DXP Bowl Extravaganza: Part 2, Take 8

Bowl Season: 4-2 ATS (66%)

We have to admit we are a little disappointed even though we started off 4-2 Against The Spread. If you are Purdue, how do you not cover 8 points vs. a team that you were up 31-0 on earlier this year and 34-14 at halftime of this game, have 546 yards of passing, and not have Kevin Cosgrove as your Defensive Coordinator? Blows my mind.

However, going 4-2 still should have allowed you to buy your buddies vintage Christmas gifts like this........




Even gifts for Lincoln, NE's own Melissa Midwest.......



(Pssst, Melissa, everytime I have tried to call you back I get CrimeStoppers. I think our lines are getting crossed. Call me.)

SAMMY VEGAS

EMERALD BOWL
4* MARYLAND (+5.5) over Oregon State: Ralph Friedgen has won 3 bowl games in a row by a combined 95-17 and he continues to be one of the most underrated coaches in football. Oregon State runs a two QB system that has produced them a combined 10 Touchdowns to 20 Interceptions this year. Oregon State does have a great defense, but Maryland has a more aggressive offense than me after a 200 dollar tab and a lap dance; not to mention a much better coach.

LIBERTY BOWL
3* CENTRAL FLORIDA (-3) over Mississippi State: Write this name down. Kevin Smith. UCF’s star RB is returning next year to college and should be atop of the Heisman race immediately. He has 2,549 yards this year rushing alone and needs 181 yards to break Barry Sanders’ single season record. Not to be overlooked, UCF’s defense was more solid than any girl I have approached after midnight in a long time that is not in a strip club. They allowed 3.8 yards/rush and had 38 sacks. Sylvester Croom is doing well at MSU with a 7-5 record in the brutal SEC and this game is close to home at Memphis, TN. These two teams played UAB this year – UCF had 506 yards of offense and MSU had 284. Go with the better skill players and better D with Central Florida.

ALAMO BOWL
2* TEXAS A&M (+6) over Penn State: The Aggies are only a 2 hour drive from the Alamo Bowl in Houston, TX. They lost their last 4 of 5 games after starting 5-1 and HC Dennis Franchione is gone after a win over Texas. Penn State was gold at the beginning of the year for us, but once again Joe Pa proved that he can recruit the best talent on the east coast and do nothing with it. Penn State has a great D and A&M can only run the ball in a one dimensional offense. The so called ‘Bowl Genius’ Paterno needs to go grab a beer with Bobby Bowden and ride off in the sunset. This game is sold out and guess by who? A&M on the money line please.

CHAMPS SPORTS BOWL
1* BOSTON COLLEGE (-4) over Michigan State: BC was outgained in total offense by one team all year and that was Maryland by 6 yards. BC QB Matt Ryan is a great QB but has had 18 INTs this year. However, you know when you see college athletes that should be professionals and Matt Ryan is one of them. It’s just like that hot girl at the bar that you approach and she talks to you, and you somehow wonder if she is going to negotiate a price with you at last call. Now you know you are out of your league.

TIMMY ROSE

MEINEKE CAR CARE BOWL
4* WAKE FOREST(-2.5) over UConn – I’ll give you a winner in this one, but don’t ask Vegas or I how the former Continental Tire Bowl has not gone bankrupt and still attracts two BCS conference teams. UConn may the most overrated team in America and even in the Huskies three signature Big East wins (L’Ville, Rutgers, S. Florida), they were outgained in each game and outgained by over 100 yards in 2 of the 3 games. These teams are headed in different directions as UConn was blown out in 2 of their last 3 games, while Wake is a game-ending missed FG (Virginia) away from winning 9 of their last 10 games. Wake gives up just over 3 yards per rush and 100 rushing yards per game and their front seven will dominate UConn in a surprisingly easy victory in this one.

TEXAS BOWL
2* TCU (-4.5) over Houston – This marks the second time in the 7 year history of the former Houston Bowl that an all-Texas game will be played as the Horned Frogs played Texas A&M in the inaugural game back in 2001. TCU’s offense, which did not score more than 27 points until the 7th game of the season against Stanford, has come alive and is averaging almost 35 points per game and 450 yards over the last 4 games, including a 694 yard performance in a 45-33 win over San Diego State. The key has been consistent QB play from Dalton and a solid rushing attack. The favorite has covered every game in this bowl’s history and as much as it pains A. Rose to bet against Cougars, we’re going with the much better defense in this one.

INDEPENDENCE BOWL
2* COLORADO (+3.5) over Alabama – Watching Dr. D’s ‘Helmet Cam’ at the Indiana bars will be more entertaining than this one. Other than the 65 that the Pinkshirts gave up to the Buffs, both offenses have looked pretty weak over the last month of the season. The Crimson Tide rolls into bowl season on a 4-game losing streak, highlighted by a ‘catastrophic’ 21-14 loss to Louisiana-Monroe. Crimson Tide alumns may want to try to get some of that $5 million per season back from Saban before he bolts for the Arkansas opening next year. Alabama has won 3 games by 6 points or less and have found a way to play down to their competition all season. We’ll take the Buffs and the points in this one, but will be watching Cinemax by halftime.

HOLIDAY BOWL

1* Texas (-2) over Arizona State – This year’s Holiday Bowl could be a high-scoring affair as neither defense has looked good against Bowl teams this season. Texas is giving up almost 30 points per game to bowl teams while the Sun Devils are giving up 26. ASU’s has dealt with multiple injuries to its front seven this year and now must replace starting LB Wooten, lost to suspension for this one. They will have trouble containing RB Charles who is averaging over 190 yards per game over the last 4, including a 290 yard effort against the now jobless defensive coordinator Kevin Cosgrove. While the Sun Devils have a clear edge in female talent in the classroom (although we hear Texas girls are much easier), we’ll take the Longhorns to jump to an early lead and control the line of scrimmage in this one.

