The following post is part of the BYB 2013 Preseason Top 25 Countdown. Continue to check in Monday-Friday each week as I count down the Top 25 teams in college football. I swear, even if I flake out and don’t do any other posts, I will continue the countdown.
These picks are a reflection of how I predict the college football season will shake out. I performed a complex formula and broke down each team’s schedule, predicting wins, losses and push games, you know, games that I’m to chicken shit to actually pick a winner. I then ranked the teams with the most predicted wins highest and the teams with the least predicted wins lowest.
This isn’t precise. For example, I have Texas at #23 with six wins, zero losses and six pushes. This means UT could finish 12-0, 6-6 or anything in between. While Texas is ranked low I think the Horns have a great chance at finishing the season ranked high.
The Top 25 is also influenced by other factors like strength of schedule and conference affiliation.
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| Nebraska QB Taylor Martinez |
Taylor Martinez’ career has been anything but magical. From a meteoric rise to a calamitous injury and decline and now to a painstaking day by day improvement, Martinez has worked to become a quarterback not only known for jaw dropping runs like the one below from the Big Ten Championship, but also for efficient passing and improved footwork and decision making.
As rocky a relationship as Martinez seemed to have with head coach Bo Pelini on the field in College Station in 2010 the fifth year quarterback and the sixth year head coach are tied to each other more so than any other coach and signal caller in the country.
Martinez leads an offense that will be counted on to carry the Huskers while Pelini’s defense continues to struggle and adjust to changing strengths and weaknesses of not only Nebraska’s opponents but to the Huskers’ own revolving door of defensive personnel.
The Huskers were strong running the football again in 2012 as Martinez and running back Ameer Abdullah both tallied 1,000 yards+ on the ground when both had to pick up slack after an injury to Rex Burkhead. With Burkhead gone, Imani Cross will be expected to pick up the remaining carries in the backfield.
The strong running game will allow Martinez good looks in the passing game and improve on a 62% completion percentage that the senior has stated he would like to see get to 70%. Nebraska returns Quincy Enuwa, Kenny Bell and Jamal Turner at receiver. The three players should be able to stretch the field and make defenses pay for loading up the box.
On the other side of the ball, the Blackshirts aren’t the Blackshirts anymore. Since Ndamukong Suh left Nebraska after the 2010 season Nebraska’s defense has continued to plummet and last seasons’ showings against UCLA (653 total yards surrendered) and Wisconsin in the Big Ten Championship (70 points, 539 rushing yards given up) were ready examples of how far Nebraska has fallen defensively.
Nebraska returns only three starters on defense but that could present a rare case of addition by subtraction as the younger players may be better suited to Pelini’s objectives. Jason Ankrah has been a consistent pass rusher for the Huskers and played a vital role in helping Nebraska to be, surprisingly, the fourth best pass defense in the nation in 2012.
The rest of Nebraska’s front seven is new but many have logged playing time in 2011/2012. Safety Ciante Evans will be counted on to develop an also young secondary.
Nebraska’s great running and attack and deep play threats should keep them in all their games which gives them no definite losses but a leaky defense will be a liability in all five of the Huskers’ push games, at home against UCLA, Northwestern and Michigan State and road trips to Michigan and Penn State. If the defense lapses significantly all those games can easily get out of hand. I’ve got Nebraska at 7-0-5.
As rocky a relationship as Martinez seemed to have with head coach Bo Pelini on the field in College Station in 2010 the fifth year quarterback and the sixth year head coach are tied to each other more so than any other coach and signal caller in the country.
Martinez leads an offense that will be counted on to carry the Huskers while Pelini’s defense continues to struggle and adjust to changing strengths and weaknesses of not only Nebraska’s opponents but to the Huskers’ own revolving door of defensive personnel.
The Huskers were strong running the football again in 2012 as Martinez and running back Ameer Abdullah both tallied 1,000 yards+ on the ground when both had to pick up slack after an injury to Rex Burkhead. With Burkhead gone, Imani Cross will be expected to pick up the remaining carries in the backfield.
The strong running game will allow Martinez good looks in the passing game and improve on a 62% completion percentage that the senior has stated he would like to see get to 70%. Nebraska returns Quincy Enuwa, Kenny Bell and Jamal Turner at receiver. The three players should be able to stretch the field and make defenses pay for loading up the box.
On the other side of the ball, the Blackshirts aren’t the Blackshirts anymore. Since Ndamukong Suh left Nebraska after the 2010 season Nebraska’s defense has continued to plummet and last seasons’ showings against UCLA (653 total yards surrendered) and Wisconsin in the Big Ten Championship (70 points, 539 rushing yards given up) were ready examples of how far Nebraska has fallen defensively.
Nebraska returns only three starters on defense but that could present a rare case of addition by subtraction as the younger players may be better suited to Pelini’s objectives. Jason Ankrah has been a consistent pass rusher for the Huskers and played a vital role in helping Nebraska to be, surprisingly, the fourth best pass defense in the nation in 2012.
The rest of Nebraska’s front seven is new but many have logged playing time in 2011/2012. Safety Ciante Evans will be counted on to develop an also young secondary.
Nebraska’s great running and attack and deep play threats should keep them in all their games which gives them no definite losses but a leaky defense will be a liability in all five of the Huskers’ push games, at home against UCLA, Northwestern and Michigan State and road trips to Michigan and Penn State. If the defense lapses significantly all those games can easily get out of hand. I’ve got Nebraska at 7-0-5.
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