ssckelley
Well-Known Member
You nailed it, Cowherd is the "Howard Stern" of sports radio. He is a shock jock and people will tune in too listen if for nothing else to hear what stupid thing he will say next.
Collin Cowherd
- Thread starter OmaHawk13
- Start date
You nailed it, Cowherd is the "Howard Stern" of sports radio. He is a shock jock and people will tune in too listen if for nothing else to hear what stupid thing he will say next.
I understand where you are coming from on all of this. But it's going to take awhile for Iowa to pass Wisconsin and Nebraska in "recruiting appeal" as Tom Dienhart would say. He ranked B1G schools on how attractive each school is to recruits:
http://btn.com/2014/02/06/ranking-big-ten-schools-on-recruiting-appeal/
1) Ohio State
2) PSU
3) Nebraska (ridiculous facilities for every sport, money, fan support, tradition, big college town)
4) Michigan
5) Wisconsin (NFL talent, academics, gameday experience, big college town)
6) Michigan State
7) Iowa (much-needed facilities boost, 2 bcs appearances, small town "charm")
Can't say I disagree with any of his descriptions
Colin is an entertainer with a bunch of air time to fill. What the Iowa discussion is is an easy target for him. Iowa was relevant as the their record this year and climb up to 4 in the polls made it so they couldn't be ignored. He decided to take the negative route and play the bully card in regards to them instead of seeing them as a good story because it would play better to the majority of his east and west coast audiences. To them it just didn't make any logical sense that a school that had the record they had last year (and previous 5-10 yrs) could do what they did. So without watching them really or paying attention to them he just comes up with the grandious line of thinking that since they aren't one of the top 20 all time national programs that they are irrelevant... I don't see the fun in saying well a school that climbed to # 4 in the country for a few weeks and was 1 play away from being in the playoffs will never win a championship because if that can happen clearly it's more possible then impossible. Instead of celebrating a good season he'd rather be negative and whether that's him or just for ratings... Who knows
ssckelley
Well-Known Member
If Wisconsin is such a great place to play then why are they on their 3rd coach since Alvarez retired as HC? What makes Arkansas and Oregon State's job more appealing? The game day experience is probably great on a visit but I can't imagine recruits make a decision on where they will play football based on it and I'd argue Iowa has one of the best game day experiences in the Big Ten. They do have a much better recruiting base though.
I don't disagree with much on Nebraska, they have poured money into their sports. But they key for them, and the article mentions it, they have to recruit far and wide as they don't have much with in the state of Nebraska. When you are recruiting from Florida, Texas, and California and don't have 5 star facilities then you don't even make the phone call to schedule the visit. Like Wisconsin they have had a lot of turnover at the coaching position along with an unrealistic fan expectations of being NC contenders. While Wisconsin fans might take pride in their Rose Bowl appearances, Nebraska fans and administration want more and I think that can hurt in some ways.
That article is 2 years old, I wonder how Dienhart would re-rank them today. MSU has done exactly what he said they would need to do so I would think they'd move up. If it was me doing the ranking Penn State would be much lower, that Paterno affect is gone. I'd probably have Iowa 6th with Penn State ranked below, but not a wide margin behind Wisconsin and Nebraska. Another strong season by Iowa could move them ahead, especially if Nebraska struggles again.
I've got OSU, Michigan, MSU, Wisconsin, Nebraska, Iowa, and PSU in that order.
Great discussion btw....it is great to have a debate with someone that doesn't turn into mud slinging.
Fryowa
Administrator
Politics, like most coaching shakeups.
Program success is still 90ish % of recruiting; obviously once you're in that cycle it's easier and easier to maintain. Wisconsin will recruit better than us until they tank for several years in a row which I don't see happening. Nebraska is the only football school I see falling off the table in coming years because they have a perfect storm of suck going on...
