Nebraska vs. Iowa: CornNation's Week 14 College Football Predictions

Husker Mike: The last weekend of the season for most teams. Sadly, for the Huskers...though with the injury situation, it's probably for the best.

Ty: There are a couple of games that are much more interesting this weekend than we might have thought they'd be back in August. I love this weekend of food, spirit(s), and football.

COBBY: THANKSGIVING - THE HOLIDAY WHERE YOU EAT, DRINK AND SLEEP AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE ON THURSDAY SO THAT YOU DON'T HAVE TO DO ANY OF THOSE THINGS ON FRIDAY AND SATURDAY. TOO MANY GOOD GAMES TO CARE ABOUT LIFE'S NECESSITIES. AND TOO MUCH FINE PORT!!

Husker Mike: Most people thought that Michigan/Ohio State would have been on this list, but we only pick games with point spreads of 10 or less. And Husker games, of course. That also means I don't get to throw out my upset special for the week: Minnesota over Michigan State. There, I called it anyway.

Andy: Minnesota over Michigan St? I was going to make some sort of Poland with the points over Germany in ‘39 joke, but then I remembered that Sparty has a knack for pissing down his leg. However, points be damned, not sure I could ever justify making a pick for that toilet stain of a game topping our list.

Brian: It's bring a friend weekend in East Lansing. No really, it is. So Mike may be up to something. However, LAST FULL WEEKEND OF COLLEGE FOOTBALL TILL AUGUST /WAILS

Northwestern (-3.5) at Illinois

Ty: Northwestern should, SHOULD, win this game. However, there have been a lot of SHOULDS for them this year. This has certainly not been the year that they'd been hoping for, or some CN writers were expecting for the Wildcats, but this game can go a long ways toward recovery. I think they win big. NWU 35, Illinois 17

COBBY: DID I EVER TELL YOU GUYS THE STORY OF HOW I SPENT MY DECEMBER 31ST, 1999? WELL, MY BUDDIES WANTED TO GO TO DETROIT FOR A METALLICA CONCERT AND SO WE LEFT OMAHA AT LIKE 1AM ON THE 31ST. I GOT THE THIRD DEGREE FROM ONE OF MY BUDDIES DADS WHO HAD A BUS TICKET FOR HIM TO GO BACK TO COLLEGE ON THE 2ND SO I HAD TO MAKE SURE I HAD HIS ASS BACK HOME IN TIME FOR THAT. ALSO, AFTER I PACKED THE TRUNK WITH A COOLER AND ALL OF OUR FOOD, I BUSTED OFF THE KEY IN THE LOCK. OUR SPARE TIRE WAS BACK THERE, TOO. FUN TRIP IT WAS. ANYWAY, ON THE WAY BACK FROM THE CONCERT, MY BUDDY, WHO IS LEGALLY BLIND AND HAS THESE SPECIAL DRIVING GLASSES, ALMOST TOOK THE WRONG EXIT IN CHICAGO. HAD I NOT BEEN AWAKE, WE WOULD HAVE ENDED UP IN MILWAUKEE. WE STOPPED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE FREEWAY IN CHICAGO. YES AT 4AM ON JANUARY 1ST, EVEN CHICAGO IS A GHOST TOWN. WE ENDED UP GETTING GAS AT THIS PLACE IN CHICAGO THAT PROBABLY WOULD HAVE BEEN PRETTY SCARY HAD ANYONE ALIVE BEEN AWAKE. I WENT TO PAY FOR OUR GAS, BUT THE SHOP WAS LOCKED AND I HAD TO GIVE THIS DUDE AT THE COUNTER MONEY THROUGH ONE OF THOSE BANK TELLER WINDOWS. HE HAD ONE HAND HIDDEN UNDERNEATH THE COUNTER SO I KNEW THAT HE WAS PROBABLY MORE SCARED OF HIS LIFE AT THAT MOMENT THAT I WAS. ANYWAY. I CAN'T PICK CHICAGO'S TEAM TO WIN AFTER THAT EXPERIENCE, SO THERE. ILLINOIS 31, CHICAGO'S TEAM 13

Aaron: I think Illinois is actually the better team right now. I expect them to be able to beat Northwestern, especially at home. Illinois 24, Northwestern 10

Husker Mike: Have you watched Illinois much? Northwestern has been extremely unlucky against a pretty difficult schedule. This is Northwestern's easiest game since September. The Kitties get off the schneid. NW 27, Making Me Ill 17

Andy: Memphis & Temple are playing. Can we pick that? For this one, I'm pretty sure the cheerleaders & the mascot will be in the corner of the field drunked up & pissing themselves like that 1st game in The Waterboy. Prediction: Utter disinterest.

Brian: Who the hell would have thunk that Illinois would have the better B1G record going into this game. Who the hell else would have thunk that Illinois would do that only having one damn win in conference to do that? The Illini should win twice this weekend: by beating NW and telling Tim Beckman to go kick rocks.

