Friday Flakes: A Sampling of Nebraska Football’s Local Perception

On Wednesday at basketball practice, Brad, a fellow assistant coach mentioned to me that ESPN came out with their most recent Way-Too-Early Top 25 for next year’s college football season.

He asked, “Do you think Nebraska is in it?”

My reaction, “They shouldn’t be but probably are.”

“Yep. They’re number 24.”

As I pulled into work this morning Damon Benning and Gary Sharp, of Sharp and Benning, asked whether there is a large disconnect with how local fans feel about Nebraska when compared to the national media. As in, the national media has a more positive outlook about Nebraska in 2019 than the local fan base.

There might be a disconnect.

I immediately thought that there wasn’t anyone in my circle of friends that believes Nebraska should be in any “too early” top 25. So just to check I asked 12 of my friends (8 men and 4 women) about their expectations for next year.

I learned pretty quickly that I was wrong.

To begin, I asked for their projected win total not including the bowl game. After compiling their answers the average came out to 8.6 wins. The highest being 11 and the lowest was 6 wins.

Then I asked for any additional comments which some but not all added to their prediction. I am aware that just picking a win total doesn’t mean whether somebody believes we should be in a top 25, but I do think it is an indicator.

Let’s start with somebody reasonable...

Bri: “I’d say, easier schedule so 7. I think we’ll make a bowl.”

And now let’s go the other direction....

Chris: “I would say that we finished the year really strong and have a decent recruiting class and a great developer. Now with a full year I would say new year they win 11 games. Possibly the Big 10 West. Seriously I think they beat one of either Wisconsin or Ohio State. Sheesh. Possibly 12 yikes. Maybe too optimistic but a full year of strength and culture change and they are going to be that much better.”

Brent B: “Ever the optimist myself I am going with 10 wins.”

Brent S: “I really think last year we were four plays from being 8-4 if not a few more from being a 9 win team. I try not to be that unrealistic Husker Fan but I think we win 9 games. I think we win all games but Wisconsin, Iowa, Ohio State, and Northwestern with an upset of one of those 4.”

Kyle: “I think there’s a good chance we win the Spring Game. I think we lose to Ohio State and Wisconsin. Are they winnable? I think so after the way we competed last year. Until we beat them though, those two will get the benefit of the doubt...I’m predicting 9-3 with a second place finish in the West. Bowl win against Texas A&M or Florida. Top 12 recruiting class.”

Chad: “We improved so much over the course of the year and if he gets more time things could get great fast. I would put our over under on wins for next year at 8. Schedule is easier and Frost has more of “his guys.” Adrian Martinez - I have concerns on if he can stay healthy because in most offenses the QB is the key to it all...we have potential to be the number one offense in the B1G next year and if our defense can be mediocre then I think 8 wins is definitely a number we can hit.”

Jeff: “Favorable schedule is telling me 10-2 but still building the team moves it to 8-4 with a couple close losses we should have won. Rent a car if you’re driving out to Boulder for the game.”

Aaron: “Still glaring concerns in the trenches on both sides of the ball. What have we fixed since last year?” He picked 8 games.

The Wife: “6 just to be against the grain.”

The Wife is from Missouri. Just sayin’.

My turn.

I just try to remind myself of a couple things when thinking about how many games Nebraska could win.

First, Nebraska won four games last year. The Huskers lose four of its’ top five tacklers from a defense that was porous at best. We are making a lot of assumptions that the guys behind those seniors are going to be upgrades.

It is true that the 2019 recruiting class should help, especially Darrion Daniels, but realistically it is hard to ask kids to make an immediate impact right away. Unless you are Alabama, Rutgers or Clemson.

On offense, which is the strength of this team and will likely be as long as Scott Frost is here, Nebraska loses one of the top receivers in school history and a likely NFL draft pick (in my opinion) in Devine Ozigbo. So coming back we have JD Spielman who ended last season hobbled with an injury and Maurice Washington. We all know that at this point it might be safe to not expect Washington in 2019. When more information comes forward then maybe we can change our tune.

If Washington is out for 2019, then Dedrick Mills might be the biggest member of the 2019 recruiting class.

That is a lot of negativity. It is warranted. Maybe it protects me from getting disappointed.

Good thing Nebraska has Adrian Martinez. That is a reason for hope.

I’m going with 7 wins. I wouldn’t be upset if I’m wrong.

Yes, I get to change that as the winds change.

