Big Ten media days has come and gone and now we can get ready for the season. Coaches report August 2nd, players August 5th, and Fan Day will be August 8th. I don’t know about y’all. But I’m ready for the season to be here.
Why? Because I like this Nebraska team. This is clearly Matt Rhule’s best staff and the most talented roster he’s had since taking the Nebraska job.
I know what you’re thinking. What about the schedule? My reply to that, what about the schedule? People want to talk about how hard it is, but it isn’t even the most difficult schedule in the Big Ten, let alone the Power Four. And Nebraska is never going to get back on track by playing nobody.
You want my take on that? If you watched Matt Rhule’s opening statement at Big Ten media days, then you heard the crickets when he opened it up for questions. Talk about awkward silence. For a moment there I didn’t think anyone was going to ask him anything. And I think Rhule thought the same thing. You could see it on his face. It was uncomfortable and he was perhaps shell-shocked. The man likes to talk, and the idea of nobody wanting to hear what he had to say was a kick in the grapes.
So, why the crickets? Because it’s Nebraska and nobody but Nebraska’s media cares. In the minds of everyone else, Nebraska is just another mid-tier school in an 18-team conference. Hanging out with the Minnesota’s, Northwester’s, and Maryland’s of the conference. That’s right, they aren’t in the same tier as Illinois, Washington, and Iowa. They are expected to have a 5-to-7-win season, so why bother.
Especially when you have Curt Cignetti, Ryan Day, Dan Lanning, Kyle Whittingham, Lincoln Riley, and Kirk Ferentz to talk to. That’s where the action is. Get your foot in the door, because those are the coaches that you can talk to now and maybe into late January. If you are the media, the money is where the action is. And that isn’t Nebraska right now.
And you know what? I’m good with that. I like the radio silence and flying under the radar. It’s yet another reason why I like this Nebraska team and expect them to shock some people. Am I crazy. Maybe? But sometimes things happen when you least expect them to.
And ask yourself this. When will Nebraska get the most publicity this season? It’ll be the Indiana, Oregon, Washington, Ohio State, and Iowa games. Why? Because those teams are newsworthy. So, if you’re Rhule, you put your head down and get to work, because Nebraska must make their big games count if they want to get back to being Nebraska.
I’m ready for the season.
GO BIG RED!! SIMPLE, FAST, VIOLENT!!
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