Sammy Vegas (with my wife pictured here), Timmy Rose, Jeffie Husker, and Dr. D wishes everyone a Happy New Year and wants you know that we'll be back Saturday for most of the rest of the bowl games...



HAPPY HOLIDAYS FROM THE DXP GANG!

Mo Purify Highlights

Here is a nice collection of Maurice Purify highlights from last season. I pay tribute to Mo for being one of the few players who didn't suck during the 2007 campaign.

DXP Bowl Extravaganza: Part 1, Take 6

Snow falling... Credit cards getting maxed out... Waking up next to a college girl home for the holiday... Snuggling with her at 7 a.m. wondering if you had to pay for her... Calling the strip club you were at last night to find out if your credit card is still there – better yet, if the card is still open... Gambling on the first week of bowl games... Finally... It’s Christmas!!



We have been doing extensive research for the bowl games and we will not only guarantee extremely hot college girls but also a few facts about some college football games that will pay for your Mom’s Christmas present AND your New Year’s Eve date. Hold on, I am starting to get some Alec Baldwin Schweaty Balls making guarantees like that....enjoy the best SNL video of all time outside Chris Farley until we get back.



‘Take the Double Extra Points’
Regular Season Final: 73-66-1 (53%)
Bowl Season: ?!?!?!?!!!!!!

(NOTE: ON A 5 STAR SYSTEM)

SAMMY VEGAS

NEW MEXICO BOWL
4* NEW MEXICO (-3) over Nevada: Who better to send to the New Mexico Bowl than New Mexico? That's like sending me to play at the Razzle Dazzle - although you would like to think your friends don't think you play there that much, it is in reality your home field and you're quite comfortable. Nevada has come around this season after the #2 Dual-Threat QB Kaepernik was inserted and has now accumulated 19 TDs/3Ints and was the WAC Fr. of the Year. Although Nevada was impressive the last 3 games in which one they lost to Hawaii by 2 at home, they are getting way too many points. New Mexico has better wins and a much better defense. Did I mention they are at home?

NEW ORLEANS BOWL
2* FLORIDA ATLANTIC (-3) over Memphis: Captain Kangaroo and the Owls will fly to New Orleans to take on the Memphis Tigers. Wow. A thriller. That's where gambling comes in. Opponents just can't take Capt. Kangaroo and his Owls serious as he is 8-2 ATS his last 10 games. This guy did beat Tom Osborne with an inferior team and he'll beat Memphis here with a superior team. FAU's QB Rusty Smith has 3352 yards and 27 TDs on the season and Memphis' QB Martin Hankins has 2939yards and 22 TDs on the season. Points will be scored, drinks will be had on Bourbon St., and the Memphis girls will be groped. That takes money and that's why we take FAU.

LAS VEGAS BOWL
2* UCLA (+6.5) over BYU: UCLA won the first game this year between these two teams 27-17 where the Bruins outgained BYU by almost 200 yards of offense. UCLA has lost their coach, lost the last 4 out of 5, and in fact, was asked by the Las Vegas Bowl that they decline their bid for Cal to take their place. No dice. UCLA has QB Ben Olson back at 100% as well as a slew of others who looked great vs. USC. In an interesting side note, interim HC and DC Walker once coached at BYU and in fact played with BYU head coach Mendenhall who are both candidates for the UCLA job. Who do you think the players will want? The Stormin' Mormon's QB's name is Max Hall. Upon getting accepted to BYU, he agreed to change it to Hall from Load. Apparently, girls in Utah wouldn't get it.

TIMMY ROSE

MOTOR CITY BOWL
4* PURDUE (-8) over Central Michigan: Let me get this one straight: Purdue beat Central Michigan by 23 points as a 22 point favorite back in September after leading 38-0 in the 3rd quarter and are giving up just over a touchdown 3 months later? I said the same thing a few weeks ago as UCF blew out Tulsa for the 2nd time this year and won all of you DXPers a solid $5. While the first game was in West Lafayette, there is no reason to expect a different result in the dome in Detroit. Purdue had over 400 yards in that game . . . by halftime. It was almost as if the Chippewas were being coached by Kevin Cosgrove. By the way, did he get an NAIA coordinator job yet? You won't see many seasons where a team loses by 30 at home to North Dakota State and is rewarded with a bowl game. Expect another blowout in this one as Purdue will move the ball at will against the over-rated MAC champion.

HAWAII BOWL
3* BOISE STATE (-10.5) over East Carolina: HC Peterson and the Broncos can't wait to return to the islands and get at least partial redemption for the Nov 23rd loss to Hawaii that decided the WAC title. Meanwhile, I fully expect East Carolina's necks to be more worn out than Dr. D's after freshman orientation in Bloomington from scoping all of the talent on the beaches near Aloha Stadium. The Broncos have huge edges on both sides of the ball, give up just 20 points per game and 325 yards per game, yet have not faced the level of competition that the Pirates have (6 bowl teams including W. Virginia and V. Tech). East Carolina has covered 3 straight as a dog, but we'll go with the better defense and the more explosive offense playing with a chip on their shoulder.


