Trev Alberts to A&M

[Zstatman]

I've been mulling this over trying to think of it from both the A&M and Nebraska perspectives.

My simple take:

One of the reasons A&M went to the SEC was to get out from under the shadow of the Texas Longhorns. They could never quite get over the hump of being a better athletic program. They thought by going to the SEC with a fresh start, with their resources, they could possibly go in with a new mindset and rise to the top. While they've been pretty competitive in the SEC they haven't risen to the top. Now their longtime nemesis is coming into their new conference and Texas isn't coming in to play second fiddle to anyone, they plan to win. What must that be doing to the A&M psyche? Why would that make them feel Alberts is the answer?

Then there's Nebraska. NorthKC has laid out most of the detail that's going on behind the scenes. I think of this. All the great success the football program had has created this monster that anything less than national championships in football is unacceptable. Feed the beast, think of Bama. Just think of the pressure this puts on the AD and coaches. The big money donors don't have long time horizons. Ruhle and Hoiberg seems like good hires, to me anyway, but what is the big money whispering in the ears of the President and AD? My guess is the departures were partly due to this. Get a good pay raise and get out of Dodge, why not.......

 

[NorthKCHawk]

I've been mulling this over trying to think of it from both the A&M and Nebraska perspectives.

My simple take:

One of the reasons A&M went to the SEC was to get out from under the shadow of the Texas Longhorns. They could never quite get over the hump of being a better athletic program. They thought by going to the SEC with a fresh start, with their resources, they could possibly go in with a new mindset and rise to the top. While they've been pretty competitive in the SEC they haven't risen to the top. Now their longtime nemesis is coming into their new conference and Texas isn't coming in to play second fiddle to anyone, they plan to win. What must that be doing to the A&M psyche? Why would that make them feel Alberts is the answer?

Then there's Nebraska. NorthKC has laid out most of the detail that's going on behind the scenes. I think of this. All the great success the football program had has created this monster that anything less than national championships in football is unacceptable. Feed the beast, think of Bama. Just think of the pressure this puts on the AD and coaches. The big money donors don't have long time horizons. Ruhle and Hoiberg seems like good hires, to me anyway, but what is the big money whispering in the ears of the President and AD? My guess is the departures were partly due to this. Get a good pay raise and get out of Dodge, why not.......

Your last paragraph is spot on. Think of the juxtapose in expectation versus what can be done at both schools.

At Nebbie, you have fans and donors that demand the good old days of playing for Natties every other year, but in reality, modern Nebraska has almost zero chance of playing for a Nattie ever again. Indeed, they have become such a joke nationally they will be digging out for years just to be relevant again. If Alberts somehow returned them to glory, he should have. If he doesn't, he is a failure!!!

At A&M, there is almost no history of truly national success for any relevant program, but you have the money and hunger to shoot for that. If A&M stays a paper tiger? Well, that's what they have largely been. But, if A&M gets or comes close to a Nattie in football in the next 5 years Alberts is a god.

Its like Theo Epstein leaving the Sox and going to the Cubs. He only had the ability to be a hero in that job.

 

[InGoodCo]

BTW, it was so enjoyable listening to local radio in Omaha. The Bugeaters were on a rollercoaster because the rumor was that Nebbie was going to match or otherwise try to sway him to stay, and because the announcement took forever, the talking heads were sure that they were going to negotiate a deal and keep him. Nope.

There is nothing better than a day where Nebbie fans' hearts are broken once and then once again all in the same day.

lol, totally. There was a ray of lite from about 11 am to 4 pm where fans were like "ok, this can saved, we're still ok, nothings in stone, we have the money to counter and compete"

just to have it all dashed fairly quick. I too enjoyed the shit out of it.

 

[HaydenHawk56]

Trev NOOOOOO!!!!!!

 

[kicker22]

Couldn't have happened to a better school.

 

[kicker22]

Golden boy Scott Frost as AD?

 

[Hawkfnntn]

Heard on the Dan Patrick show coming in that A&M is pumping in 80 mil to upgrade their baseball stadium. 80 mil!! Yea, they have $$$$$$$$$$$$$$.

As you point out, weird they haven't had more championships or become that blue blood. I agree, just because they are in Texas and have $$$ they think they are the chit. They have never proved it.

They most certainly do. So much so that they have to come up with things like that just to spend some of it.

 

[MelroseHawkins]

I don't think it was money or the Title IX suit or state politics. I thinks he sees that A&M has near limitless resources to devote to athletics and the coming wars of major college athletics will be a war of attrition. Despite the robust support for Nebraska athletics from the fans, Nebraska does not have the rocks to win that type of rock fight. It is a lower end institution in terms of size, prestige and money in the Big 10. Its overall student population has been shrinking and the budgets are certainly not going up across campus. Nebbie's president and his boss (and they were friends too) was just lured away by a bigger player in the conference. The record over the last 15 years in the conference is that Nebbie just does not have the resources to be a big player in this conference. The Aggies, for all of their fake success, can match the resources and dedication to sports of just about anyone.

This is not a lateral move. Far from it. Nebbie fans may not want to admit that, but its just true.

Yea, I laughed when I heard a Nebraska sports talk radio guy state he didn't understand it because it was a lateral move. Um.................no it is not as you point out. They are completely delusional thinking Nebby is in a good place and a destination. NOT AT ALL!