Texas A&M (+5) at Missouri

Ty: If they were still in the Big XII... Nevermind. Manziel's still good... Damn good... but he's about it at TAMU. Missouri's proven themselves to be deep and built for the long haul. It helps, also, that the game's in Columbia. Mizzou 42, aTm 31

Aaron: I think Manzell struggles again this week. It's time for Kevin Sumlin to take that USC, Texas or Florida job, because next year, A&M likely regresses to the mean. Especially if Johnny goes pro and their defense doesn't pick it up. Missouri 41, A&M 24

COBBY: I CAN'T PICK MISSOURA TO WIN THIS WEEKEND. THEY ARE AN SEC TEAM PLAYING IN THE COLD AND THAT CAN'T BODE WELL FOR THEM, RIGHT? THE AGGIES ARE USED TO THEIR SHEEP KEEPING THEM WARM AT NIGHTS SO THEY SHOULD BE BETTER PREPARED FOR THE WEATHER CONDITIONS. BESIDES, THIS GAME IS SATURDAY NIGHT AND ODDS ARE THAT I WILL HAVE ALREADY RUN OUT OF RED BULL AND VODKA FROM ALL OF FRIDAYS AND SATURDAY GAMES. I'll LIKELY BE PASSED OUT ON THE COUCH ANYWAY. SHEEP HERDERS 35, MISSOURA 17.

Husker Mike: Johnny Football won't be held down two games in a row. And Mizery can't stand prosperity. Gaggies 38, Tiggers 35

Andy: The idea that AJ McCarron could a Heisman is stupefying. I thought we weren't going to do that Gino Toretta shit again. Seriously - you should have to win your conference to play for a national title & you should be the best person on your team to win a Heisman. Or at least not the 13th or 14th best. Or, for shit's sake, if you get hurt, your fan base should voice mild concern. Doubt that would happen. Pity for a fine young man, maybe, but not any real worries.

Yes, that's my way of saying Johnny Football should still win a Heisman despite a bad game. Unless Winston isn't a rapist. aTm 43 Misery 39

Brian: If we're going by Andy's logic, shouldn't Jordan Lynch be getting some dap to go to NYC for this? YOU HEARD ME.

As far as this game? Manziel comes guns blazing, and Mizzou's D, which hasn't been bad this year, gets torched. Tears flow in Columbia on Senior Day and a Tiggers loss sends South Carolina to Atlanta where they will be humiliated like Hadley was when they took him out at the end of Shawshank Redemption.

South Carolina (-5) at Clemson

Ty: I honestly don't know how to pick this one. I also can't wrap my mind around SC as the favorite. Clemson still has Tajh Boyd and Sammy Watkins, and they still need to prove they belong with the big boys. However, Clowney's been relatively quiet this year. This is a good game for him to remind us about his hype machine. Uh... Clemson by a field goal.

Aaron: South Carolina has been playing a lot better lately and I haven't heard a lick about Clemson since Florida State. I expect this to be a beat down of an overrated Tigers team. South Carolina 35, Clemson 13

COBBY: APPARENTLY I'M NOT SUPPOSE TO WATCH ANY FOOTBALL ON FRIDAY AND SATURDAY AND THEN TRY TO WATCH EVERY GAME AT THE SAME TIME ON SATURDAY NIGHT. I DON'T GET WHY THIS GAME IS IN PRIME TIME. WHO OUTSIDE OF SOUTH CAROLINA EVEN CARES ABOUT THIS GAME? AND WHAT THE HELL IS A CLEMSON ANYWAY? (NOT THE REAL)USC 7, CLEMSOFF 3.

Husker Mike: Time for some more Prime-Time Clempsoning. South Carolina 27, Clemson 21

Andy: Never bet against the streak. After a Clemson-heavy stretch in which the Tigers won 10 of 12, The Ol' Bawl Coach has run off four in a row against their brother ‘necks. Climpson's been on a diet of schedule dogshit since getting the Ralphie treatment (*) from the ‘Noles. If SC shows Tajh Boyd a little pressure, PTSD is going to kick in, he's going to get an uncontrollable eye twitch and turnovers will follow. ‘Cocks (harharhar...Cocks) 34 Tigs 27

(*) Fans of The Sopranos may remember Ralph Cifaretto & his short romance with Tony's sister, Janice. A semi-graphic sex scene with them took two wholly unattractive people & upped the ante with some bed play that had viewers ripping their eyes out of their sockets to unsee it. If you don't know what I'm talking about, Google away at your own risk. I simply came to think of it in sports terms as the Ralphie Treatment. I may have read that somewhere.

Brian: Clemson is a dog at home? Really??? Man, they still don't trust Dabo and Boyd at home. I kinda do, cause I am still not sold on South Carolina, who had a dogfight with UCF on the road. Give me Clemson, cause OBC will be more interested in Alabama than the Tigers.

