The Husker football schedule for 2008 is probably the toughest Nebraska fans have seen since the formation of the Big 12 Conference.
Half of the teams on this year's schedule were in bowl games last year, and all but one of them are conference teams. The Huskers will have a stretch where they will face three very tough 2007 bowl teams in consecutive weeks, and those games will go a long way toward determining whether or not the Huskers make a bowl game in 2008.
Nebraska opens the 2008 season on Saturday, Aug. 30 against the Western Michigan Broncos. Western Michigan hails from the Mid-American Conference and is coming off a 5-7 season. The Broncos have a tough returning defense that returns 11 starters, which should give the Huskers a good test to open the season.
After that, the Huskers will see back-to-back home games against teams from the Western Athletic Conference. First is the Saturday, Sept. 6 matchup with San Jose State, a team looking to get back to a bowl game after a rough 5-7 season last year. The Spartans finished the year strong after an 0-3 start, and will look to carry that momentum into the 2008 season.
Next up is Saturday, Sept. 13 when New Mexico State comes to town. The Aggies have been an explosive offensive unit in recent years and will certainly give the Husker secondary a workout with their pass-oriented attack.
After a week off, the Huskers will face a key non-conference matchup on Saturday, Sept. 27 as they host Virginia Tech. The Hokies were one of the top teams in the nation in 2007 and will likely be ranked in the preseason. While they have several holes to fill, they should still be a very formidable foe when they visit Memorial Stadium.
The Huskers begin Big 12 Conference play the following week, and they start with a tough one right out of the box when they host Missouri on Saturday, Oct. 4. The Tigers are the defending North Division champions and will be a top 10 team in the major preseason rankings, led by Heisman Trophy runner-up Chase Daniel.
And just when you thought it might slow down, the Huskers will see another pass-happy team in their first road game of the year on Saturday, Oct. 11 when they travel to Texas Tech. The Red Raiders have been the most explosive offense in the nation the past couple of years, and with quarterback Graham Harrell running the show the Red Raiders are likely to make this a high-scoring affair.
The Huskers are back on the road again the following week, heading to Ames to face Iowa State on Saturday, Oct. 18. The Cyclones have struggled in recent years, but have an up-and-coming team and have recently given the Huskers fits in their home stadium. Depending on how the Huskers come off that tough three-game stretch, this could be a very interesting game for Husker fans to follow.
Homecoming will be a welcome weekend for the Huskers, as they will face Baylor on Saturday, Oct. 25. The Bears have been a perennial doormat in the Big 12 South Division and haven't had much luck playing the Huskers in Lincoln, and it might be just the kind of game the Huskers need heading into the homestretch of the season.
Nebraska goes back on the road the following week for another tough matchup, as they head south to face old Big Eight rival Oklahoma in a Saturday, Nov. 1 matchup. The Sooners are the defending Big 12 Conference champions and should once again be in the hunt for the national title, so this will be a great opportunity for the Huskers to not only disrupt Oklahoma's titles hopes, but make a name for themselves as a team on the rebound as well.
Nebraska is back home for another key inter-division matchup, and this one might have a little bit of a revenge factor attached to it when Kansas comes to town on Saturday, Nov. 8. Husker fans no doubt will remember the beatdown the Jayhawks administered last year in Lawrence (76-39, in case you've forgotten), and Nebraska will want to re-establish the traditional dominance over the Jayhawks in this matchup.
Nebraska's final road game of the regular season follows, as they will head to Manhattan to face Kansas State on Saturday, Nov. 15. This used to be a one-sided matchup, but Kansas State has more than held their own over the past decade and have become a tough team to play in their home stadium. After back-to-back games against two solid teams, the Huskers will need to be careful to avoid a letdown in this one.
The regular season finishes off, once again, on Thanksgiving weekend, and the Huskers will wrap things up at home when they host Colorado on Friday, Nov. 28. The Buffaloes, like Nebraska, struggled last year and will look to get themselves back among the best in the Big 12, and this game will be a great season finale for fans to get fired up for.
The Huskers are being picked to finish third or fourth in their division. If they should make a big run this year and win the North, they will be able to make the trip to Kansas City for the Big 12 Championship on Saturday, Dec. 6. Depending on how they do this season, we could see the Huskers finish the year in a bowl game, and we'll keep you up to date on those possibilities as the season goes along.
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