Iowa fan living behind enemy lines. Iowa still has to find a way to stretch the field and replace some good linebackers, even if they are the favorite for Food Network's CupCake Wars. Fat dudes make for great bakers, and Iowa is fat in the middle. But, if you truly believe Nebraska goes 7-5, you should bet that under 8 wins. Bo Pelini's teams melt down at times in a game, but they have yet to do it for an entire season, as much as people have been expecting it. It didn't happen last year when all the elements where there: 4th year QB injured, freshmen and walk-on starting 7 Big Ten games; decimating injuries to the O-line, including an All-American; multiple freshman/first year starters on defense (most notably the defensive line); a deliberate push by someone inside to get him fired by leaking old audio.
I won't guarantee that Nebraska wins the Big Ten, but people thinking it's finally the year it melts down has me confidently giddy. His teams are at their best when they are underestimated, and this is by far his best team talent-wise. I believe Nebraska has a top-20 defense. The starting 4 on the DL is really good. I'm somewhere between 9-3 and 10-2. And for those that always throw out the, "yes, but Pelini's teams always lose 4 games a year". That's true, but his teams have played 14 games in 3 of his 6 seasons. That's an added risk in hitting that 4 game mark. His teams have lost 4 regular season games only twice, 2008 (year 1) and last year.
I'm starting to cool on Wisconsin a little. I really did not think a converted safety was going to beat out a 2 year starter. What does that say about the two year starter? McEvoy does fit the mold of the new boss, but this guy is a journey-man at this point. There has to be some hiccups there.