PAPAJOHNS.COM BOWL
2* Southern Miss/Cincy UNDER (56): Many of you will be tempted to take Cincy in a blowout over Southern Miss in this one, but keep in mind that Birmingham, AL is not exactly where the Bearcats were hoping to play the week before losing to West Virginia. Cincy was the most fortunate team in all of college football in terms of turnover margin and lead the country in INTs with 23. Southern Miss lead Conference-USA allowing just 23 points per game and under 140 rushing yards per game. The Golden Eagles should have the larger crowd and will be fired up to play for recently fired Coach Bower. Cincy's defense has been solid all year giving up just 100 yards per game rushing and less than 19 points per game. We don't see a lot of big plays in this one and will go with the under.

DXP Road Show

Jeffie Husker is off and heading back to Nebraska for the Holidays. I plan to update the site during this time, but occasionally family and friends should and do come first.

I get into Lincoln Wednesday afternoon and will be there until the 27th. Nebraska friends - you know where and how to find me.

Hopefully everyone has added a decent linebacker recruit to their Christmas list.

Pelini's Staff is Official, Kind Of

After a few uncertain weeks, Bo Pelini officially announced his coaching staff and there are officially no surprises other than a running backs coach to be named later.

Anyway, here is the staff:

Shawn Watson—Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks
Ron Brown—Tight Ends
Barney Cotton—Associate Head Coach/Offensive Line
Ted Gilmore—Assistant Head Coach/Wide Receivers/Recruiting Coordinator
Carl Pelini—Defensive Coordinator/Defensive Line
Mike Ekeler—Linebackers
John Papuchis—Defensive Ends Coach
Marvin Sanders—Secondary Coach

Barney gets the associate head coach label, likely to placate him not being named offensive coordinator. While Ted Gilmore might have the longest official title in the country. The defensive staff is fairly unimpressive on paper, but will certainly have Bo’s fingerprints all over it.

As for the running back coach, he is apparently coaching in a bowl game. Just like our head coach, which makes the hesitation in naming him all the more unusual. Some names being bantered around at this point:

Cale Gundy - OU
Larry Porter - LSU
Stan Drayton – Florida

Obviously any of those would be welcomed by me, especially given their respective recruiting acumen. That is important because in case you haven’t heard, the current staff is not exactly tearing it up on the recruiting trail.

Ines Sainz Pictures of the College Pick 'Em Winner

It is one the worst Saturdays for sports in a long, long time. Insert Ines Sainz. The hottest sports reporter in the World from Mexico that will make your day better. Guaranteed.

Here she is exactly 20 feet away from me (restraining order) ....



Here she is waiting for my phone call....



Here she is trying to make me jealous....



Here she is outside of my hotel room....



Finally, don't forget to sign up for the DXP Bowl Mania under 'Double Extra Point' and attempt to dominate T. Rose and the rest of the other college football fans on ESPN. As far as contests go, our second place winner for College Pick 'EM apparently was not on the same playing field as the rest of the us. Thanks to new technology and an email, I was able to dig up this check awarded to the second place finisher 'MizzouHusker' (M. Goble) from winning the Sporting News college football bowl pick 'em in 2001.



As MizzouHusker said... 'Some talk about their glory days playing high school football. I guess this is all I have...'

Well, you warmed our hearts. Now warm our hearts again and send us a picture of you in your DXP tee-shirt getting a lapdance.....

Brian McFayden - The Ultimate Husker

Looking to kill some time this Friday? You can check out a video of former MTV VJ and Nebraskan Brian McFayden as he heads to Austin to watch the Huskers take on Texas.

Why should you care about Brian McFayden? Well, first he really seems like a legit Husker fan as Tom Osborne nearly brings him to tears and secondly he's dated some real hotties, including, but not limited to former flame Nicky Hilton.

DXP Bowl Mania

It’s time to get the DXP Bowl Mania contest kicked off. Click the link, then go to the 'Double Extra Point' group. There you will find a slew of degenerates like us that have nothing to do this off-season besides enjoying gambling, strippers, and vodka - in no particular order.




Update!! Update!!

Our College Pick ‘Em contest ended with T. Rose dominating the field and finishing in the 99.5 percentile. Since he contributes to DXP, he wins nothing. However, he took the contest so serious that he flew to Rome to have this picture taken outside this Roman brothel where he also finished #1 . In fact, according to our money back guarantee, he owes every reader here 10 shekels for wearing a backpack and advising everyone to take Louisville every week in ‘Take the Double Extra Points.' MizzouHusker finished a close 2nd at the 97.5 percentile and won the second prize (M. Goble - email us from the site here to claim your gift certificate - sorry it is just from a Husker store and not a private lapdance). Sammy Vegas finished third at the 97.4 percentile which won this -

"Third prize will be a front row seat to watching Sammy Vegas pass out after a Saturday chock-full of booze and football."

Damn, how prophetic.

Well. I’d better get studying on the likes of Central Florida, Houston, Nevada, Florida Atlantic, and Cincinnati. After all, they are bowl worthy.














You know who else is bowl eligible? Tulsa. You know what Tulsa spelled backwards is? A Slut. Yet somehow I can't find a single picture of a slut from Tulsa worthy of this site.

The DXP Bowl Extravaganza coming soon...

Bo Pelini vs. Tim Tebow AND Chuck Norris

By now, I am sure most of you have heard the Tim Tebow vs. Chuck Norris comparison on ESPN after Chuck Norris sent a letter - check that, fax - of congratulations to Tebow after he won the Heisman. What? Total douche bag. Desperate times call for desperate measures. That's where Sammy comes in. Tim, Chuck – take our guy. We dare you.

Exactly how bad is Bo Pelini…………………



If Bo Pelini was gay, his name would be Tim Tebow.

