LA Daily News reports that former Nebraska kicker Jordan Congdon is considering walking on at USC.

“He’s deciding about transferring, and giving us strong consideration,” Carroll said.

“He’s trying to get into school as a walk-on.”

USC’s only kicker is junior David Buehler following the death of Mario Danelo and the academic ineligibility of Troy Van Blarcom. But Congdon would need to redshirt next season, having two years of eligibility remaining.

Two seasons ago, Congdon was a first-team freshman All-American after making 19 of 23 field goals, including a last-minute winning kick against Kansas State that clinched a bowl berth for the Cornhuskers. But he was only 5 of 7 in 2006, and he was denied the chance to save the Huskers butt in Dallas with a 47 yard kick to tie.

In related news, Marlon Lucky also considered leaving the team, but was apparently talked out of it by BC.

[via Husker Mike]

Rivals.com is bullish on the 2007 Huskers. They’ve ranked Nebraska number 13 in their pre-season poll.

The offense returns seven starters, but the focus will be on a new starter in Lincoln. Arizona State transfer Sam Keller is expected to take the reins at quarterback from Zac Taylor, who enjoyed his finest season under Bill Callahan. Callahan’s West Coast offense is taking hold, and Keller will be the beneficiary of a solid nucleus of skill players. Offensive leaders include receivers Maurice Purify and Terrence Nunn and running backs Brandon Jackson and Marlon Lucky. The losses are heaviest on defense for the Cornhuskers, where the entire front four is gone. On the bright side, All-Big 12 linebacker Bo Ruud and three-fourths of the secondary return.

Of course, this report was issued prior to Jackson’s decision to make himself eligible for the NFL draft.

Associated Press reports that Dr. Tom is back on campus—not in the athletic department, rather in the College of Business Administration.

About 60 students are in his undergraduate level Leadership in Organizations class. After he passed out a syllabus on Tuesday, he told the class in his typical unassuming manner: “My name is Tom Osborne.”

Cynthia Hardin Milligan, dean of the business college, said she has wanted Osborne to rejoin the faculty for years. Osborne taught briefly in the College of Education in the late 1990s before running for Congress in 2000.

“The business college emphasizes ethics and leadership, and we have strong programs in those areas,” Hardin Milligan said. “Tom is a wonderful example of both of those.”

Osborne said he accepted the invitation to teach because of his concern about what he called a “crisis in leadership.” Osborne pointed to financial scandals involving Enron and Global Crossing and others he witnessed up close in Congress.

Even though Dr. Tom is nearby, don’t expect his teaching to rub off on Pedersen, nor Callahan.

Though the names of Osborne his wife, Nancy, are on the new athletic department headquarters, he has toured the building only once. He never attends practices, and has spoken with third-year coach Bill Callahan only a few times.

“Philosophically, I don’t feel right about going to practice or hanging around the offices and having people perceive that I’m trying to live my life in the past,” Osborne said. “It’s a new day. It’s a new staff.”

(A guest posting from BigRedFred)

Bill has out done Frank Solich again. One time in six years did Frank’s team finish outside the AP top 25. Here we are with Bill Callahan, finishing outside the AP Top 25 in two out of his three years in Lincoln. Bill seems to be very consistent.

By the way, a mediocre team would be sitting somewhere in the bottom of the Top 25. We are officially NOT EVEN MEDIOCRE.

But then, you will get all the new age Nebraska fans who keep saying to us here on this board, “If you can’t see the progress, you don’t know anything about sports.”

Well, I know several things from being around all these years. I have watched the team very closely since the 70s. The talent and the players we have at NU this year are just as good, or at least comparable to any other Top 25 school. They are comparable to all other good Nebraska Teams of the past as far as talent is concerned.

Every single game this year that was lost, was due to coaching, or, just a plain bad day. It wasn’t that we didn’t have the talent.

The problem is we no longer have a program based on pride, tradition and Nebraska roots. We have Steve’s new program that is based on winning and money and running the Husker program like a Fortune 500 company. No longer does anyone look at NU as a Nebraska institution that belongs to the folks of NE and their children. And to families of kids across the country who choose to get their education here.

This isn’t a Fortune 500 company! This is our college and it belongs to the people of Nebraska! You can’t BUY a winning program, or the best coach or quality players.

A quality football program comes from a sense of community, a sense of “team,” and a tradition of what it was in the past, that got us to where we are today. It comes from coaches who care, and are vested in the system. Oh you will see talented coaches for “hire” but they are not loyal and will be gone with the next sky high offer from somewhere else.

