Neb. is a top 30-60 team: now and forever

[wapiti]

I think it's the smart bet. Full disclosure: it's probably the only bet.

Agreed. Cycling through coaches every 3 years is not the way to go. Unless there are major red flags, stay the course.

[Omaha 680]

Nebraska doubles down! GM would approve.

This is our year! Or wait til next year! Etc etc

[Jeff Lebowski]

I think it's the smart bet. Full disclosure: it's probably the only bet.

Agreed.

[BigFatMeanie]

I think it's the smart bet. Full disclosure: it's probably the only bet.

Sitake's and Frost's situations have parallels.

[Eddie]

Sitake's and Frost's situations have parallels.

If only one of those parallels was a top 25 recruiting class with four 4* recruits.

Unfortunately...it isn't.

[Paperback Writer]

If only one of those parallels was a top 25 recruiting class with four 4* recruits.

Unfortunately...it isn't.

The four 4* recruits I mentioned were all from Florida. In Nebraska's entire class of 23, 10 are ranked as 4* recruits (only one player is from Nebraska). Still probably quite a way behind Ohio St, Penn St., and Michigan. Nevertheless, when Nebraska was relevant (a couple of decades ago), they had similar ranked recruiting classes.

One parallel that BYU and Nebraska have is that they both need Utah to crash and burn. Obviously, BYU signed more talent from Utah but Nebraska would often sign a Utah player who was not mission bound and had no interest in the "BYU experience". Now those players are playing for Utah.

[Moliere]

Bump

[Uncle Ted]

Nebraska's top 15 wins in the Scott Frost era:

1. Michigan St (2019)
2. Penn St (2020)
3. Illinois (2018)
4. Minnesota (2018)
5. Northwestern (2019)
6. Rutgers (2020)
7. Illinois (2019)
8. Purdue (2020)
9. Maryland (2019)
10. South Alabama (2019)
11. NIU (2019)
12. Bethune-Cookman (2018)
13.
14.
15.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2020_N..._football_team
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2019_N..._football_team
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2018_N..._football_team

[Omaha 680]

I am sad.

[USUC]

I am sad.

So what has happened? Is it because they no longer recruit or play in Texas? Is it because the days of partial qualifiers are long gone? The option was a system that perfectly at the time and minimized all of the current disadvantages?

[Uncle Ted]

So what has happened? Is it because they no longer recruit or play in Texas? Is it because the days of partial qualifiers are long gone? The option was a system that perfectly at the time and minimized all of the current disadvantages?

1.

'Fire Scott Frost': Nebraska fans irate after embarrassing loss to Illinois

Nebraska dropped to 0-1 on the season on Saturday afternoon as the Huskers lost 30-22 to Illinois.

The Illini, who were playing the first game of the Bret Bielema era, capitalized on several major Nebraska mistakes throughout the game.
[...]

https://saturdaytradition.com/nebras...s-to-illinois/

2. Join the Big 12 with BYU. Texas will no longer be there... It's safe to go back.

[Omaha 680]

So what has happened? Is it because they no longer recruit or play in Texas? Is it because the days of partial qualifiers are long gone? The option was a system that perfectly at the time and minimized all of the current disadvantages?

I am not sure. I don't buy the argument "no one wants to live in Lincoln". While a true statement (sorry, PBW), no one wants to live in Norman either but Oklahoma didn't fall off the map for nearly 20 years after Barry Switzer. I agree that the option under Osborne was the perfect system for Nebraska at the time. But they coupled that with devastating defenses, in particular during the 60-3 run of four championship games (with three titles) in five years in the 90s.

Personally I have come to believe that success in modern major college football is simply a combination of resources and coaching (shocker I know!), in particular the head coach. If you have the best resources and a top tier coach, the talent (including assistant coaches) will flow to you no matter where you are located (even Lincoln) and the coaches will turn that talent into success. Nebraska does not lack for resources or fan support. This isn't just me being a homer; I would stack up their fan support, facilities, and general resources against almost anyone in the country. They have a top 10, perhaps top 5 history/tradition to lean on. So the only answer in my mind is coaching.

Osborne was an all-time great. Yes he was a master of the option but history doesn't give him credit for how he tailored his offenses to match his talent. Everyone remembers the devastating option attacks of Tommie Frazier and Eric Crouch but those were different offenses than what Turner Gill ran in the early 80s for example. I think Solich was an adequate, but not great, heir to the throne. Firing him blew up the coaching tradition at Nebraska and sent us on a 15 year goose chase for the one who would return us to the promised land. Callahan was a disaster and the wrong fit from the start. Pelini was a decent coach, but certifiably insane. Riley was a nice guy but just hammering checks until retirement.

I really believe(d?) in Frost. He showed at Oregon and UCF he knows what he is doing. He had the tradition to unite the fan base and donors. And to a certain degree things have improved. I think the talent level is way up and if they could stop being boneheads they could compete with most teams in the country and at least challenge for a Big Ten division title. But the errors week after week. Stupid, costly errors that when they happen year after year has to go straight to coaching. I didn't pay much attention to UCF to know if his teams were this undisciplined but it really is nuts. Special teams are a train wreck. When mounting a comeback late in the game Saturday we did a QB sneak on first and goal from the 6 because we didn't realize we got the first down on the last play. I still have hope he can turn it around but it is not looking good.

I don't think Nebraska is doomed to their current pathetic state forever unless the fan support and resources dry up. Given the fortunate inclusion in the B1G and the fact that husker fandom is in most of our DNA, I don't see either happening. Everywhere Nick Saban and Urban Meyer go will win as long as they have decent resources because those guys are just that good. The problem with Nebraska now is obviously no known great will likely take on the headache, so now we have to luck into one of the next greats somehow. Frost was our best chance at that and that is why I am sad.

Thank you for coming to my TED talk.

[LiveCoug]

Nebraska is in real danger of breaking their 59 year home sellout streak this week against Fordham. That makes me sad

[Moliere]

Maybe they should schedule a decent team if they want to sell out the stadium

[Jeff Lebowski]

OK guys, this is just one game! Sounds like they made a ton of mistakes, which is not uncommon for game 1. They could still end up having a fine season.