Spielman and Morgan are Athlon preseason 1st team All Big 10

[ajehealth]

Our WR group is going to be very good. Offense will be better than anyone expects.

As long the OL can do a decent job during the rebuild the offense will do damage.

Good WR play and the threat of the legs and a fast pace.....love it

 

[ajehealth]

https://athlonsports.com/college-football/big-ten-football-2018-all-conference-team

It would be nice to see more than one defensive name on that list next year.

 

[Pennsyhusker_rivals246774]

Our WR group is going to be very good. Offense will be better than anyone expects.

As long the OL can do a decent job during the rebuild the offense will do damage.

Good WR play and the threat of the legs and a fast pace.....love it

Hope you are right. But for once in the preseason I am going to pass on the red koolaid.

1. I don't care how great the new offensive system is. It is still new and there is almost always a learning curve that takes a full year to implement.
2. We are breaking in a new QB, whoever that will be. And, once again, even if they are talented, there is NO substitute for real game experience. Even the great Tommie Frazier had some bumps and hiccups in his first year.
3. Our skill people should be good on offense. But the verdict is still out on the offensive line. These guys flat out sucked last year and they too are learning new blocking schemes. I am in a definite "prove it to me" mode with the line

 

[tpmcg_rivals137159]

i like the headline, but there's a lot of work to be done.

 

[GeorgeFlippin]

i like the headline, but there's a lot of work to be done.

 

[ajehealth]

Hope you are right. But for once in the preseason I am going to pass on the red koolaid.

1. I don't care how great the new offensive system is. It is still new and there is almost always a learning curve that takes a full year to implement.
2. We are breaking in a new QB, whoever that will be. And, once again, even if they are talented, there is NO substitute for real game experience. Even the great Tommie Frazier had some bumps and hiccups in his first year.
3. Our skill people should be good on offense. But the verdict is still out on the offensive line. These guys flat out sucked last year and they too are learning new blocking schemes. I am in a definite "prove it to me" mode with the line

Personally, I think the offense carries the team this season. Defense should be better, but they have to unlearn a lot crap from Diaco.

 

[TruHusker]

Hope you are right. But for once in the preseason I am going to pass on the red koolaid.

1. I don't care how great the new offensive system is. It is still new and there is almost always a learning curve that takes a full year to implement.
2. We are breaking in a new QB, whoever that will be. And, once again, even if they are talented, there is NO substitute for real game experience. Even the great Tommie Frazier had some bumps and hiccups in his first year.
3. Our skill people should be good on offense. But the verdict is still out on the offensive line. These guys flat out sucked last year and they too are learning new blocking schemes. I am in a definite "prove it to me" mode with the line

Personally, I think the offense carries the team this season. Defense should be better, but they have to unlearn a lot crap from Diaco.

That is a lot of pressure to expect a newly minted O to carry a team an entire season especially with a totally unproven QB. Why would only the D need to “unlearn” things, would not the O be in the same boat? Seems to me the entire team will be going through major change this year. I am willing to sit back and be patient as there will be growing pains.

 

[Headcard]

Personally, I think the offense carries the team this season. Defense should be better, but they have to unlearn a lot crap from Diaco.

Maybe, but it was completely the opposite at UCF. The defense carried them year 1 and they struggled on offense. The O took off in year two.

 

[artguy68]

Other notes: Wisconsin has 4 of 5 1st team OL players. Michigan has 6 1st team players on defense. Tre Bryant is 4th team, but I thought his playing career was likely over.

 

[ajehealth]

That is a lot of pressure to expect a newly minted O to carry a team an entire season especially with a totally unproven QB. Why would only the D need to “unlearn” things, would not the O be in the same boat? Seems to me the entire team will be going through major change this year. I am willing to sit back and be patient as there will be growing pains.

Easier to unlearn Riley BS when you are doing thousands of reps at a fast pace under Frost.

We have better talent on O than when Frost took over UCF.

 

[RealTucoSalamanca]

That is a lot of pressure to expect a newly minted O to carry a team an entire season especially with a totally unproven QB. Why would only the D need to “unlearn” things, would not the O be in the same boat? Seems to me the entire team will be going through major change this year. I am willing to sit back and be patient as there will be growing pains.

Based on performance and results, I am not sure the defense really learned a whole lot last year to unlearn. JMHO

 

[Pennsyhusker_rivals246774]

Personally, I think the offense carries the team this season. Defense should be better, but they have to unlearn a lot crap from Diaco.

Hopefully they will overcome their "strain". Lol

 

[BleedHuskerRed]

Personally, I think the offense carries the team this season. Defense should be better, but they have to unlearn a lot crap from Diaco.

