Lindy’s Sports Annuals put Bo Ruud on the cover and is running an article about his move to strongside lineback for his senior season.

“They’re putting me in a position this year to be in the mix a lot. Really, I like what they’re doing with me.”

What the Huskers are doing, coach Bill Callahan said, is trying to take advantage of Ruud’s versatility.

“We love the fact that he’s a complete player with a lot of upside,” Callahan said. “He has a lot of potential to do a lot of great things.”

One of Ruud’s strengths is his pass-coverage ability. The 6-3 Ruud has intercepted four passes and broken up 10 others in the past two seasons.

Steve Octavien, a talented player whose development has been slowed by injuries, will play the weakside position this fall.

Husker and 49ers great Roger Craig sees big things in the Nebraska’s future. Speaking in Scotts Bluff last weekend Craig said:

I think this is their breakout year. This year they will break into the Top 10 because I think they have the tools, and the coaches understand how to teach the West Coast offense to the players. That takes a lot of time to learn the West Coast offense. Now that they are comfortable and they know what they need, they are going to do some big things this year. They are going to upset USC, and I can’t wait. I will be at that game. It’s the third game of the season, and we are going to upset those boys. Mark my words.

[SOURCE: Omaha World Herald]

In the wake of Big 12 commisioner Kevin Weiberg’s decision to depart for a lesser post with the Big 10, Tom Dienhart of The Sporting News speculates that certain Big 12 teams might also one day bolt for a better conference.

There’s limited growth potential in the Big 12. Why? A lack of big TV markets. It’s pretty simple. Denver? Kansas City? Dallas? Houston? St. Louis? San Antonio? That’s it, people. I don’t think that excites TV fat cats in New York. One solution is expansion. Another possibility is defections.

I have to think folks in Austin, Norman and Lincoln have had conversations about bolting for a better home. They’d be silly not to have an eye on the future. How about the Longhorns or Huskers joining the Big Ten to make it an even 12? Maybe the SEC can grab OU and dump, say, Vandy. The Pac-10 also has to be looking toward tomorrow and the possibility of becoming a 12-team league.

Personally, I’ve never liked the Big 12. I’m a Big 8 fan. So, if I were to do my own speculating (or maybe idle wishing is a better term for it), I’d say goodbye to Baylor, Texas Tech, Iowa State and Colorado.

American Football Monthly, a periodical read by every hgh school football coach in the country, put Nevada on the cover last month. AFM says the Wolk Pack’s so-called “pistol offense” is “the hottest offense in football.”

I mention this to remind us that we’ll be in a battle from the first snap on 9/1. There’s no Troy or Nicholls State on the slate this fall. It’s Nevada, Wake and USC right out of the shoot. Which is great. We need to be thoroughly tested before the Big 12 season gets underway. Even if we drop a game, it’ll make us a better team.

[via Reno Gazette-Journal]

According to NU Media Relations, Nebraska offensive tackle Matt Slauson was named to the 2007 Outland Trophy Watch List by the Football Writers Association of America on Tuesday. Slauson is one of 41 linemen earmarked for the honor, which is awarded to the best interior lineman.

Slauson’s quest will begin in earnest on Monday, when NU’s football summer conditioning begins. Slauson told the Omaha World Herald his typical summer day requires waking at 5:30 a.m., going through some technique work at 6:30, followed at 7 a.m. by stretching and conditioning.

Players have the option of running in the morning or afternoon. To hear Slauson tell it, a Husker workout may at times resemble a convention for weather forecasters.

“That’s all we’re talking about,” Slauson said. “If we have to run in the afternoon, we’ll be sitting there and talking about how it’s supposed to be 85 or 90 degrees with 70 percent humidity. We’ll be like, ‘Man, this is going to be a bad day.’”