Football's the only thing in the entire state which in my opinion is a major problem. No other college sports, no pro sports; just sand dunes and a weird arch thing over the interstate. When you have a lot of success (TO era) everyone expects it, and their absurd fan base wants heads every time they lose. Then it gets bad enough that the ADs, etc. eventually buy in and start playing musical coaches, which only makes it worse and destabilizes the program. Rinse, repeat. Up until now they've been able to hire some upper mid-range crimin...I mean players...because their boosters can afford to shell out houses and a hooker allowance. A couple more seasons under the Sunday school teacher that is Mike Riley and even that won't do it. They'll be settled in nicely with the Indianas and the Marylands of the world. But I could be wrong.
ssckelley
Well-Known Member
If Iowa will have any sustained success I do see Wisconsin as the biggest obstacle. But another big season this year will give the recruiters the ability to out hustle them. Again despite all the success Wisconsin has had over the years they haven't even sniffed a NC, Iowa was within an inch of playing for it.
Fryowa
Administrator
Those 3 B1G championships in a row certainly didn't hurt them; Iowa needed so bad to win the bowl game this year. Getting absolutely wrecked in that RB erased most if not all of what the 12-0 run did. Purely from a recruiting perspective I'd have rather they won the Holiday bowl than even played in Pasadena. Add the Taxslayer thing and we have a pretty good black eye starting.
Yeah as much as I would love to see that happen, I don't see a unicorn becoming the next president of the United States either. But you never know.
Also, not to defend Nebraska in any way, but what exactly do we have over them in the "stuff to do" category? From the stuff you mentioned, we don't have pro sports either. And Iowa is just a long flat grassland with windmills everywhere. Then Des Moines in the middle. I've lived in Omaha for 6 years now and I actually really like it a lot. Probably favorite and biggest of the cities I've lived in my lifetime. Even Lincoln is bigger than Des Moines in population. If recruits are looking for entertainment, I don't think either school really has an advantage in the "stuff to do" department to be honest.
I would love to see that football program crash and burn. But we went 4-8 just 4 short years ago. Anyone remember that? Now we just went 12-0. A program of that size and with that support and money will NEVER fall to the Indiana's and Maryland's.......unfortunately.
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I agree with this. Momentum is huge in sports, especially college football. It is always much better to end the season on a winning note. Even with how great it is to experience a Rose Bowl, Wisconsin ended the season off on a better note by beating a prestigious program in the Holiday Bowl and can use that going into the next season. Meanwhile, we got blasted on national TV and end the season with 2 consecutive losses with a lot of backlash from national media for being overrated and a fraud
NCHawker
Well-Known Member
I love the hawks, but I agree. I watch other teams. The speed difference, especially at skill position is huge. The speed difference on DLine is huge. Slow tough run stuffers on the D-Line. No pass rush. RB's who can only get outside against Indiana, ILL and average B1G teams.
If you don't ever watch other teams, you just don't know these things.
ssckelley
Well-Known Member
You live in the middle of them and experience first hand how crazy their fans expectations are, imagine the consequences of another mediocre or (heaven forbid) back to back losing seasons. It probably means they fire Mike Riley, and then what? They really have created their own crap storm.
Fryowa
Administrator
The Nebraska post was mostly just an exaggerated cheap shot by me, but I do see their program taking a tumble.
Omaha's cool, but I've spent a LOT of time in that state and been in all of our 99 counties and Iowa is, while semi-bumpkiny, way more varied and interesting as a state. And you can't really count Omaha. It has 25% of the state's people in .1% of the area. We at least have a few other uni's with competitive sports programs to argue about. In huskerville the only winning team you can root for is women's volleyball. Either way, nothing will change my (albeit worthless) opinion that that state is a total unwashed butt hole. We'll just have to disagree on that one.
I do remember 4-8 and I'm not saying our program is bigger or more well equipped. I just think that Nebraska is in a tailspin and it makes me giggle.
