Preseason football magazines have hit the stands and yes, I myself am far from invulnerable from picking one or two (or five) up. I like to learn about the new names and faces that the spotlight will shine on in the upcoming year, read about the bowl predictions that may as well have been pulled out of a hat and just how accurate Phil Steele is. I know he is. His cover tells me so every year. While expectations in Lincoln have been bubbling ever since Bo Pelini was hired, his crew assembled and in some cases even before that when Tom Osborne was placed at the head of it all as Athletic Director another camp seems to be pitching tent: Those who see 2008 as a field of land mines as the team as a bull with the mental faculties of an outhouse rat.

For every “Bo Knows <Insert T-Shirt Slogan Here>”, I hear grave concern over not just a defensive line plagued by lack of depth and uncertainty but of an entire defense with no identity at all. You show me a person who touts Defensive Backs Coach Marvin Sanders’ ability to whip his charges into shape and I’ll show you someone lamenting the current wide receiver corps including Nate Swift and Todd Peterson. Interestingly enough for every cautiously optimistic nine or ten-win season prediction, I hear just about as many seven or eights and in some cases that’s, “if we’re lucky.”

This is incredibly perplexing to me as the same fans referred to as some of the most gracious in college football are also those with some of the highest expectations and have been for about four decades now. Logic would dictate that predicting seven or eight wins would be said with a scowl and have caused a head to turn or even an eyebrow to raise, but instead I see shrugs and looks of “Whatta ya gonna do?”  Have some Nebraska football fans already handed Bo Pelini a free pass and written off 2008?  It’s June! 

Admittedly, I understand where a lot of them are coming from. 2007 was very difficult on the psyches of everyone associated with the program from a number of aspects and recovery is still underway. The idea of expecting the worst and hoping for the best may be a better choice for the aforementioned. Honestly it made me feel sorta sad that a portion of the fan base had turned 30 and decided to settle for some middle of the road record that treats them okay and maybe occasionally takes them out once in a while to a nice bowl game but really they remember the one that got away. You know, the adorable one from just over a decade ago with a goose egg on the end.

So here we sit doused in rain prepping for the College World Series (Go LSU). It's right before the patch of the year when it’s like trekking through the Sahara with one bottle of water if you have anything to do with sports (of course that’s why the NCAA football video game franchise was invented). Nebraska fans are either giddy as a teenager on prom night or sulking like one who didn’t get lucky after all. It’s really a fitting metaphor because in the end, I think that’s how the season’s going to play out. Either Nebraska is a program proud of the over achievement or bummed due to growing pains.

If it makes you feel any better though, Steele has Nebraska as his #12 “Most Improved” team for 2008.  He’s accurate, ya know.  At least that’s what he tells me.

Well, the Macbook Pro hasn't yet come back to life, but here's some resources for you if you're looking for College World Series stuff. Very frustrating - I haven't lost data as I do keep backups, but... at this point in time, I don't really have another machine that provides me the tools I use for blogging on a regular basis. That part sucks .

Awful Announcing has your schedule for the series , including (obviously) the announcers for each game. AA points out that O.A.R will be the featured band for ESPN throughout the tourney.

Today:

• 2 p.m.- Stanford vs. Florida State: Sean McDonough, Robin Ventura and Kyle Peterson (ESPN)
• 7 p.m.- Georgia vs. Miami: Mike Patrick, Orel Hershiser and Erin Andrews (ESPN)

Tomorrow:

• 2 p.m.- Fresno State vs. Rice: Karl Ravech, Ventura and Andrews (ESPN)
• 7 p.m.- LSU vs. North Carolina: McDonough, Barry Larkin and Peterson (ESPN2)

The College Baseball blog has your CWS preview , while you should be following Eric Sorenson at CSTV as he provides previews and updates . Georgia blog Dawgsports will be following the action, while Tomahawk Nation provides the Florida State perspective . Miami is represented by Hall of Canes , And the Valley Shook is all about LSU, while Carolina March covers North Carolina .

Keep in mind that signing up for an account on SB Nation will allow you to post comments at any of the above sites as well as here at Corn Nation.

Stanford has to be the biggest surprise this season, especially with the other surprise being that Arizona State isn't in Omaha. The Pac 10 was supposed to be a powerhouse conference this season, and for Stanford to be the team that came out of it - wow, shocking.

Florida State has been to Omaha 19 times without winning a national title. Maybe they should be considered an underdog - but I doubt many people have sympathy for the 'Noles.

If there are Rice, Fresno State, or Stanford bloggers out there covering their baseball team, please leave a note in the comment section.

So last night I'm assuming the proper blogger position (in my underwear in my mom's basement ) - sitting down in my big comfy chair and preparing to finish a couple articles, one for this site, one for another.