Bo Pelini’s parents threw him a surprise birthday party when he was young. Once.

Bo Pelini only masturbates to pictures of Bo Pelini.

There are no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, Pelini now lives in Nebraska.

Bo Pelini can get McDonald’s breakfast after 10:30.

Pelini makes Chuck Norris sit down to pee.

Before Tim Tebow goes to sleep at night, he checks his closet for Bo Pelini.

Bo Pelini does not tea-bag the ladies. He potato-bags them.

Bo Pelini could kill Chuck Norris nine different ways with his headset and four different ways with his play chart.

Bo Pelini sleeps with a night light. Not because he is afraid of the dark but because the dark is afraid of Bo Pelini.

Bo Pelini can touch MC Hammer.

People wear Superman pajamas to bed. Superman wears Bo Pelini pajamas to bed.

Bo Pelini's calendar goes straight from March 31st to April 2nd. No one fools Bo Pelini.

Bo Pelini was originally cast as the main character in 24, but was replaced by the producers when he managed to kill every terrorist and save the day in 12 minutes and 37 seconds.

Bo Pelini doesn't cut his grass, he dares it to grow.

Bo Pelini used to beat the shit out of his shadow because it was following him to close. It now stands a safe 30 feet behind him.

They say that Superman's only weakness is kryptonite. Bo Pelini laughs at Superman for having a weakness.

Bo Pelini's dog is trained to pick up his own poop because Bo
Pelini will not take shit from anyone.

Bo Pelini once partook in a pissing contest outside of a bar. His opponent drowned.

Bo Pelini's wristwatch has no numbers on it. It just says,
"Time to kick ass."

Bo Pelini once worked as weatherman for the San Diego evening news. Each night the forecast was ’partly cloudy with a 75% of pain.’

Hellen Keller’s favorite color is Bo Pelini.

Bo Pelini recently had an idea to sell his urine in a can. Now it is known as Red Bull.

When Bo Pelini stares at Iowa, he gets popcorn.

Brokeback Mountain is not just a movie. It is also what Bo Pelini calls the opponents laying in his front yard.

Bo Pelini doesn't write down plays in his defensive playbook. He stares it down and the plays write themselves.

One time, Bo Pelini stubbed his toe and wiped out the entire state of Ohio.

Bo Pelini eats steak every meal. Most times he forgets to kill Bevo first.

And finally. In a fight between Tim Tebow and Chuck Norris - the winner is......... Bo Pelini.

CFB NIT Update

Back to Gopher Nation for all of the action.

In the first round Nebraska took care of Ole Miss 51-45, which sounds like a completely believable score.

I know that everyone still has the 2002 Independence Bowl still fresh in their memories. Cornhusker fans haven't forgotten the 23-27 loss at the hands of Mississippi that year. These two teams combine for 8 national championships but those trophies would need to be moved if either were lucky enough to win the first Wal-Mart NIT trophy.

This turned out to be a great game but Nebraska proved to be the charmed team. This 2007 version of the Huskers is a very special team. It takes a special team to average 54.3 points per game to end their season yet lose two of them giving up an average of 57.3 ppg. In the end the fact that the Cornhuskers have a player with the last name Lucky is what got it done. Marlon Lucky couldn't be stopped and Nebraska beat the solid but unspectacular Ole Miss squad.

In the second round Nebraska ran into the buzzsaw that is the Minnesota Gophers.

The game was all about ball control and Minnesota had it last. They drove 60 yards on 21 plays as they scored as time expired, made the only converted PAT of the game and won ending the recent Cornhusker dominance...

Minnesota - 31
Nebraska - 30

According to the site:

That sets up a Minnesota vs. Notre Dame NIT Championship. Please vote as fan vote will account for 10% in determining who wins. The Gopher Nation writing staff which is NOT affiliated with the Writers Guild of America accounts for the remaining 90%.

Minnesota - Notre Dame is certainly a can't miss affair.

Let's Play Catch Up

I keep waiting for new Husker news, but it seems to have slowed to trickle. With that being said, there have been a few notes worth commenting on.

· Jeff Jamrog is reportedly in the running for an administrative position within the athletic department. This is perhaps the opening that Trev Alberts seems to have turned down. I have no idea if this is a good or bad thing, but at some point doesn’t experience trump Husker ties? If you take Ron Brown out of the equation it seems like we might have the most inexperienced football staff in America.

· In addition, Pelini apparently has just one staff position yet to fill. So apparently despite this evidence, Bo won’t be doing it all by himself next year.

· Shawn Watson also appears determined to find himself a quarterback recruit this year. Sean Renfree and Tyler Wilson have both been offered in recent days. We’ve got some guys at that position, but QB seems to be a spot teams are always trying for fill on a yearly basis.

· Maurice Purify is still busy defending Callahan. That’s to be expected given the way Callahan protected Purify following his offseason issues. I have to disagree with at least part of this Purify quote, however.

“He’s a good coach, and he knows his stuff,” Purify said about Callahan, who coached the Oakland Raiders to a Super Bowl in 2002 before being fired in 2003 and signing with Nebraska in 2004. “It’s not really fair. It wasn’t the coach’s fault we were losing. We weren’t doing anything different last year when we went 9-4. It was just the little things — players not making plays when we needed them.”

Not doing the little things kept us from winning 10 or 11 games in 2006. In no way did “little things” account for the 2007 disaster.

· Corey McKeon had some interesting things to say in a recent Chicago Tribune article.

He injured the AC joint in his shoulder in Sept. against Ball State, an injury that hindered him the rest of the year.