Texas Tech (+4) at Texas (Thanksgiving Night)

Note: Due to a communications snafu, the predictions didn't get posted on Thursday. Rest assured, once you see our predictions for this game, it's pretty clear we didn't cheat on this one. Texas won 41-16.

Ty: Ugh. I coach for the Longhorns, but not this one thank goodness. Ryan Gosling's team 48, Former Head Coach Mack Brown's team 27.

COBBY: TWO MEDIOCRE BIG XII TEAMS GOING AT IT ON THURSDAY NIGHT. GUESS I'LL GET MY CHRISTMAS SHOPPING DONE THEN SINCE ALL THE STORES SEEM TO BE OPEN ON THANKSGIVING NOW ANYWAY. TEXAS, DON'T CARE. TEXAS TECH, NEVER CARED.

Aaron: This game does nothing for me. Well, if Tech runs it up on Texas, that might do something for me. Tech 48, UT 10

Husker Mike: One more swan song before Mack gets knifed. Cows 31, Tech 24

Andy: Tech is in complete freefall right now & has given up 202 points in their last four games, all losses, three by 18 or more. Go ahead & read that last sentence again. Seems like a loooong time since they were ranked. Texas may only be the 3rd or 4th best team in the state right now, but that's still one slot ahead of the Red Raiders. Texas 48 Tech 33

Brian: Andy's right about Tech. Their D is a massive liability, and UT is playing good ball right now. Texas goes out in Mack's final home game on top.

Iowa (+3) at Nebraska

Ty: Man, Iowa's been an unexpected revelation this year. This game could easily show us how crazy the B1G has been this year, unless the Huskers win in a blowout, then it'll feel like the status quo. However, I don't see that. The Huskers win, but it's close. Huskers 31, Hawkeyes, 27.

Aaron: Game of the week. I'm going to go with the Hawkeyes. They have played a tougher schedule and have looked solid against most everyone. The only real stinker was Wisconsin, but they took it to Ohio State. I think their offense is going to give us trouble with their run game and TE formations. We can't win all the close ones. Iowa 27, Nebraska 21.

COBBY: DON'T PICK AGAINST NEBRASKA YOU TURD. WE CAN'T LOSE TO IOWA. EVER. EVEN THOUGH THIS GAME IS ON PAST MY BEDTIME (5AM), I'M GOING TO STAY AWAKE FOR IT TO SEE THE HUSKERS POUND THE HAWKS. WAIT, I JUST REALIZED SOMETHING. WHAT IF WE NAMED MEMORIAL STADIUM "HAWKS FIELD" LIKE WE DID THE BASEBALL STADIUM? I THINK I JUST BLEW UP MY BRAIN. WHY THE HELL DID WE NAME THE BASEBALL STADIUM HAWKS FIELD!?! APPARENTLY NEBRASKANS LOVE IOWA! NOOOO! COBBY'S TEAM 52, COBBY'S LEAST FAVORITE TEAM 0.

Husker Mike: Based on how beat up Nebraska is, I certainly could make the case that Iowa wins in Lincoln. But I also remember how it took five mostly unforced turnovers for Michigan State to win in Lincoln. I think Ron Kellogg III starts and manages another Senior Day victory. Huskers 28, Iowa 21

Andy: Iowa's four losses are likely the most impressive of anyone in the country (N Ill, Ohio St, Mich St, Wisconsin). Yet, they dick around with a Michigan team at home that mailed it in a few weeks ago. Let's just say that this will be low scoring, it'll be ugly & only fans of either team will not be clicking away as fast as humanly possible. I'm with Mike, I say Ron "Dan Fouts" Kellogg pulls out one more. NU 22 Iowa 16

(And if Iowa wins, I'll sleep easy knowing Cobby can still go on Twitter and have Hawkeye fans whining & screaming for hours even in victory.)

Brian: Iowa's D isn't a joke, and the last time Nebraska faced a bunch of TE's that had a clue, they stormed the field in victory in Minneapolis. I think Nebraska's D can handle Weisman, but I also wonder how good of a game Jake Rudock has against the Nebraska LB's with those TE's and Damon Bullock, who is pretty decent coming out of the backfield.

The DL for Iowa is pretty good, but Ameer has gotten his yards against Michigan State and such, so I don't think they can stop him. However, this could be the best group of LB's that Nebraska has faced all year, and that will make Kellogg have to use play-action and those WR screens to stay on schedule.

I do think, with Senior Day, the want to get to Florida for New Years and such, and the whole "does Bo go" stuff, that focusing on the game will be the easiest thing Nebraska can do this week. I am calling a close, well played Nebraska victory, however Iowa winning the game wouldn't shock me in the least.

But, no matter what, the silly season starts for the Husker fanbase as we find out one way or another what the future of the program will encompass.