I don't think they learned anything. The guy made zero sense and I am pretty sure they tuned him out. All they have to do is come to play, be teachable and I predict we will see marked improvement.

 

[HUSKERFAN66]

Personally, I think the offense carries the team this season. Defense should be better, but they have to unlearn a lot crap from Diaco.

And banker.

 

[Pennsyhusker_rivals246774]

I am a huge believer in coach Frost. For once, I think the Fortunes have smiled on us and our own hometown boy was the best coach out there on the market last year. He was such a hot commodity the pundits kept saying there was no way he would come here since he could have his pick of programs in much better recruiting areas. Glad they were wrong. I think he is the real deal.

That said... I don't want him becoming a victim of his own success and the high expectations that he has brought here again. I LOVE that we once again have those expectations. Damn it feels good to be a Husker right now!

But given our schedule, our roster holes, our diminished talent pool, and the new systems on both sides of the ball... what will fan reaction be if we go 6-6 or 5-7?? My gut says most fans get all these factors and there will be patience. I hope so.

 

[ajehealth]

I am a huge believer in coach Frost. For once, I think the Fortunes have smiled on us and our own hometown boy was the best coach out there on the market last year. He was such a hot commodity the pundits kept saying there was no way he would come here since he could have his pick of programs in much better recruiting areas. Glad they were wrong. I think he is the real deal.

That said... I don't want him becoming a victim of his own success and the high expectations that he has brought here again. I LOVE that we once again have those expectations. Damn it feels good to be a Husker right now!

But given our schedule, our roster holes, our diminished talent pool, and the new systems on both sides of the ball... what will fan reaction be if we go 6-6 or 5-7?? My gut says most fans get all these factors and there will be patience. I hope so.

Most think 6 to 8....I think 8 is possible, it just depends on progress.

 

[Redscarlet]

Tre Bryant may not see the field this year.

Greg Bell looked the best in the spring...
Looking forward seeing Miles Jones do his thing.

 

[z28craz]

I am a huge believer in coach Frost. For once, I think the Fortunes have smiled on us and our own hometown boy was the best coach out there on the market last year. He was such a hot commodity the pundits kept saying there was no way he would come here since he could have his pick of programs in much better recruiting areas. Glad they were wrong. I think he is the real deal.

That said... I don't want him becoming a victim of his own success and the high expectations that he has brought here again. I LOVE that we once again have those expectations. Damn it feels good to be a Husker right now!

But given our schedule, our roster holes, our diminished talent pool, and the new systems on both sides of the ball... what will fan reaction be if we go 6-6 or 5-7?? My gut says most fans get all these factors and there will be patience. I hope so.

Pretty much how I feel. I think we are going to see vast improvement on both sides of the ball between now and the end of the season. I’m just not entirely certain that improvement is going to translate to a significant improvement in the win column. I do expect 2-3 more wins this season over last because I don’t think losses to N. Illinois, Northwestern, or Minnesota last year are indicative of how good they were so much as they were indicative of how bad we were. And much of that was due to coaching, atttitude, and accountability. I think improvement in attitude and accountability are worth a couple wins.

We have Akron, Troy, Purdue, Minnesota, and Illinois at home. We should absolutely win all 5 of those. And yes, I know Minnesota took us behind the woodshed last year, but I don’t think that’s because they were that good, I think we just gave up and rolled over in that game. 2018 will be vastly different, and I suspect the coaches are competitive enough to know which games are must wins, and I would think be these 5 are solidly in the must win category. Purdue is a trap game, sandwiched between games at Michigan and Wisconsin, but I still would say that should be a win.

We SHOULD beat CU at home and NW on the road. Although NW is right after Wisconsin, so that won’t be a cakewalk. I still expect to win both games.

Iowa and Michigan State are both toss ups with the nod going to the opposing teams. But I won’t count us down and out in either game.

I know we’re Nebraska and should expect to win every time we take the field no matter who the opponent is. But reality is that we have not had that level of coaching and talent since 1999. So realistically I don’t expect to beat Michigan, Wisconsin, or OSU. I expect to lose all three. I hope I’m wrong and will gladly eat crow and ask for seconds if I am.

The past 10 years I’ve said we could land between 8-4 and 10-2. This year, I think we could land anywhere form 5-7 to 9-3. But I think the greatest probability would put us at 6-6 with a shot at 8-4. IMO, year 1 under Frost, with this schedule, and a new QB, I would consider 6-6 to 8-4 a good start to the Frost era.

 

[bshirt73]

Most think 6 to 8....I think 8 is possible, it just depends on progress.