“I definitely didn't play as well as a senior as I would have liked and I wasn't satisfied with it at all," McKeon said. "They changed the defense on us this year and we maybe got overworked a little in the spring and summer. Everyone had a lot invested in this season and as we started to falter, guys kind of caved in a little."

Blaming his own and the performance of the defense on being overworked and an injury is just a symptom of some of the larger problems under Callahan. It’s called accountability Corey. In addition, if McKeon has a meaningful career in the NFL then Sammy Vegas will stop drinking. In other words, no chance of either happening anytime soon.

Patrick Witt Arrested

Backup quarterback Patrick Witt was arrested late Saturday night for hijinks and tomfoolery of the inebriated variety.

Witt allegedly failed to follow proper instructions when he entered Smith Hall near 14th and Holdrege streets around 1:50 a.m. Sunday, UNL Police Capt. Carl Oestmann said.

You can get arrested for failing to follow instructions? The LPD is brutal.

Witt allegedly signed in with a different name and went up to a floor without waiting to be escorted, Oestmann said.

Unescorted and a fake name? The important question is did he by chance use the name "Ron Mexico?"

A resident assistant told police Witt pushed him several times and made threatening remarks, Oestmann said.

Witt also apparently broke the RA's pocket protector.

When an officer contacted Witt, he allegedly took off running, exiting the dorm and running toward 16th and W streets, where he was caught, Oestmann said.

Clearly Witt was just demonstrating to doubters that he is indeed a mobile quarterback. However, considering he was caught, his footspeed remains a question mark.

Witt, a native of Wylie, Texas, allegedly had identification that didn’t belong to him, and he showed signs of alcohol intoxication, Oestmann said. His blood alcohol content was 0.115.

He probably just put on his roommate's jeans. It's an honest mistake, who hasn't done that?

Oh, and a BAC of 0.115? I thought that only counted as drunk at schools like Wesleyan and Kansas State.

Husker Awards Banquet

A bevy of post-season awards were handed out Saturday night at the Huskers’ annual team banquet at the Embassy Suites in Lincoln.

Offensive MVP - Mo Purify
Defensive MVP - Steve Octavien
Special Teams MVP - Rickey Thenarse (2nd year in a row)

Cortney Grixby - Tom Novak Trophy.

"The Novak Trophy is presented to the senior who “best exemplifies courage and determination despite all odds in the manner of Nebraska All-America center Tom Novak.”

Bo Ruud - Guy Chamberlin Trophy.

Presented annually to the senior player who has shown by the play and contributions to the betterment of the University of Nebraska football squad that he has the qualities and dedication of Guy Chamberlin to the great Cornhusker tradition.

Ben Eisenhart - the Cletus Fischer Native Son Award.

The award is presented annually to the senior player selected by the Husker coaches, who best exemplifies the following qualities: good work ethic, competitiveness, leadership, forthrightness, sense of humor, pride, loyalty and love of Nebraska.

Scout Team Offensive MVP - Zach Lee
Scout Team Defensive MVP - Thomas Rice

It's hard to argue against Purify as offensive MVP. The defensive MVP award should have been sold for scrap metal this season, but I suppose Octavien is as deserving as any.

Predicting the 2008 Season

Wondering how the Huskers will do in 2008? I received this realistic glimpse into the future in my inbox although I am not sure who wrote it. Pelini? Anyways, outside struggles with Virginia Tech and Oklahoma things look good.



San Jose State: Win 77-0. Joe Ganz intercepts his own pass for a TD.

New Mexico State: Win 56-3. Bo Pelini pulls starters with 1:13 left in game to allow the first points of season.

Virginia Tech: Win 35-31. Bo Pelini tackles a VT kick returner running down the sideline to save the game for NU. Bo Pelini is fined $10,000 by NCAA and must sit out a 2 game suspension.

W. Michigan: Win 88-0. Tom Osborne reinstates himself as interim coach until Pelini comes off suspension.

Missouri: Win 42-7. Chase Daniel has 4 picks (2 int, 2 nose) and the second interception returned by a player with the name Bolini written by a Sharpie on the back of a plain white t-shirt. Bo Pelini could not be reached following the game due to his suspension.

Texas Tech: Win 70-10. Bo instructs the defense to allow TT to score 10 points in the final minute to avenge 2004 game.

Iowa State: Win 93-0. Bo asks T.O. if he has the power to kick ISU out of the Big 12.

Baylor: Win 4-0. Bo asks band if they had ever thought of playing offense. They try. The defense holds Baylor to -56 yards with 2 safeties. Later, ESPN runs the game as the human interest story of the day.

Oklahoma: Win 28-27. Bo sends a busload of NU sorority girls to Oklahoma's hotel. When asked by ESPN to comment on the move by Pelini, Bob Stoops admits it was a good coaching move and that he should have thought of it first. He noted that he prefers blondes.

Kansas: Win 51-10. During halftime, Pelini tells his players "I'm thinkin' National Championship." Mangino tells his "I'm thinkin' Arby's."

Kansas State: Win 70-3. After the game Pelini rushes to the other sideline to yell at Ron Prince for allowing him to run up the score.

Colorado: Win 69-14. Pelini has each player go over to the Colorado sideline to tell Dan Hawkins that bowl cuts are out of style. Coach Hawkins goes to the locker room to cry it out and his son stays to console him most of the game.

Texas - B12 Championship: Win 34-21. Pelini sneaks into Bevo's stable and cuts out major organs, feeding them to his defensive players. PETA bans Pelini from the state of Texas.

Florida - National Championship Game: Win 45-17. In his halftime speech, Bo tells a story from his childhood about how an alligator killed his father then ran off with his mother and all he ever wanted was revenge. The Huskers respond by scoring 45 unanswered points.

14-0 the first season. Not bad, not bad at all.

And finally, Jeffie used to do the Erin Andrews Picture of the Week every Friday to highly acclaimed reviews. This Friday I decided to change it up. I am telling you. Buy a satellite. Go find 'TV Azteca' out of Mexico. You will unearth the hottest sports reporter EVER.

INES SAINZ PICTURES OF THE WEEK

Here she is receiving the flowers that I sent her.......



Here she is on our date later that night.......



Here she is 'dressed down' the morning after our date......



Here she is at the Super Bowl last year.......



Someone get the NFL on Line 1 we need to have a talk.

New Staff and Recruiting

I hate delving too far into recruiting on DXP, but I wanted to highlight the efforts of Pelini's new staff (and Osborne) over the past week. Toward that end I compiled a list of confirmed visits among our current "commit" list. Several of these guys are still looking around and I wouldn't count on any of them until signing day just to be sure. But anyway, here is what the coaching staff has been up to:

Will Compton LB - Visited by Pelini (Still looking around)
Ben Cotton TE – Committed after call from Pelini
Sean Fisher LB – Visited by Osborne and Pelini
Bryce Givens OL – Visited by Gilmore (Pelini and Osborne visiting soon, still looking around)
Eric Harper DE -
Ricky Henry OL – Contacted by Cotton (remains solid)
Tyson Hetzer TE – Visited by Pelini and Gilmore (now solid)
Adrian Hilburn WR –
Dan Hoch OL – Visited by Osborne and Cotton
Keelan Johnson DB – Visited by Mike Ekeler
Micah Kreikemeier LB – Committed to Pelini and Osborne
Simi Kuli DE 6-4 270 – Visited by Pelini
John Levorson ATH - Visited by Osborne
Cameron Meredith DE – Visited by Pelini and Gilmore
Shaun Mohler LB – Visited by Pelini and Gilmore (still looking around)
Collins Okafor RB – Visited by Osborne and Pelini
Kyler Reed ATH - Osborne may have visited (unconfirmed)
Riley Reiff DE -
Doug Rippy LB – Visited by Ron Brown
Baker Steinkuhler OL – Visited by Pelini
Brandon Thompson DL -
Joseph Townsend DT -
David Whitmore – Visited by John Papuchis
Josh Williams DE – Visited by Gilmore

Again, this is just my best efforts at putting this together. I'm sure I'm missing some visits/contacts but this is the best I can come up with for right now. In addition, it is important to note that the list doesn't include visits/contacts with guys who remain uncommitted, but on Nebraska's radar.

Not bad, for one week's worth of work.

But Wait, The Season is Not Over...

That's right, apparently Nebraska has been invited to the CFB NIT hosted by Minnesota blog Gopher Nation. The NIT of college football is an 8 team tourney to determine who is the best of the best worst. It will take on the BCS format of taking 1 worthy team from the 6 BCS conferences and then give 2 lucky at large teams an opportunity to enter this prestigious tournament.

The seeding for the tournament looks like this:

#8 - Nebraska
#7 - Washington
#6 - Miami
#5 - Minnesota
#4 - Idaho
#3 - Syracuse
#2 - Notre Dame
#1 - Mississippi

That means Nebraska will take on Ole Miss in the first round.

And here is what they had to say about the Huskers:

(8) - Nebraska
How they got in - Big 12 Automatic Qualifier

How does Nebraska get in ahead of Baylor you ask? Well it takes a little more than just finish last to make this tourney. Baylor is always bad and probably always will be. Nebraska didn't just suck this year they made history along the way. They were killed by USC at home (with 2 late meaningless TDs), gave up 65 to Colorado and gave up 76 points on their way to getting humiliated by Kansas. This was a colossal failure in what was potentially a breakthrough year for Nebraska (ranked #14 at one point).
NOTE: in order to maintain their status in the NIT, Bill Callahan has been asked to coach the Huskers through the tourney.

I'm not exactly sure how this is going to work, but it gives us something else to think about while our coaching staff is finalized and our new head coach eventually abandons us for the national championship game.

Big Red Roundtable - Bo's Place Edition

Well, we haven't had one of these in a while and a change in coaching staffs seems like a good enough reason, so here we go.

1. The 2007 season finished with a disappointing 5-7 record. Very few people expected this. What went wrong?

The optimist in me would prefer to think about what went right, but that’s a pretty short list. So what went wrong? Pretty much everything. After a quick start against Nevada and a pretty nice road win at Wake, the wheels definitely came off. I think too much attention was given to the USC game by the coaching staff. Then when the outcome played out the way it did, and the head coach mentions how embarrassed he was by the effort the team seemed to turn on him.

Overall, there seemed to be far too many guys playing for themselves and far too few playing for the “N” on their helmets. That had a lot to do with a lack of senior leadership and an environment of ZERO accountability. Miss a tackle…keep your spot. Illegal motion…keep your spot. Lose gap responsibility…keep your spot. Poor performance without consequences begets continued poor performance. Put all of the above together and you have a recipe for disaster. Or a 5-7 finish for Nebraska.

2. Bo Pelini takes over as head coach. Good move or bad?

Considering the current state of the program? Good move. In his first few days on the job, Pelini has already paid more attention to Nebraska’s tradition than the previous coaching staff did in four years. That’s good for a number of reasons, but generally gives all of us some since of ownership of the program. In my opinion, many of us sort of lost that connection during the previous regime.