My laptop bag is open in front of the end table, with my beloved Macbook Pro inside, and as I reach for the bag, some jackass (me) has left a huge glass of water right in front of it, which I tip over and the entire contents go into the top of the bag, at which point I went: (G-rated version):

AAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I might as well flooded the laptop bag. Needless to say it didn't fire up. I immediately shut it down and removed the battery, made no attempt to attach it to power as I know better than that.

So, we'll see what happens in a couple days as it dries out. In the mean time I'll feel naked and alone. Sad that I have that big a connection to a piece of electronics.

All of the fabulous links I've collected for the CWS are on that laptop. I've started on the book review cycle again and have a couple ready to go -  on that laptop. Snarky follow ups to previously dead issues that I'd like to resurrect - all on that laptop.

Poo (not really what I'm thinking, but it's family friendly)

I have a loaner I'll carry from work - a lenovo Thinkpad R61e (okay laptop, but a POS compared to a Macbook Pro) with clacky keys.

Crap baskets (insert your favorite talk like a sailor phrase here). I hope the thing comes back to life. Until then... well, I'll do my best (with a lot of bitterness that I'll take out on everyone and everything around me).

CWS starts Saturday, remember. Not Friday. That's really confusing, isn't it?

A bunch of good teams (not including Arizona State) play each other in an exciting example of collegiate sports at its finest.

Argh. I say again. Argh.

In just thirteen months from concept to contract, the NCAA and the City of Omaha have reached an agreement to keep the College World Series in Omaha through 2035.   Stop and think about that sentence.  A twenty-five year contract for an NCAA championship just isn't even fathomable with any other sport or any other city.  But that's a reflection of the special relationship between the NCAA and Omaha.

That special relationship between Omaha and the NCAA fueled a contentious debate in Omaha for much of the last year.  Traditionalists felt the new stadium was unnecessary at this time; Rosenblatt Stadium is still a viable facility in the near term and it would be difficult for another city to make the same commitment that Omaha makes to the NCAA.  Add in a 58 year history of the College World Series at Rosenblatt, and this debate fueled the passions of Omaha baseball fans.

However, as the city and the NCAA discussed the short-term needs of the College World Series, it became clear to leaders on both sides that further investments at Rosenblatt weren't a good investment.  The NCAA wanted more control over the surroundings, which would have necessitated the purchase and bulldozing of many of the houses surrounding the stadium.  Retrofitting upgrades to concourses and clubhouses would have required significant demolition and reconstruction of the stadium.  $30 million would have addressed many of the NCAA's short term needs, and would have gained Omaha a five or ten year extension.  After that, however, the picture became a little murkier.  Much of Rosenblatt's skeleton dated back to 1947, and was nearing the end of it's expected lifespan.  The NCAA had desires to make the Series more comfortable for their corporate sponsors by providing nearby hotels and restaurants and space for exhibitions.

With that in mind, the NCAA and Omaha Mayor Mike Fahey launched an ambitious plan to build a new stadium.  A new downtown stadium had been proposed previously by the Omaha Royals, a triple-A minor league franchise, a few years earlier, but failed to gain any traction to move the plan forward.  Now the downtown stadium idea moved onto the fast track with many proposals floated out there.  Many trial balloons were floated, such as thousands of temporary seats that would be flown in and out of the stadium for the series.  Multiple locations were proposed around downtown, and the stadium costs skyrocketed from $50 million to $90 million to finally $140 million as details were worked out.

Those trial balloons and the fast track of discussions served to fuel further dissention with the plan.  Fahey's predecessor, Hal Daub, was a board member of MECA, which manages the Qwest Center and the parking lot where the stadium was proposed to be built.  MECA and the Mayor's office waged a battle through the news media for months as negotiations progressed.  Simultaneously, residents of the neighborhood around Rosenblatt protested the stadium plans and a recall petition drive began against Fahey.

But as spring began, everything began to fall into place.  MECA and the Mayor's office came to an agreement on the stadium.  The NCAA offered an unprecedented 25 year contract.  The recall petition failed to garner 40% of the signatures they needed.  And Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo announced plans for build a new signature exhibit for Arctic animals on the Rosenblatt property that would help drive additional tourism and development to the neighborhood.

The end of Rosenblatt Stadium will be bittersweet for Omaha.  A lot of memories were formed during many College World Series.  ESPN raves about the event.  But the event has never been about the stadium...it's been about the fans who support his event year after year.  And the fans will be the winner in the end.  More parking for fans who drive to the game.  Fans who wish to imbibe before or after the game will have many more establishments nearby to frequent.  Out of town fans will appreciate being able to walk (stumble?) from the stadium to their hotel room.  And nobody will miss the claustrophobic concourses and long bathroom lines at Rosenblatt.