I understand his obsession, because Iowa fans actually respond and care. Most others are completely disinterested in his opinions.
chadfrey
Well-Known Member
You miss my point — completely. Believe me, I know the difference between a journalist and Cowherd. I hire and fire journalists, and have been an award winning journalist for two decades.
My point is he has no way to participate in the selection or voting process for naming a college football champion. None. Zip. Zero. Get my drift? Mike Hlas is more important in the world of college football. Same for Steve Sipple. (http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/files/specials/top25_front/voters.html?SITE=AP)
You can choose to care about his opinion. Right now I care, just a little. At the end of this point I likely will not.
Actually, check some ratings. That is a very measurable way to either validate or invalidate my assertion. According to last week's ratings, viewers of cable sports really want two things: 1. Sports events. Last week, Bowl Games and Sunday Night Football were kings. Nearly every day events hammered the top three to four spots of the ratings. 2. Sports news, highlights and scores. Sportscenter reigned. (http://sportstvratings.com/)
Sportstalk shows rarely cracked the top 20. The Herd? Check the lists. Lucky to be in the top 40 on any given day.
I simply point out the ratings — do with that what you will. For me, the numbers speak for themselves.
I think any head coach gets 3 years at least, no matter how high fan expectations are. Also, their new AD hired Mike Riley. The fans did not. He's gonna want to keep Riley around as long as he can to prove the hire was right. I don't see them going 6-7 again. That hail mary loss to BYU kind of set the tone for the season and they lost a lot of heartbreakers. Hell, their QB threw 4 picks against us and we still only won by 8. They were the only B1G team to beat Michigan State and it was in his first year.
But I will say, you are 100% correct, another season like this one and all hell will likely break loose.
Let's remember though, weren't we all calling for Ferentz's head after the Tennessee demolishing 1 year ago? Then look what happened. 12-2. Also, Ferentz went 4-8 just 4 years ago. Our fans don't put up with it either. But, Barta kept him around. Eichorst will do the same for 3 years minimum (my prediction)
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I'm giggling with you!
I don't think it lasts long though. What do they have - 45 Bowl appearances in the last 47 years or something insane like that? I don't think they'll go another 6-7 season. If they do that would make my life.
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ssckelley
Well-Known Member
True but the expectation levels are way different, Iowa fans call for Ferentz's head after multiple years of mediocre football but Nebraska fans call for the HC head after every loss and their administration cut their coach loose after a 9-3 season.
Iowa fans expect bowl games every year with an occasional Rose Bowl, or major bowl, once in awhile. Nebraska fans expect to be playing for championships every year. Perhaps Barta did the right thing sticking with Ferentz, a coaching carousal here would be devastating to the program.
Yeah I know what you mean. But if you had the option would you want Bo Pelini as your head coach if it meant you would go 9-3/8-4 every year but had this on your sideline every game?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o7N71odGDH0
That guy is a total tool. I don't understand how if you're a recruit, why would you ever want to play for that guy?
Also to your last point, I might be in the minority (very likely), but I kinda respect Nebraska fans for having those expectations. In fact, I wish more Iowa fans had those expectations rather than to settle with mediocre seasons and then occasional rose bowls where we get shellacked on national tv. I admire the passion and care their fans have (although a bit crazy) and I had a great experience with their fans this year.
Granted, they have championships expectations because they've won a multitude of championships (even though its been more than a decade)
I wish we held our program to a higher standard, that's all. I know we don't have the history to back that up and make that a reality. That's just my opinion.
ssckelley
Well-Known Member
When I typed my response I was thinking the same thing. I'm not sure if the expectations at Nebraska or at Iowa are a good thing or a bad thing on either side. Here at Iowa I don't think championship expectations every year are realistic but, OTOH, the recent stretch Iowa has been through has been horrible. Time will tell if Barta made the right decision, if Iowa slips back into .500 football next year the fans will be wanting his head again.
With another mild schedule next season hopefully they take full advantage and we are back discussing this a year from now but, hopefully, with a better ending. That's when they will start getting the 4 & 5 star recruits attention.
