• Nebraska vs Western Michigan preview
• No blackshirts says Bo Pelini
• Nebraska Football Week 1 Depth Chart Released
• Brent Qvale the newest commit for the Huskers
• New coaching staff doesn’t want to play “cupcakes”
• First day of practice has come and gone for the Huskers
• Nebraska’s first three games will be on Pay Per View
• Huskers get another verbal committment from Texas - This time Nick Ash
• Huskers get another committment from the state of Texas
• Ronnell Grixby won’t be playing in 2008
• Jesse Coffey says yes to Nebraska Football scholarship
• Husker talk at Big 12 Media Day
• Internet hoax about two Oklahoma players backfires on Husker fan
• Cody Green chooses Nebraska over Texas A&M
• Marlon Lucky and Joe Ganz appear on award watch lists

In a rare ACC-Big 12 match-up, Florida State (1-1) travels 1,650 miles west to take on Colorado (1-1) in a night game set for ESPN. Both programs are at a pivotal point. Colorado is looking for their first big win in the Dan Hawkins era. Florida State is trying to re-establish their name in the college football world after finishing 7-6 last season and opening this season with a loss to Clemson.

Why CU will win?

This is a game CU players and fans have had circled for some time. Coach Hawkins understands that this is a statement game for the CU program. CU will win this game if Florida State continues to make the mental mistakes that have plagued this program for the past two years. I expect Hawkins to pull out the bells and whistles for this game and if he is able to pull a surprise or two by Coach Bowden the Buffs could win this game. Also, this game is in Boulder which is 5,156 feet higher than what the Seminoles are use to. For those who have not gone from sea level to a mile high to play an athletic event, it is quite the challenge.

What does CU need to do to win?

• Run the ball effectively

Last week versus Arizona State, CU rushed for only 32 yards. Starting running back Hugh Charles returns for CU after missing last weeks game with a hamstring injury. Quarterback Cody Hawkins looks to be a promising signal caller but right now he does not have the arm strength or wide receivers to win this game without the support of a good ground attack. Florida State’s defense has been solid versus the run so far this season. FSU allowed just 132 yards versus Clemson’s running back duo of James Davies and C.J. Spiller. Last week versus UAB they allowed only 119 rushing yards but the Blazers were able to average 4.3 yards per carry.

• Win the intangibles

One of the biggest obstacles for Florida State this season has been penalties and turnovers. Against UAB they had 12 penalties for 131 yards along with three turnovers. FSU was minus eight in turnovers last season. To defeat a program like FSU, CU has to win the turnover battle. CU is minus one in turnovers through two games.

Why FSU will win?

Speed. Colorado has not faced a team with the type of speed Florida State possesses. Coach Hawkins admitted earlier this week that the Seminoles are much faster than the Arizona State team that beat the Buffs by 19 points. From linebacker Geno Hayes to cornerback Myron Rolle, the Seminoles have plenty of speed on the defensive side of the ball. This speed will make it very difficult for Cody Hawkins to throw the ball consistently on Saturday. Last week versus Arizona State Hawkins was just 15-for-42 with 155 yards passing. Granted he had a number of passes dropped including two would-be touchdown passes. CU’s passing game was among the worse in the country last year. Early indications show that the passing game will be better this year but you may not see it on Saturday.

What does FSU need to do to win?

• Get ahead early

If FSU can get ahead early it could be a long evening in Boulder for CU. CU doesn’t have the athletes quite yet to score quickly and often which was evident in the Arizona State game. CU did show the ability to come back in week one versus CSU (down 28-17 in the 3^rd quarter) but FSU’s overall speed and talent is on a different level than CSU.

• Consistent play from Weatherford

Most FSU fans were calling for backup Xavier Lee after Weatherford’s poor performance versus Clemson. Weatherford responded by throwing for 332 yards and 3 touchdowns versus UAB last week. Weatherford has been extremely inconsistent throughout his career. Matter of fact, the last time Weatherford had back-to-back 300 yard games is October of 2005. Weatherford isn’t the only person to blame. His wide receivers, DeCody Fagg and Greg Carr in particular, have been very inconsistent so far this season.

Prediction

FSU is not the same team we saw in the 90’s but they still have a lot of speed and talent. Both teams have issues right now but FSU has more overall talent to make up for all the problems. FSU has Alabama next on the schedule so they know they need to start playing better now. I like FSU 24 to 13 as I think they have too much speed for CU.

By PJMHusker