Steve Pederson threw all that was Nebraska away. And Bill Callahan is concerned about HIS career, and HIS 2 million dollars a year.

If Steve would have only listened to what Dr. Tom was trying to teach him over the years.

Ben Gouldsmith of the Daily Nebraskan heard Bill Callahan say words in Dallas that ought never have been spoken.

“I thought we competed pretty well today,” Callahan said. “We still have a ways to go, and we said before we came in here that we weren’t ready to beat a top-10 team just yet.”

What kind of coach says this? You can think it, but you don’t say it, not with players at your side and a microphone in your face.

Jackson Clarion-Ledger previews the GMAC Bowl, which will be played on Sunday. Here’s a snippet:

Ohio (9-4) has attracted attention because of its reliance on its running game – following the lead of its head coach, Frank Solich, who played and coached at what was once the epicenter of college football’s ground game, Nebraska.

“Was once.” That hurts, as the truth often does.

Ever since Monday’s crushing blow (delivered by a loss that should not have been), HuskerZone has been presenting the disgruntled fans’ perspective. Now it’s time to see what it looks like from another important point of view—a player’s.

Omaha World-Herald reporter Rich Kaipust spoke to offensive guard Matt Slauson, a 335-pound sophomore from Colorado Springs after the game.

Some might call it wishful thinking. Others may see it as educated guessing. But the Nebraska players who hung around the Cotton Bowl interview room and by the team buses Monday are sure feeling bullish on next season.

“We’re going to be fighting for a national title shot,” said offensive guard Matt Slauson.

“We’re going to be so, so ready,” Slauson said. “We were so close in so many of our games, and just let it slip. We know we can play with anybody. And I’ll tell you next year we’re going to be fighting for a national title shot.”

Of course, that’s easier said than done. Nebraska faces a strong schedule in 2007 filled with eight bowl teams and nine teams that finished .500 or better in 2006.

A player has to believe. So I find no fault with Slauson’s read. The fact is we DO have the horses to win. That’s what makes the loss in Dallas and a 9-5 season so hard to take.

Jim Reeves of the DFW Star-Telegram unloaded on Nebraska’s inept head coach in his post-game report.

As Nebraska coach Bill Callahan spoke in the postgame news-conference tent immediately following the Cotton Bowl on Monday, police sirens whined in the background, coming closer and closer.

Some Cornhusker fan, I figured, must have turned the coach in for malfeasance and total incompetence, and they were coming to take him away.

Then again, if he’d really been smart, the disgruntled fan would have made that call before the game.

Callahan spent most of Monday’s AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic making Al Davis look like a genius for firing him as the Raiders’ head coach three years ago.

Fire Bill Callahan displays the following stats on their sidebar:

Callahan by the Numbers

Overall: 22-15
vs. I-A: 19-15
vs. Big XII: 13-12
vs. Big XII South: 3-7
vs. Winning I-A Teams: 8-12
Away: 6-9
vs. Top 25: 3-6
vs. Top 10: 0-4

These numbers speak volumes. We’re 13-12 in conference under BC. After considering the hard facts displayed above, there really isn’t a whole lot more that needs to be said on the subject. We’re mediocre at best under this system. The only question I have is how much longer will the good people of the Corn accept this untenable situation?

Omaha World-Herald sports columnist Tom Shatel had some interesting things to say about Bill Callahan, a.k.a. “Loserhan” in Sunday’s paper.

But how do you prepare to be the head coach at the University of Nebraska?

You don’t. You can say you know what it’s all about. You can say you understand the tradition of the program, the passion of the fans, the power of the job. But you really can’t.

“How can you know?” Callahan asked.

“When I came here, I based my decision on three things: Academic support system, recruiting and facilities,” Callahan said. “I knew if we could recruit, we could have a chance to dominate the North, be in position to be in the (Big 12) championship game. And if you come out of the championship game with a win, you’d be in a great position to win a (national) championship.

“We’re getting closer.”

The program has made progress this year. So has the coach. Now all he has to do is win.

When we hire our next head coach I hope he comes to the position with other things in mind. For starters, he needs to be obsessed about beating Big 12 South Division teams. Secondly, he needs to understand Nebraska football is about way more than football, it’s about a small state’s pride and joy. There are outsiders who can grasp this from day one. Sadly, we chose a coach who needs to learn on the job.