Like it or not, the College World Series is changing.  This year, it starts a day later on Saturday.  The championship round moves to Monday through Wednesday the next week, meaning that barring any rainouts (and boy, has Omaha been getting plenty of rainstorms the last few days), the second weekend of the College World Series will be awkwardly baseball-free.  That's the decision of the NCAA and ESPN, not Omaha.

Whether the stadium was really needed or not will likely be debated for years to come.  Some traditions will end, but other traditions will continue.  New traditions will  develop.   And most importantly, the College World Series will continue to be played in Omaha for years to come.

Tom Dienhart at Rivals recently spoke with a NFL scout who stated that none of those star Big 12 quarterbacks we're all going on about will be making it big in the NFL:

Ha! Short system quarterbacks! Two kisses of death in a single sentence! He adds extra gravy on top of Chase Daniel when he compares him to Doug Flutie knowing fully well there can only be one short NFL quarterback that was a winner in college and the professional level.

Dienhart doesn't give up the name of the NFL scout, but I'm betting the guy threw that 'short quarterbacks' line out there with the same self-assuredness Dave Wannstedt felt around Bill Callahan.

No sudden moves, Billy C. He could crush you like a bug.

Hey, but the NFL scout guy does same something nice about our own Marlon Lucky:

Eeewwww, though. The West Coast Offense? Gives you the billies, doesn't it? No word on whether or not Lucky fits in the new "Nebraska offense" that Shawn Watson is set to unveil. Good thing Watson re-named it, otherwise people might think it was the same thing and expect even more out of Lucky than he's already delivered.

Marlon Lucky - destined to be a star, hopefully before he gets to the NFL.

Peter over at Burnt Orange Nation loves Tom Osborne and gives him a nice endorsement , specifically about the issues Osborne has raised recently (well, recently in May, but it’s the off-season and time isn’t a factor). Ironic that a Texas guy would be gushing over Tom while I have to take issue with at least one of his statements, specifically the one that Peter emphasized:

From this statement, it’s clear that Osborne isn’t worried about putting anyone through college. We do have a problem in collegiate athletics with the amount of money that’s pouring in - exactly as Osborne states. But we have another problem that rarely gets mentioned - that non-scholarship students are facing a mountain of debt by the time they graduate. Had Osborne made his statement to cover students as a whole, he’d be right on the money, but the idea that student-athletes have it rough it preposterous.

Given the resident and non-resident costs to attend the University of Nebraska , you’d think that more people would recognize that student-athletes are being compensated pretty well:

So, assuming you’re going to spend five years getting your degree:

• Five years in-state:             $64,842.50
• Five years out-of-state:         $114,942.50

Nebraska is in line with other Big 12 schools with regards to cost of attendance. Compared to other universities it might be considered a bargain. As examples, I recently spoke with a fellow Nebraska alum whose daughter will attend the University of Michigan and he’s figuring on paying out $37,000 per year for her education. Another I spoke with commented on his daughter, who has finished dental school with $150,000 in debt.

The good thing is that Tom Osborne is looking out for the student-athletes. The down side is acting like student-athletes are being exploited when they’re not. The key here is that full-ride scholarship student-athletes are going to graduate from college FAR ahead of their non-scholarship counterparts because they aren’t going to have massive amounts of debt hanging over them when they’ve finished.

I'll probably touch on this issue a little more here in the off-season as it's one that hits close to home. Like a lot of parents, I have to make a choice in the next few years - save for retirement or help fund my kids' education. Perhaps Osborne could consider throwing his considerable weight behind the problem facing all potential students. One thing is certain - he'd have a much bigger audience as more people would be willing to listen.

Tonight, LSU absolutely thrashed Cal-Irvine 21-7 to clinch a College World Series berth in Omaha.  Great news for Omahans, as the Tiger fans love to come to Omaha, and Tiger fans are always welcome in Omaha.

There's always been a little bit of affection for the Tigers in these parts, especially after LSU upset Tennessee in 2001 to allow the Huskers to back into a Rose Bowl berth.  And a new connection between LSU and Nebraska was born this past winter when LSU defensive coordinator Bo Pelini returned to Nebraska as head football coach.

Pelini has immersed himself in Husker sports, showing up at wrestling matches as well as a few baseball games.  Will Pelini head to Omaha this next weekend in support of his former school?  I'd almost expect it.

Which raises the question... will Pelini break out some of his old LSU apparel?  And if so, how will Husker fans react?

My take is?  Who gives a dang what Bo Pelini wears to a College World Series game when the Huskers aren't in it?  If he wants to support the Tigers, go for it.  He lived and worked in Baton Rouge for three years.

