chart, Charlie Weis announced that he was also overhauling the functions of the offensive coaching staff.
Oh yeah, that'll make a difference.
The Jadeveon Clowney question will be answered in Tennessee rematch - SBNation.com
Saturday, Part II of Jadeveon Clowney vs. Antonio Richardson (and the rest of the Vols' very good offensive line) will likely give the potential No. 1 NFL Draft pick the biggest challenge of his final season.
The Alphabetical, Week 8 preview edition: Dabo vs. Jimbo forever - SBNation.com
Nick Saban orchestrates the ACC from afar, Kirk Ferentz is about to cash in an 18-year contract extension, and it's do or die time for your team. (Your team will die.)
Panel to weigh championships, strength of schedule for college playoff | Dallas-Fort Worth Sp...
Committee members include Manning, Osborne, Rice.
Florida at Missouri: Dissecting the Gator 2-deep - Rock M Nation
A look at Florida's depth chart as the Gators head to Missouri to face the No. 14 Tigers.
Don't call him Gerg: How the Texas defense has improved - Burnt Orange Nation
In Greg Robinson's second stint at Texas, the hallmarks of his first defense are starting to become apparent with his second defense, demonstrating that he's not the same guy who failed at Syracuse and Michigan.
USC vs. Notre Dame Football: Q&A with One Foot Down - Conquest Chronicles
1. Notre Dame has historically struggled over the past 10 years against USC, finding its inspiration for a perfect regular-season clinching win at the Coliseum last season. Thanks in large part to...
Can you remember the last time the Notre Dame - USC game garnered this little attention?
No. 11 Miami survives North Carolina's upset bid
Dallas Crawford had a 3-yard touchdown with 16 seconds left to give No. 11 Miami a 27-23 victory over North Carolina on Thursday night.
I was so looking forward to Miami losing this game. Darned near.
Nebraska
Not a whole lot to report in Huskerland. The Gophers beat Sparty in volleyball last night, meaning that Nebraska, Penn State and Michigan State all have one loss apiece in conference play.
"I now have a new appreciation for Husker fans. We sold candy outside the stadium while wearing our Purdue gear. Most Purdue fans blew us off and didn't give us the time of day. The Husker fans were just absolutely AMAZING. Almost every single Husker fan that passed us, bought a candy bar. We met our sales quota just from Husker fans, and then some. Not only did they buy candy bars from us, but they stopped, spoke to us, spoke to my kids, took an interest in their school and where they were from and what they were studying. It brought me to tears how people 500 miles away would take such an interest in our family selling candy bars. I was just stunned by their kindness and generosity. I have become a Husker fan now and will cheer for them every chance I get. I truly now understand why you love your team so much. Just the best people on earth I've ever been around!"
Nice story from the Purdue game at Huskermax forum.
Volleyball Earns Five-Set Win Over Spartans - University of Minnesota Official Athletic Site
The No. 10 Minnesota volleyball team handed No. 5 Michigan State its first loss of the conference season when it won, 3-2, tonight, in front of 4,782 fans."
It's not a "Nebraska" article per se, but with the Gopher win over Michigan State, our Huskers, Penn State and Sparty are all tied atop the conference with one loss apiece.
This happened. By itself, ain't that kind of weird?
Update: OH YEAH, I forgot this: