Three not necessarily predictions for the weekend:

1. Barring eight turnovers, I think Nebraska beats Kansas State, by seven to 10. I think it goes deep into the fourth quarter, though, and I could see it coming down to KSU driving late and NU having to make a play on defense. Nebraska will have to play a clean game, few penalties and turnovers, and really get after Grant Gregory and Zac Lee can't rest on his latest laurels and Roy Helu will have to keep running out of that "22'' scheme. Bill Snyder will have some tricks up his sleeve. So will Bo Pelini. I love that match-up.

2. I'm rooting for Iowa to go high on the hog on Saturday - what is that thing they play for against Minnesota, a trophy of a pig? - and get the win over the Goldie Gophs at home. The Hawks had the bottom fall out of a special year the last two weeks, mostly because of an injury to starting quarterback Ricky Stanzi, and the players and fans deserve a good finish. A win would also set them up for a shot at a BCS berth in the Fiesta or Orange. Iowa figures to be competing against Penn State for that bid. That will be interesting. Even though Iowa beat Joe Pa and Co., earlier this season, bowl politics could go either way. It will probably come down to whether the bowl wants TV ratings (Joe Pa) or a legion of fans (Iowa). I'm in the Iowa camp there. Regardless, they need a win first, and I hope they get it.

3. If you haven't checked out suh93.com, go do it. It's a website set up by Nebraska's athletic department specifically designed to showcase Ndamukong Suh. And it's one of the better websites I've seen for a college football or basketball player. It's tastefully done, you don't have to wade through a lot of stuff, there are a handful of coaching and media testimonials that are easy to find and there's a link to Suh's stats for each game. Very well done. And right on time. This is when writers start thinking about voting for post-season awards. Not in September or October.

- Tom Shatel

« Blog - Tom Shatel

Share