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Gameday greetings from Lincoln, everyone.

More than eight months since the Cougars fell 55-48 in double overtime to Memphis in the Miami Beach Bowl, they take the field again today against one of the most storied programs in all of college football, Nebraska.

It is going to be hot, windy and humid at sold-out Memorial Stadium (87,000), so hot that Nebraska officials are allowing fans to take two bottles of water each into the stadium.

The Cougars have talked for months about the impact that new strength coach Frank Wintrich and his staff have had on their conditioning level. That supposed program improvement will be tested today.

I arrived in Nebraska (Omaha) on Friday, and drove over to Lincoln last night to get a look at the town and the stadium. Already, I'm amazed at how pervasive Nebraska football is here: on local television news, on radio commercials and billboards. Big Red is everywhere.

My sense is Nebraska fans are worried about the Huskers' 29-game winning streak in season openers coming to the end.

As for the Cougars, I've sensed a quiet confidence throughout preseason camp; the return of Taysom Hill and memories of last year's 41-7 walloping of Texas under similar circumstances — new coach, massive crowd, suffocating heat — have the Cougars feeling pretty good about themselves.

"We are encouraged by a little more depth this year," said BYU linebackers coach Paul Tidwell. "We have some positions that are experienced, and some that are young, but that's the way it is every year. We are encouraged by what we have. The thing I am personally most encouraged about is just the chemistry of the team, defense and offense. The chemistry of the team just seems really, really good, really high. It seems like they like each other and they are having fun."

Tidwell was asked whether BYU has any concerns that it will be overmatched physically by the Big Ten team.

"No, not at all. Nope," Tidwell said.

Quarterbacks coach Jason Beck said Hill just has a way of inspiring confidence in his teammates.

"One is the way he carries himself. Everybody just buys in and believes that we can win every game with him back there. And then seeing the way he has played, he has backed it up with his performance. And he is not a guy that gets rattled. He goes in, first play he is sharp. So the nerves don't get to him. He can start fast, play well, and everybody knows with No. 4 in there that we have a great opportunity to win every game," Beck said.

What about playing on the road in an unfamiliar place with 80,000-plus rabid fans howling at you?

"We will be fine because we have so many guys who have been there, and seen it," Beck said. "We are not breaking in too many inexperienced players that you just don't know about. I remember last year, even though UConn is not the same. It was Texas in week two. You had some young guys, Mitchell Juergens and Colby Pearson and Terenn Houk and Tejan Koroma, you didn't know how they would respond in that kind of atmosphere. But all the guys have been through it and so I don't think it will be an issue. We will be pretty confident going in."