Shepherd, first of all I want to say that it seems like you are very well respected on here and you seem to have your stufff together when it comes to your picks and reasoning...I am not here to try to start anything...but I just have to say a few things...
The example you used to refute blkshirtz about the Ok state game last year to me doesn't hold much water only because last year was the worst defense I have ever seen them play...last year alot of things happened to Nebraska football that should have never happened. Bill Callahan and Kevin Cosgrove especially drove this program into the ground and the damage they did here is going to take at least 2-3 years to repair. Anybody could have and pretty did beat Neb last year. So to say that Ok St did last year doesnt really mean anything to me as far as this year's Mizzou game goes. Those two parasite coaches are gone...and Gary Pinkel is nothing special in my book. I have followed Mizzou games for many years and this guy only wins bc of the talent on the field. He always finds a way to botch the most important games...has yet to win a conference championship...
I can also recall times that either Mizzou or Neb came onto each other's home turf as dominant teams that either had to sweat out a win or lose the game outright. Remember the 1997 National Championship Husker team that had to have a fluky catch in the endzone to squeek by a very average Mizzou team?
That game, even though they won it, almost cost NU that NC because the AP voters were looking for any reason to drop NU down...
2006: NU 34, UM 20 (both above average)
2004: NU 24, UM 3 (dont remember NU being a powerhouse)
2002: NU 24, UM 13 (see last entry)
I know you know all of this and I can go on and on about Mizzou never winning in Lincoln in my lifetime. I guess the point here is never discount this type of trend in college football, which is a game of psychology and emotion. There has to be some reason why they haven't won in Lincoln for so long, and I know that they (Mizzou) have had some good teams since 1978 that for whatever reason couldn't get the job done. Yes, Nebraska dominated the conference for many years, esp. mid '80s and Mid 90's , but Neb has also had some subpar teams in recent years that Mizzou couldn't beat in Lincoln...
To tell blkshirtz that he is way off base on this subject is IMO is flawed bc there is some truth to what he is saying...home field advantages are one of the biggest factors in college football. Im not making a prediction on this weekend's game, bc, like blkshirtz I try not to bet any games involving NU. We all know games are not decided by past trends, but to totally discount this one is a big mistake IMO.
Also, I would give the nod to Oklahoma on their offense and I would like to see how Mizzou would fare against a defense like Oklahoma's (see 2007)
Hot Forum Topics
