With the start of the 2015 season just 80 days away it is time to think about which game will be the most interesting in 2015.
For me, there are two games on this schedule that really stick out.
The first game that is most interesting on the 2015 schedule is the first one of the season on September 5 at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, Nebraska. BYU opens the 2015 campaign in front of a sea of red and white fans that are expecting their Nebraska Cornhuskers to dominate their season opener.
Aug 30, 2014; Lincoln, NE, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers fans release red balloons after a score during the second half against the Florida Atlantic Owls at Memorial Stadium. Nebraska won 55-7. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
Nebraska is breaking in a new head coach in Mike Riley who came over from Oregon State and they have to replace running back Ameer Abdullah who went to the NFL. Even though it is a new system that Riley is bringing to Nebraska, he knows a few things about BYU considering that while at Oregon State, he played BYU on numerous occasions with the last one coming in 2012 where his Beavers lit up the Cougar defense in a 42-24 victory at LaVell Edwards Stadium.
Riley has a new team and it will be interesting how they handle their season opener against a competitive opponent like BYU.
BYU, on the other hand, has a tough task at hand. Their schedule is brutal to start the season and this is just the first. Nebraska isn’t the dominant team they were under Tom Osborne and it is a winnable game for the Cougars. With a healthy Taysom Hill and a healthy Jamaal Williams in the backfield and one of the deepest receiving corps that BYU has had, the Cougars could start their season off on the right foot. Or they could lay an egg like they did in 2013 at Virginia.
It will be interesting to see how head coach Bronco Mendenhall approaches this game too. Will he look at it as just another game or will he get his team ready to play and have a chip on their shoulders trying to prove to their college football world that they belong?
The second one will happen on November 14 at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City. The Cougars will face off against SEC foe Missouri. It will most likely be cold, possibly windy, and their might even be some snow.
Nov 1, 2014; Columbia, MO, USA; Missouri Tigers cheerleaders lead the team onto the field before the game against the Kentucky Wildcats at Faurot Field. Missouri won 20-10. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
The intrigue in this match-up is that the SEC is touted as the best football conference in America. They dominate and not too many teams can compete with them. Missouri has won back-to-back SEC East titles and they only trailed then No. 1 Alabama by eight points in the third quarter of the 2014 SEC Championship game before the Tide rolled off 21 unanswered points to win decisively.
The Tigers return quarterback Maty Mauk returns for his junior year and the Tigers have a relatively easy nonconference schedule.
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These two teams have met before in the 1983 Holiday Bowl. Steve Young earned MVP honors as he recorded a touchdown pass, touchdown run, and touchdown reception in the same game.
With as difficult of a schedule as it is for BYU to begin the season, going into SEC territory towards the end of the season won’t be easy.
Sep 11, 2014; Provo, UT, USA; Brigham Young Cougars quarterback Taysom Hill (4) hands the ball to running back Jamaal Williams (21) during the third quarter against the Houston Cougars at Lavell Edwards Stadium. Brigham Young Cougars won the game 33-25. Mandatory Credit: Chris Nicoll-USA TODAY Sports
This game is huge for BYU because a win against an SEC opponent on the road will gain notoriety and attention around the nation. A win in this game could also boost its argument to get into a Power 5 Conference such as the Big 12.