Spring practices are in the books and fall camps will be here before you know it so that means getting an early jump on the 2006 NCAA football season. Knowing the teams now will save you time in August and Matt Fargo is here to help you get a grasp of what to expect this upcoming year. We go from worst to first in this 2006 College Football Preview.

#22 Nebraska Cornhuskers 8-4 SU; 6-5 ATS

Fargos Take This will be third year of the Bill Callahan west coast offense experiment and it will be an important one. The Huskers finished a disappointing 96th in total offense last year after finishing 69th the year before. Offenses are supposed to get better in the second year of a new system and not fall back so a big improvement is necessary or Callahan could be on his way out sooner than expected. It is said that it takes three years for a west coast offense to click so time is up. Nebraska has gone to a bowl in two of the past three years and both of those were the Alamo Bowl so it is up to Callahan to get the Huskers back to a big time bowl game. He is going to have a solid defense to work with and if the offense improves like it should, Nebraska could be on its way back to the glory days. Playing in the Big XII Championship is a goal that cannot be taken down.

Returning Starters on Offense 7 Quarterback Zac Taylor came into his own last season, passing for a school record 2,653 yards while tossing 19 touchdowns. The offense obviously relies on him and he will have no problem running it. The problem lies up front as Nebraska has just one starter coming back on the offensive line that allowed 38 sacks last season. Possibly even worse is that the running game has to replace Cory Ross with a back that has little to no experience. The Huskers finished 107th in the country in rushing offense and in order for the west coast attack to flourish, a running game must be established. Sophomores Marlon Lucky and Cody Glenn must step up immediately. Taylor has five of top six pass catchers back but getting them the ball all starts up front.

Returning Starters on Defense 7 The Blackshirts improved from 56th in total defense in 2004 to 26th last season and that ranking can get even better. The defense is tabbed third best in the Big XII behind Texas and Oklahoma and arguably has the best front seven in the conference. The linebackers are the best unit in the conference with Corey McKeon leading the way. Bo Rudd, Steve Octavian and Stewart Bradley are all back from injury and this unit rivals Penn St. as one of the best in the country. The defensive line is led by ends Adam Carriker and Jay Moore and in total there are six players who have been placed on All-conference watch lists, which is pretty impressive considering some arent even starters. The secondary, namely safety, is the biggest question as both starters need to be replaced. The Blackshirts are back.

Schedule Nebraska is fortunate to be playing in the Big XII North, the weaker of the two divisions. Because of that, the Huskers only have to face three of the teams from the South and this season, two of the three that are off the list are Oklahoma and Texas Tech. Those two handed Nebraska two of its four losses last year. Another bonus is that Texas has to come to Memorial Stadium. Four of the first five games are at home this season but that one road game is a bear at USC. Nebraska should be 6-1 heading into that game against the Longhorns with a game at Iowa St. being the only other roadblock. Following Texas, three of the final four games are wins with a game at Texas A&M being the only question. Nebraska does not have a bye week until the final game of the season against Colorado.

You can bet on The success of the Huskers and if they can surpass their eight wins from a season ago lies with the offense. The offensive line is a huge question mark but at least the early part of the schedule is easy, sans USC, which can provide time for the unit to jell together. The defense will be carrying the Huskers early on. Nebraska is only 3-6 ATS as a road underdog since 2002 and it will certainly be getting points in Pasadena. Making matters worse, they will be coming off a win against Troy and they have coved only 10 of their last 26 games following a straight up win. Defeating USC is not as impossible as it used to be but it will take a gallant effort to defeat the Trojans who have won 27 straight at home.