Nebraska QB Zac Lee had 14 TD passes and 12 picks last season.
Big Red is officially back on the map. No, the Nebraska Cornhuskers didn't win the Big XII last season, and no, they didn't ultimately play in a BCS game, but they proved that they are once again relevant on the national scene in
NCAA college football.
Head coach Bo Pelini was given a task with Nebraska when he took over as the man in charge in Lincoln. He needed to make the Huskers a force in the Big XII once again and bring back that "Black Shirts" defensive mentality. This will be the last chance for Nebraska to make headway in the Big XII, as it is heading to the Big Ten as a part of conference realignment.
Pelini has absolutely succeeded with the Nebraska defense. Though only seven NCAAF college defensive starters return, there are enough forces to challenge last season's defense that allowed a nation-best 10.4 PPG. The Black Shirts allowed just 178.7 YPG through the air (No. 18 in the country) and 93.0 YPG on the ground (No. 9).
Replacing starting safeties Larry Asante and Matt O'Hanlon will be difficult. However, the more difficult task is going to be finding someone to fill the shoes of DT Ndamukong Suh, the No. 2 pick in this year's NFL Draft. Tackle Jared Crick, who was also an All-Big XII selection last year, will be expected to nail down the fort in the middle of the 'Huskers 'D'.
Ten of the 11 starters are back from last year's offense, with center Jacob Hickman being the lone absentee.
Who knows if that is really a good thing or not, though? The Cornhuskers ranked No. 99 in the country in total offense at 322.8 YPG. There were several games where the unit just bogged down.
The one bright spot was RB Roy Helu, who rushed for 1,147 yards and 10 TDs. Helu, now a senior, has just over 2,100 yards for his career. Having four returning offensive linemen is going to help the cause dramatically.
Everyone expects QB Zac Lee to get the nod under center when the NCAAF college schedule season gets underway, but that wasn't a given every week last year. Lee completed just 58.6 percent of his passes for 2,143 yards and 14 scores against 12 picks. The passing attack ranked No. 101 in the country at 175.7 YPG.
Though Nebraska averaged 25.1 PPG last season, one must remember that this is a team that didn't score more than 33 points against a BCS school all season. Beating Florida Atlantic (49-3), Arkansas State (38-9), and Louisiana-Lafayette (55-0) were merely stat-padding efforts.
The Big Red covered all three of those non-conference NCAAF college spreads, but they also covered against both Virginia Tech and Arizona. A loss to the Hokies was a horrifying one with a 16-15 score line, but it was more than enough to cover the 5 ½-point college football betting line.
Nebraska ended the season with an emphatic 33-0 victory over the Wildcats in the Holiday Bowl.
Conference play was significantly tougher for the 'Huskers. They lost outright at home to both Texas Tech and Iowa State as double-digit favorites and closed the year at 4-5 ATS. That included a non-cover in the Big XII Championship Game.
The schedule this year is an incredibly favorable one. Barring a trip at either Washington or Kansas State, Nebraska should be undefeated going into NCAAF college games at home against Texas, at Oklahoma State, and at home against Missouri. If they can survive that three-game stretch without a blunder, the Cornhuskers will have a legitimate chance of running the table.
It should come as no surprise, especially with Missouri coming to Lincoln, that the Cornhuskers are minus 250 chalks to win the Big XII North for the second straight season. It is particularly notable that Oklahoma doesn't appear on Nebraska's slate.
The Cornhuskers are plus 200, the second choice on the board to take the conference's BCS berth. Nebraska is plus 1500 to win the BCS Championship at BoDog Sportsbook.