But that being said... I'm sure there are a few fans who weren't happy that Pelini helped coach the Tigers in the BCS title game.  They wanted Pelini to cut the cord the moment he walked to the podium in Lincoln.  They won't be happy if Pelini is cheering on the Tigers in June.  (Even though it's baseball season, fall practice doesn't start for another 7 weeks, and it's not like he's rooting against the Huskers.)

What's your take?  Not that it really matters... Bo Pelini is going to do what he wants anyway.  If you don't like it... "Tough!"

Had soccer tournaments this weekend, but in-between watching kids got in some college baseball.

Sunday I took in the Florida State-Wichita State game for a while. Proving that it's not just pro fans who have their moments of complete stupidity, a Florida State fan reached over the fence to catch a foul ball in the second inning. FSU's third baseman was in perfect position to record the third out and get out of the inning.

Ever notice that stupid people are also the unluckiest? They go together very well. The next pitch is a home run for Andy Dirks of Wichita State, cutting FSU's lead to 6-2 and giving the Shockers some life.

Lucky for the dumb guy Florida State won the game, otherwise it'd have been more than just the stadium he'd had to leave. With the economy being what it is, it's a bad time to have to sell the house and find a job somewhere else.

Full video of the stupidity is available here.

ESPN continued to flip back to the guy until he was escorted from the stadium, probably for his own safety.

Several teams are already in the CWS:

• Standford was the first, sweeping Cal State Fullerton. Given where Stanford was predicted to be, they have had an incredible year.
• North Carolina - no shock that they swept Coastal Carolina.
• Florida State - Shockers just couldn't get it done over a team with incredible offense, the Seminoles putting up 32 runs in three games.
• Miami had a lot more problems with Arizona than I expected. I watched a lot of Sunday's game. Arizona just couldn't bring their base runners home, while Miami was incredible at defense and pitching when they needed to be.
• Georgia mashed NC State on Sunday. Not all that surprising.
  
• Rice eliminates the Big 12. Damn. That's depressing.

The Last of the Super Regional Action:

• LSU wouldn't die and go away quietly, coming back to beat UC Irvine and pushing that series to game three. Nothing against LSU, I'd just rather see UC Irvine in the CWS as it would make me feel better about the Nebraska loss.
  
• I guess I thought that Arizona State would take their series in two games. Fresno State is proving to be more competitive than I thought they would be, mostly because the Sun Devils have been incredible this season.
  

CSTV Online Coverge Links

Cary Regional
NORTH CAROLINA v. Coastal Carolina [Audio]
Coral Gables Regional (Televised on ESPNU)
MIAMI v. Arizona [Audio] MIAMI v. Arizona [Audio]

Houston Regional
Rice: Press Conference (Video)
Rice vs Texas A&M: Post Game Press Conference (Video)
Another Press Conference

Tallahassee Regional
FLORIDA STATE vs. Wichita State: Post-Game Press Conference (Video)
FLORIDA STATE vs. Wichita State: Post-Game Press Conference (Video)

Blogs To Follow:

College Baseball Blog

Miami vs. Arizona
Georgia  vs NC State
LSU vs UC Irvine
Texas A&M  vs Rice
Florida State  vs Wichita State
North Carolina  vs Coastal Carolina
Arizona State vs Fresno State

Very interesting match ups - just like college football you see a bunch of teams that wouldn't ever play each other during the regular season come together at the end.

If I had to pick the winners (in no particular order):

• Miami - the best team in the nation
  
• Georgia - I'm cheating, they're already up 1-0.
  
• UC Irvine - scrappy team, been there, done that.
  
• Rice - Rod Childress has only been a head coach a couple years
  
• Wichita State - rooting for the Midwestern team, you know it!
  
• Coastal Carolina - rooting for the underdog
  
• Arizona State - big big big offense

Remember former Husker quarterback Joe Dailey?  Back in 2004, he was the sacrificial lamb at quarterback in year one of the Bill Callahan experiment in Lincoln.  Recruited to Lincoln as a dual-threat quarterback, Callahan tried to turn him into a drop-back quarterback in his sophomore season.  He transferred to North Carolina where he played under three different offensive coordinators, finally finishing his career as a wide receiver.

Did you count that?  Five year college career.  Two schools.  Four head coaches.  Five offensive coordinators.

And you know what he decided to do after his playing career ended ?

Become a college football coach.

And get married... back in Lincoln, Nebraska...

Dailey told Sports Illustrated's Stewart Mandel last summer that he wanted to go into coaching , so it's no surprise that he's following through... and considering the legacy of former Husker players joining the staffs at programs associated with Nebraska (Nebraska, then New Mexico State under Tony Samuel, and now Ohio under Frank Solich and Buffalo under Turner Gill), it's no surprise that he's now on the staff at Buffalo .

Maybe Dailey's football career didn't go so well between the hash marks.  But it still might have a happy ending.