STILL "RED," BUT NO LONGER "BIG"

Embedded in the title is the link to SMQ's argument that Nebraska will necessarily be vastly improved this season. Bill Callahan and his "defense is what we do while the offense rests" school of football coaching managed to create last year's Husker defense out of solid four- and five-star recruits. Well done, Bill. You made the blackshirts into the little black dresses. Bo Ruud probably wants to smash you, and ought to.

Pictured: 2007 Cornhusker defense

Point is, college football is more fun when Nebraska is good. Sports radio loves to point out how behemoths like the Yankees, the Sawax, the Cowboys, the Lakers, and Notre Dame are necessary evils because the sport is more interesting when they're good. I'll grant you all of those except ND, because, let's face it, it's way more interesting when the Irish are abysmal. What would we do without entertainment like Lou Holtz? One of these days the Fightin' Shillelaghs are going to get so bad that Ol' Lou will have to actually admit that they're bad on-air, leading to a Fembot-from-Austin-Powers-type reaction as his brain overloads from the ultimate "2+2=5" statement in the Holtz universe.

Pictured: Lou Holtz. Just go with it.

Come on, you know it's true. College football really is more interesting when the traditional powers are competitive. Deep in your heart of hearts, you know it's more fun when Nebraska, Penn State, Michigan, Alabama, and even Florida State are good, no matter how many times you've thrown knives at that tacked-up picture of Bo Schembechler in your parents' basement.