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Herbie Through A Historic Lens

The Huskers twitter account tweeted this on Wednesday afternoon. The real important question is which version of Herbie do you not want to meet in a dark alley.?

A Friendly Wager - Help Us Decide

In our slack chat room on Wednesday night there was an conversation among the writers that we should approach another SBNation site and say that whoever wins in one of our head-to-head match-ups this season, that the loser has to get a tattoo.

Jon would be the one getting the tattoo we decided. Fortunately or unfortunately for Jon, he was not involved in the conversation.

So we wanted to approach the Corn Nation readers and help us decide where Jon should get the tattoo. The tattoo would be the mascot or emblem of another Big 10 University. Let us know!

On to the flakes...

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Sports News

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“All I know about Zac is, he’s a football guy.” ––Scott Frost on Zac Taylor

But I digress . . .

How can that be? This is just the beginning, right?

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NBA Rumors: Celtics believe Rich Paul planted story on Kyrie Irving's future
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Matt Kuchar breaks silence on debate over caddie pay
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He broke his silence on the issue on Wednesday with Golf Channel.

“It’s kind of too bad that it’s turned into a story, Kuchar told Golf Channel. “I really didn’t think it was a story because we had an arrangement when I started. … We had an arrangement Tuesday that David was OK with, and I thought Sunday he was very much OK with it.”

Anthony Davis hoping for second chance — with Michael Jordan
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Sources: MLB and players discussing rule changes that could alter game
Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association are discussing potentially drastic changes to the on-field game and economic landscape of the sport in the middle of a collective bargaining agreement, a significant departure from the past that speaks to the chasm between the parties but represents a thaw in the chill that has divided the sides, sources familiar with the talks told ESPN.

Huskers maintain No. 1 class in 2020 rankings update
One thing that didn’t change in the shuffle was Nebraska’s spot atop the 247Sports team rankings for the 2020 class.

Explosive third quarter leads Terrapins' rout of Huskers | Huskers | fremonttribune.com
The Nebraska women’s basketball team battled in the first half Thursday night against No. 7 Maryland, but the Terrapins used a dominant third quarter to beat the Huskers 89-63 in College Park, Maryland.

The Huskers fell to 0-11 against the Terrapins.

Husker baseball: Three things we know, three unanswered questions | Huskers | fremonttribune.com
The Nebraska baseball team begins its season Friday in the suburbs of Los Angeles with a four-game series at UC-Riverside. Here are three things we know and three unanswered questions about the Huskers as they try to rebound from last season's 24-28 campaign.

Three things we know:

“STICK TO SPORTS!” Nah.

Why Tesla Model X has a perfect 5-star safety rating - Business Insider
This Tesla Model X refuses to roll over. Unlike most SUVs which tend to roll over with ease, the Model X continues to return to an upright position. Here's why the Model X was the first SUV to receive a perfect crash test rating. When it comes to vehicle safety, size matters. So it's not uncommon for SUVs to be generally safer than your standard sedan. However, they tend to have one big shortcoming. Rollovers.

Of Rats, Voles and Online Porn - Areo
In his book The Brain That Changes Itself, Dr Norman Doidge describes a study of men viewing pornography. The men, he writes, looked “uncannily” like the rats pushing their levers: “Like the addicted rats the men were desperately seeking their next fix, clicking the mouse just as the rats pushed the lever.”

The 'Miles Per Gallon' Illusion | RealClearScience
Consider the case of two car owners: One is looking to switch their SUV averaging 12 miles per gallon (MPG) to an SUV averaging 14. The other is looking to switch their compact car averaging 30 MPG to a newer model averaging 40. Both individuals drive 10,000 miles per year. Who of these two people would save the most gasoline and money?

The St. Valentine’s Day Massacre and Al Capone—Excerpt from Get Capone | Chicago magazine | May 2010
St. Valentine’s Day 1929 began like most other winter mornings in Chicago, with gray skies and stinging cold. A light snow, like confectioner’s sugar, powdered the city’s sidewalks. Bakers and florists woke early to prepare for the crush of holiday customers. All over the city, children put the finishing touches on cards before leaving for school.

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An Explosion of Nostalgia

This probably dates me a little bit, but I remember when this came out. It was awesome. I know there have to be a bunch of you that remember this commercial.

THE BEST THING I SAW ON THE INTERNET THIS WEEK x 3

I couldn’t stop laughing...

Exhibit 3,546 why I prefer dogs.

And I’ll just leave this here. Have a great weekend and as always thanks for reading!