We get you ready for Saturday’s Nebraska vs. Illinois game in this week’s 3-2-1 column.

We get you ready for Saturday’s Nebraska vs. Illinois game in this week’s 3-2-1 column.

1 – Scott Frost and the Huskers are locked in

Scott Frost set the tone on Monday. He was locked in and focused on Illinois. Short and to the point.

Frost’s approach on Monday drew a lot of discussion. The reality is Frost is ready for a game. There’s not much more that needs to be said at this point. Everyone understands what this season opener at Illinois means in the big picture.

There was also no depth chart issued this week, so that eliminated a lot of side discussion about “this player” or “that player.”

When you don’t hand a depth chart out the week of the first game it’s very difficult to get much new from a press conference like Monday’s, especially when Frost wasn’t going to elaborate on anything.

Let’s just get through Saturday and see what Monday brings heading into the Fordham game.

2 – The Big Ten, ACC and PAC-12 punched back at the SEC and ESPN

What will the new Alliance of the Big Ten, ACC and PAC-12 conferences look like? Nobody knows.

But what we do know is this was a counter punch back at ESPN and the SEC. The SEC and ESPN tried to make a power move to take over college football by starting the 12-team playoff right away and then let ESPN have control of all 11 pieces of playoff inventory vs. putting it out for bid.

This now slows things down and ensures the original four-team playoff contract that runs through 2025 makes it all the way through before any drastic changes can be made to the playoffs.

It also ensures that FOX, CBS and NBC will have a chance to bid on the 12-team playoff to allow multiple networks in the action and not let ESPN/ABC have total control.

I also like the thought of dropping one Big Ten game per year and going back to eight league games in exchange for one ACC and one PAC-12 game. That’s a win for everyone. This will generate more attractive match-ups and eliminate some of the crossover games in the Big Ten that don’t really move the needle.

3 – It’s going to be a guessing game on both sides on Saturday

We know this: Nebraska has no idea what Illinois is going to come at them with and, to an extent, the Illini don’t know what the Huskers are going to do either. Both teams are going to have new looks and wrinkles never show before.

Can Frost and his staff make the on-the-fly adjustments necessary on Saturday? That will ultimately be one of the biggest storylines in this game.

I also expect Frost to come out with some offensive looks and formations never shown before. It will be interesting how Bret Bielema and his staff adjust to that, as he’ll be breaking in his new 3-4 defensive scheme for the first time.

1 – Who is the starting running back?

Who will Nebraska trot out there on their first play at running back? I think for most of camp we thought freshman Gabe Ervin was the odds-on favorite, but recently there’s been a strong push for second-year freshman Sevion Morrison. USC transfer Markese Stepp also continues to be in the discussion.

With that said, I’ll still go with my original pick of Ervin. Has there ever been a true freshman start a season opener at running back for the Big Red? I can’t recall any. Obviously, players like David Horne and Ahman Green started games their true freshman year, but not the opener.

2 – How improved will special teams be?

What will Nebraska’s special teams play look like on Saturday? How much better will they be in 2021?

I think just simply having a kicker that can put the ball through the end zone will go a very long way on kickoffs. I also expect to see several front-line defensive players on these units.

You can no longer treat special teams as a way to let guys utilize the four-game redshirt rule and get experience. Every yard matters in the Big Ten. The best guys need to be out there.

I think you are going to see a confident and aggressive version of Nebraska’s defense on Saturday.

With that said, I predict you will see at least two forced turnovers against Illinois.

Sean Callahan can be reached at sean@huskeronline.com and he can be heard each day at 6:45 am and 5:05 pm on Big Red Radio 1110 KFAB in Omaha during the football season. He can also be seen on KETV Channel 7 in Omaha during the fall and each week he appears on NET’s Big Red Wrap-Tuesday’s at 7 pm.