It’s also obvious that Osborne’s main concerns centered on the defense – thus it should surprise few that we wound up with a defensive guru this time out. Pelini will bring simplicity to the defensive scheming and will free the players up to make plays. That should make next season’s group of Blackshirts extremely excited.

3. Nebraska fans were divided after the last coaching change. Do you see fans finally uniting?

I think Pelini is someone Husker Nation can eventually become united behind. However, as I glance around message boards the division seems to remain. Now everyone is worried that Osborne has too much power and somehow finagled Pelini into hiring the staff that T.O. wanted. While I think Osborne likely had an opinion about the assistant coaches, I see little merit to the overarching argument. The bottom-line is that Husker Nation isn’t ready to be completely satisfied right now. But just like every year when spring practice comes around we’ll be thinking Top 10 finish and many will peg Joe Ganz or Marlon Lucky as possible Heisman contenders. Then by August we’ll be on opposing team’s message boards proclaiming the resurrection of Nebraska breaking out our decade old National Championship leather jackets, and anointing Pelini the second coming of Bob Devaney.

4. How would you like to see Bo Pelini fill out his coaching staff? Anybody or anything in particular you are looking to see?

This is quickly happening before we can even form an opinion. I knew we would see certain guys like Marvin Sanders his brother Carl and I have no problem with that. I’d still like to see us get Bradley Dale Peveto to round out the defensive staff, but that seems unlikely at this point. On the offensive side, it seems clear that Shawn Watson will remain and I can definitely get behind that. He’s definitely a favorite of the players and has put together some nice offenses at Colorado. I’m anxious to see what he puts on the field, and I’m happy we might not need a complete change in terminology. Ron Brown will be a nice addition, and I don’t know how anyone can fault his hire. Barney Cotton seems like a good enough guy, and I suppose can work well with the offensive line. Overall, I’d hoped to see some new blood somewhere in the staff and expected that Pelini might have a young “up and comer” under his sleeve. At this point, I’m happy that the staff will truly understand the essence of Nebraska football, but will admit that I’m not completely overwhelmed by the pending staff.

5. What do you think the expectations are for Bo Pelini? Do you think he needs to win x amount or do x by a certain date?

I don’t think we’re talking about a certain number of wins at this point. I think Osborne spoke for many of us, when he kept harping on the need for the team to be competitive. Pelini will have to ensure that we are “in” each and every game. Beyond that I have to think he gets a little longer thread than Callahan, but I’ve definitely been wrong before.

The Rest of the Responses:
Big Red Network
Husker Mike
Corn Nation
Hi Plains Drifter
Midwest Coast Bias
Husker Guy
Husker Faithful
Big Red Analysis

BlogPoll Ballot

Brian is having some problems with the poll hosting company so you get the table-less poll this week. Your feedback is more than welcome, but I'll have a limited amount of time to make changes before the poll is due tomorrow morning.

1 Ohio State
2 LSU
3 Oklahoma
4 Georgia
5 Southern Cal
6 Virginia Tech
7 Missouri
8 Kansas
9 Florida
10 West Virginia
11 Arizona State
12 Illinois
13 Boston College
14 Hawaii
15 Clemson
16 Tennessee
17 Texas
18 Brigham Young
19 Cincinnati
20 Wisconsin
21 Virginia
22 Auburn
23 South Florida
24 Boise State
25 Arkansas

Return to Days Past

Wow things have certainly become nostalgic in Lincoln over the past few days. I'll have some thoughts on Pelini's staff in the upcoming days, but it looks like once again my guesses were way off. I clearly should have looked much closer to home. Anyway in celebration of all things traditional, why not a few YouTubes?

First is my all time favorite hit by a Blackshirt.



And secondly, a remembrance of what we're leaving behind. Texas Tech 2004 anyone?

Bo Pelini: Head Coach of Nebraska

I like the sound of that. I liked the sound of that in 2003 and as he, himself, notes:

"I'm more prepared today than I was four years ago to be a head football coach," Pelini said in accepting the position that he first sought after Frank Solich was fired in 2003.

Pelini is clearly a little rough around the edges in front of the media, especially when contrasted with the smooth-stylings of Bill Callahan. But the key for me was what Pelini said, not the way he said it.

Family. Tradition. Open Door Policy.

Three phrases not in Bill Callahan's vocabulary.

The players will respond to Pelini, I have no doubt. Those that can't adjust will be shown the door. Those that buy into his system, and accept his leadership are sure to inherit his fiery persona. Just pay attention to what his former pupils at LSU think:

“When I take the field, I feel like I’m out there with an army and he’s our leader,” LSU defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey told Yahoo! Sports. “He’s always wired up, always intense. He’s not a big cusser or anything, but he knows how to get you fired up.”

Another important factor factor was evident during the press conference. Pelini has great respect and admiration for Frank Solich. In other words, Pelini can now become the major force in healing the rift in Husker Nation. He made it crystal clear that Solich's contributions to Nebraska have not been appropriately recognized. With his comments about opening the program up to former players and coaches you have to think Solich will get a chance to set foot on campus in the near future.

I also had to smile when Pelini continued to emphasize the ways in which he would utililze Tom Osborne. I'd give anything to hear their upcoming conversations, but the bottom line is Pelini's recognition of the fantastic situation he walked into. Osborne has publicly stated he was willing to help out with the program long before he returned as intirim AD. Somebody just had to ask. And while the two might have contrasting personality styles, that type of working relationship is often dynamic.

Sponge meet spill.

