I've been looking ahead for weeks - now Nebraska finally can, too.
Mere minutes after the Cornhuskers' 56-7 pasting of option-wielding Nicholls State on Saturday, the questions began in earnest.
Not questions about Nicholls State, mind you, but about the Huskers' next opponent, you know, the one that has been in the past two national championship games.
Southern California.
We media folk have been pestering Nebraska coaches and players for weeks about the Trojans. How good is USC? Will its bye week be an advantage next Saturday in Los Angeles? How can a depleted NU secondary defend against the big Southern Cal wide receivers?
Time and again they gave the old "one game at a time" cliché, saying Nicholls State presented a significant challenge and they couldn't afford to overlook any opponent.
Some of that is true (ask Colorado). But if Nebraska really didn't look ahead at all to USC, well, it's a little unnerving to think the Trojans have been preparing for the Huskers all week while NU is working on its option coverage.
Cornerback Andre Jones was about the only Husker after Saturday's game who would give anything more than the standard USC compliment coupled with a guess for a close game.
"They had two weeks to prepare for us," the junior said. "That was not done by accident."
Maybe that's why Nebraska rushed the ball 50 times and attempted only 26 passes. It could be why the Huskers have shown such a balanced attack so far this season (569 yards passing compared to 537 yards rushing).
NU Coach Bill Callahan has said many times his West Coast offense is a creature of balance, but Callahan also has been known to commit heavily to the pass against certain opponents, like when he called a school-record 55 passes against Iowa State last season.
With an offensive line like the Trojans', Callahan might be tempted to air it out again this year.
I'm just glad the Huskers are finally to the point where they can focus on - and talk about - the highest-ranked team it will play all year.
By the end of the first quarter against the Colonels, my mind was drifting to Booty (USC's starting quarterback John David Booty, thank you very much) and the Trojans' 50-14 spanking of Arkansas on the road a week ago. At halftime, much of the Memorial Stadium crowd had left, probably a combination of the game and the weather. At game's end, Nicholls State still had zero passing yards.
You get the idea.
Don't get me wrong. The Huskers did exactly what they had to against NSU. Nebraska had total control of the game and was able to win comfortably without showing much of its playbook.
Hats off to Nicholls State. The team played with heart and didn't give up in a hostile crowd, even late in the game. The Colonels were just playing a superior team that, from their point of view, wasn't looking ahead nearly enough to Booty and Co.
Now it's time for USC, which, depending on the poll you consult, is ranked anywhere from No. 2 to No. 4 in the country. Nebraska should be in the top 20, and the game will be nationally televised on ABC.
It's a game Husker fans have been looking forward to for months.
This week the team can finally join in the fun.
