Losing their top two leading rushers, Dan Alexander and Correll Buckhalter, will be a challenge. Heralded junior college transfer Thunder Collins and Dahrran Diedrick are the two top candidates for the coveted running back spot in Lincoln. Quarterback Eric Crouch, one of the top Heisman contenders in 2001, has the skill to shoulder more of the load should Collins or Diedrick not pan out. Year Two after the departure of defensive coordinator Charlie McBride should be much more stable for a Cornhuskers unit that surprisingly did not rank in the Top 20 of any major category. Only four road games appear on the schedule.
None offers much threat except the finale at Colorado.
Notre Dame, Oklahoma and Kansas State all come to Lincoln, which puts Nebraska in the driver's seat on the road to Pasadena. For past columns go to Erick Smith's archive .