Me too...my bet is eight but six or seven is just fine assuming we're fighting hard. Three years of horrible Beaver-Ball will take awhile to totally reject.

 

[Redscarlet]

Most think 6 to 8....I think 8 is possible, it just depends on progress.

Me too...my bet is eight but six or seven is just fine assuming we're fighting hard. Three years of horrible Beaver-Ball will take awhile to totally reject.

8 is a big possibility if they can take 2 out of 3 against Northwestern, Michigan St and Iowa providing we don’t stumble to Purdue at home.

 

[ajehealth]

8 is a big possibility if they can take 2 out of 3 against Northwestern, Michigan St and Iowa providing we don’t stumble to Purdue at home.

My path to 8 wins is pretty realistic...win the home games and pull off an upset on the road.

 

[huskerfan1414]

The biggest thing to "un-learn" is the losing mentality we accumulated last season.
Winners have an entire different mentality than most people and teams.
Changing the mentality in practice and going into games will be the biggest part. And its easier said than done. Cant just say "we're gonna win rah rah!".
Youve gotta feel it in your entire being.
Winners feel this way.
And it feels great.
Once we have that changed we are in every game. But it has to be earned.

 

[Pennsyhusker_rivals246774]

Pretty much how I feel. I think we are going to see vast improvement on both sides of the ball between now and the end of the season. I’m just not entirely certain that improvement is going to translate to a significant improvement in the win column. I do expect 2-3 more wins this season over last because I don’t think losses to N. Illinois, Northwestern, or Minnesota last year are indicative of how good they were so much as they were indicative of how bad we were. And much of that was due to coaching, atttitude, and accountability. I think improvement in attitude and accountability are worth a couple wins.

We have Akron, Troy, Purdue, Minnesota, and Illinois at home. We should absolutely win all 5 of those. And yes, I know Minnesota took us behind the woodshed last year, but I don’t think that’s because they were that good, I think we just gave up and rolled over in that game. 2018 will be vastly different, and I suspect the coaches are competitive enough to know which games are must wins, and I would think be these 5 are solidly in the must win category. Purdue is a trap game, sandwiched between games at Michigan and Wisconsin, but I still would say that should be a win.

We SHOULD beat CU at home and NW on the road. Although NW is right after Wisconsin, so that won’t be a cakewalk. I still expect to win both games.

Iowa and Michigan State are both toss ups with the nod going to the opposing teams. But I won’t count us down and out in either game.

I know we’re Nebraska and should expect to win every time we take the field no matter who the opponent is. But reality is that we have not had that level of coaching and talent since 1999. So realistically I don’t expect to beat Michigan, Wisconsin, or OSU. I expect to lose all three. I hope I’m wrong and will gladly eat crow and ask for seconds if I am.

The past 10 years I’ve said we could land between 8-4 and 10-2. This year, I think we could land anywhere form 5-7 to 9-3. But I think the greatest probability would put us at 6-6 with a shot at 8-4. IMO, year 1 under Frost, with this schedule, and a new QB, I would consider 6-6 to 8-4 a good start to the Frost era.

I like your analysis here. It is going to be an interesting season.

 

[TruHusker]

I am a huge believer in coach Frost. For once, I think the Fortunes have smiled on us and our own hometown boy was the best coach out there on the market last year. He was such a hot commodity the pundits kept saying there was no way he would come here since he could have his pick of programs in much better recruiting areas. Glad they were wrong. I think he is the real deal.

That said... I don't want him becoming a victim of his own success and the high expectations that he has brought here again. I LOVE that we once again have those expectations. Damn it feels good to be a Husker right now!

But given our schedule, our roster holes, our diminished talent pool, and the new systems on both sides of the ball... what will fan reaction be if we go 6-6 or 5-7?? My gut says most fans get all these factors and there will be patience. I hope so.

I don't get in to making record predictions. No one knows a darn thing about the other team, nor ours for that matter, they just know it is a team on the schedule we have beaten in the past and should again. That hasn't worked out so well the past few years.

Realistically, we have holes on both sides of the ball and they may not be apparent now or for the first few games. Teams, like all good teams do, will figure out where the weak spots and exploit them. Some teams are better equipped than others to take advantage of another teams weaknesses but eventually they catch up to you. So the first few games may or may not tell us much other than having a disciplined well coached team - over the season, areas of concern and injuries will reveal what the coaches already knew and have tried to cover up.