Overall, I'm excited. That's a feeling that's been missing around here since August. I have no idea what next year's team is going to look like, but I have a strong sense that they will bear little resemblance to their 2007 counterparts.

Thank you Dr. Tom.

The Wait is Over?

Nebraska has officially scheduled a press conference for 4:00 pm CST, where Bo Pelini is expected to be introduced as the new head coach.

2003 vs. 2007

We are a few years late. In fact, we are 4 years late on what should have been then. Callahan and Pederson cost me 4 years of my life. damnit. I feel cheated in that we could have been competitive much, much sooner than we are now.



Bo is our guy like we have been saying.


So now here we go. Let's move on until the coach is named. I like reporters.



And I have to say the Ines Sainz is the hottest broadcaster there is. Sorry all you Erin Andrews fans. Anyone that wants to go to a soccer game let me know.



If any of you have any great pics of bowl game girls send them to me and Jeffie and we will put them up for our bowl game special.

And Head to EDSBS...

STAT.

MAN SEES SIGNS OF FADED FOOTBALL HOPES EVERYWHERE HE LOOKS

Holy shit! I'm Neil Shurbock!

New Piece on Fanhouse

Finally wrote some thoughts on the search over at FanHouse.

Nebraska's Fate Firmly in Hands of Osborne

Leave a comment here or there or anywhere.

Take the Double Extra Points

Last Week: 5-4
Season: 68-63-1 (52%)

As Jeffie Husker indicated, in all the mayhem surrounding our coaching search, it is time to relax, sit back, and enjoy what things are important in life. Girls, gambling, and girls.

SAMMY VEGAS

California (-13) over STANFORD: How long has it been since Cal won at Oregon? In fact, they lost 5 of their last 6 games after being ranked #2 in both polls after that game. However, a win here gets them to a bowl and could possibly get these Cal students out of the tree. Note to the hippies: put your clothes on, cut your hair, and go talk to girls on campus that look like this.




Pittsburgh (+28.5) over WEST VIRGINIA: The Backyard Brawl turns 100 this year and is still one of the nastiest rivalries in all of college football. These teams despise each other more than my dates despise Rohypnol. W. Virginia will be on their way to the BCS championship but it won’t be without a little resistance from their bitter rival.




ARIZONA STATE (-6.5) over Arizona: Arizona State was embarrassed last Thursday as USC took them behind the woodshed. Arizona is off a huge win vs. Oregon at home in a game where Dennis Dixon was looking good until his knee blew up in the 1st quarter. You have to think Dennis Erickson is at least a touchdown better with superior talent at home against Mike Stoops.



Missouri (+3) over Oklahoma: This game kind of reminds me when #1 Nebraska was an 18 point underdog to #2 Florida State. This is up there as Oklahoma has 2 losses this year, ranked #9 and is giving points in a Championship game to a #1 ranked team. I know Oklahoma won the first game, but Missouri had the lead in the 4th quarter and saw a defensive scheme from Oklahoma that confused them into some costly turnovers. Beating a team in college football twice is tough and I really think the absence of OU RB Demarco Murray and a banged up QB Sam Bradford will let the Tigers finally win something in sports. And I’ll reiterate, if Missouri doesn’t win this and Ohio State gets to play again in the Championship I will eat my own vomit.

USC (-19.5) over Ucla: This is a huge revenge game for USC as UCLA cost them another National Championship as they would have had Ohio State. UCLA head coach Karl Dorrell has been told if he doesn’t win this game he is out. BREAKING NEWS!! Karl Dorrell is out. For the first time this season the USC football team has looked better than the USC Song Girls (and that’s impressive).


TIMMY ROSE

BYU -15 over SAN DIEGO STATE - Like A. Rose, we're going heavy on the Cougs this weekend. Note I said heavy ON the Cougs, not heavy Cougs. We like our Cougs light, but with a minimum of C-cups. After a lucky win (converting on 4th and 18 with under 2 minutes left), BYU finds themselves on the road matching up with the worst defense in the Mountain West. San Diego State has been calling Kevin Cosgrove for defensive strategy tips and clearly it hasn't panned out. They gave up 55 to TCU last week and it will get ugly early against a much better BYU offense. Look for the spread to be covered by half on this one.


CENTRAL FLORIDA -6.5 over Tulsa - Let me get his straight: UCF beat Tulsa 44-23 in October at home. They are playing on UCF's home field again 6 weeks later for the C-USA conference title and Tulsa's defense has gotten progressively worse. Tulsa has given up 39 points to Army (a team that will get blown out on Saturday) and 43 to Rice the last 2 weeks alone. I haven't seen a spread this off since Missouri was only a 6-point favorite over Nebraska in October. Take out a second mortgage on this one if you can and maybe you'll be back to even on your real estate investment when the Knights pummel the Golden Hurricane by 30 on Saturday.


Washington +14.5 over HAWAII - This is a classic letdown situation for the Warriors after an emotional win over Boise State last Friday night to secure the WAC title. Washington's offense will give Hawaii plenty of matchup problems, but their defense must be able to create turnovers against the Warriors to have a shot. Take the money line at +400 for the Huskies and stay up later than Robert Downey Jr. to see the end of this on on Sat night.


SUPER-SIZED BOWL EDITION COMING SOON!!!



As you can see the girls have all started making bowl game arrangements in extreme anticipation that they might somehow be featured on our long awaited, highly publicized 'DXP Bowl Special Edition(s)'. Ladies, you look lovely, but it is going to take much, much less than what you are wearing to make the cut.

Well, let's get shopping.....