I have complete confidence in Frost and his staff, they just have a big mountain to climb. Comparing what UCF did statistically MAY be a stretch to translate it into the B1G so we will see on that. I am in the crowd that wants to see the consistent effort, fewer mental mistakes verses physical ones, be very disciplined in all areas of play and have a relentless attitude. None of those overcome lack of physical ability but as a team it will help to make up for some of those shortcomings.

I recall the days when we first joined the B1G and it was considered a plodding, 3 and a cloud of dust league. Many on here were salivating that our "speed" and quickness was going to show those big brutes how to win ball games. Well, it never quite happened - so now we will see - in the hands of coaching staff to transform a program, not an overnight task.

 

[catch54]

https://athlonsports.com/college-football/big-ten-football-2018-all-conference-team

It would be nice to see more than one defensive name on that list next year.

How about a Wisconsin vs. Clemson bowl game?
With the Badger offensive line vs the Clemson defensive line !!!

 

[Nit777]

Other notes: Wisconsin has 4 of 5 1st team OL players. Michigan has 6 1st team players on defense. Tre Bryant is 4th team, but I thought his playing career was likely over.

I was going to comment on this also.

Some hypes just never go away. Such as Wisky has the best OL and Michigan is super tough on defense.

There are 70 offensive linemen in the BIG and 4 of the top 5 are at Wisky?

Michigan has 6 of the best defenders in the Big 10?

Gary has lived on the same hype as Jabril Peppers. He maybe had 30 tackles last year. Granted, hard to judge DTs on tackles, but he totally disappeared against PSU and S. Carolina.

There will probably be 2 or 3 DL from OSU alone go before Winovich in next year's draft.

The 2 Lbs and the 2 defensive backs are solid players, but really, four of the 84 LBs and DBs in the BIG and 4 of the top 7 are from Michigan?

 

[Larry Hagman's Liver]

... what will fan reaction be if we go 6-6 or 5-7?

Tough to answer, because the two records you listed represent two very different outcomes: bowl eligibility or falling just short. To me, qualifying for a bowl game is the minimum expectation for 2018 because Nebraska should always go bowling (even in lean years led by misfit head coaches). We also need the extra month of practice in a rebuild as we set things up for a potentially big 2019 season.

Given the schedule, new systems on both sides of the ball and sub-championship-level talent, I think most reasonable NU fans would be satisfied with 6-6 (not happy, but satisfied). If we exceed that by winning 7, 8 or even 9, that's just gravy.

But a one-game improvement to 5-7 would fall short for most. Even with the tough schedule, 6-6 means winning the ones in which you're favored and losing all the others. A 5-7 record means we pulled no upsets, most likely lost all our road games and again let someone other than MSU beat us on our home field.

I honestly think we'll do better than 6-6, but I'm trying not to get wrapped up in the win total. Show improvement throughout the season, play hard, play the right way, be competitive in virtually every game and qualify for a bowl game. Then we can ratchet things up in '19 and beyond.

 

[Pennsyhusker_rivals246774]

Tough to answer, because the two records you listed represent two very different outcomes: bowl eligibility or falling just short. To me, qualifying for a bowl game is the minimum expectation for 2018 because Nebraska should always go bowling (even in lean years led by misfit head coaches). We also need the extra month of practice in a rebuild as we set things up for a potentially big 2019 season.

Given the schedule, new systems on both sides of the ball and sub-championship-level talent, I think most reasonable NU fans would be satisfied with 6-6 (not happy, but satisfied). If we exceed that by winning 7, 8 or even 9, that's just gravy.

But a one-game improvement to 5-7 would fall short for most. Even with the tough schedule, 6-6 means winning the ones in which you're favored and losing all the others. A 5-7 record means we pulled no upsets, most likely lost all our road games and again let someone other than MSU beat us on our home field.

I honestly think we'll do better than 6-6, but I'm trying to get wrapped up in the win total. Show improvement throughout the season, play hard, play the right way, be competitive in virtually every game and qualify for a bowl game. Then we can ratchet things up in '19 and beyond.

I agree with all of this. And I think we go 8-4. But with a rash of injuries to critical spots, we could go 5-7. Our depth at some spots is razor thin. So I am curious what fan reaction would be with that. I think 90% of our fan base would be bitterly disappointed, but understanding.

 

[Larry Hagman's Liver]

I agree with all of this. And I think we go 8-4. But with a rash of injuries to critical spots, we could go 5-7. Our depth at some spots is razor thin. So I am curious what fan reaction would be with that. I think 90% of our fan base would be bitterly disappointed, but understanding.

That's a perfect way of describing what the reaction would be. I don't think a record exists, including 0-12, that would result in 90% of our fans losing faith in Frost long term. But the honeymoon sure would be over quick.