Honest Nebraska discussion...

[loesshillshawk]

As most of you know my disdain for the Nebraska Media here in Southwest Iowa is well documented. I do however respect the tradition that is Nebraska football. I would like to get some opinions on what folks honestly think about their current state. The recruiting landscape has changed dramatically since their run in the 90's. Teams have went in to Lincoln recently and actually won. Their record against rated teams in NOT what it use to be with the Good Dr. coaching. Bo is a great defensive coach...I think the jury is still out on his head coaching. He is short fused, very hard on his players, hard on his coaches, hard on officials and sometimes just loses it on the field. These are not good traits to have as a head coach. You really need to be somewhat reserved and able to watch the big picture. I am all for some great fire in your head guy but F bombs all over TV does not help him coach. Their offense has really struggled under Watson and Bo...except for the bowl game against an Arizona team that mailed it in. I for one love their tradition coming into the league, I also like the fact we Iowa fans get to settle the discussions on the field now. However, all I hear over here is they are immediately the best team in the conference...they are going to immediately play OSU, PSU, Michigan and what great rivalries they will be. They think Iowa, Wisconsin and other teams are not even close to their talent pool and can't compete with them. I guess time will tell but just wondered what the board was thinking.

 

[Mesaclone]

In my opinion, Nebraska is in for a rude awakening. Further, their traditional recruiting grounds in Texas will not dry up for the most part. And it will take time to refocus recruiting into Big Ten territory. So I think they're looking at a number of 5-7 win seasons after they hit the Big Ten. OSU and PSU will dominate them...and I think Iowa as well. They will also struggle mightily at places like Michigan State, Michigan, Purdue, and Wisconsin. They will remain competitive, but the W's are going to be much harder to come by.

 

[jameskalina]

The Big Ten is more balanced.

I doubt Nebraska will be able to hold their overall average Big 12 won loss record in the Big Ten Conference.

I think Nebraska could have 1 maybe 2 fewer wins a year in the Big Ten, depending on who they play in the eastern division on a given year.

 

[jshawks]

IMO Nebraska is a program that is capable of beating any Big 10 team on any given day. The problem I see for them is that they are not used to having to strap it up for each and every contest every week like they will have to in the Big 10. They are used to defending spread offenses that strike quick and play finesse football and very little defense.
The Big 10 season is a meat grinder, and will be considerably more physical than the Big 12 north. I think the cumulative toll that the Big 10 season takes on Nebraska will surprise them. Much like Penn State they will win their share of games, but they wont dominate the league by any means.

 

[BryceC]

I think changing their recruiting grounds will hurt NU. When looking at them honestly, what is different about NU as opposed to Iowa and Wisconsin? Very similar teams, philosophies, etc. except there won't be any transition phase for WI and Iowa. I don't think this is great news for them.

 

[BigRedPowrWagon]

I really dislike fans from my team talking about dominance. Its arrogance and i hate it with every fiber of my body. I think our head coach has the d buttoned up to hang with any big 10 team. There still might be some holes. Im not going to lie and say that the big 12 north is a huge competative battle ground. But they are games that the team practes for. I dont see them ever putting in half the effort in practice just because there playing an iowa state that weekend. I cant say well never go 5-7. Your right the 90s are over but i dont think alot of nebraska fans think its still going on. We might still expect that out of our coaching staff and i think it importand to have a 8+ win season every year. Its just something that happened for so long weve just come to expect it. Thats why Frank Solich had a short stay. Though stupid to fire him that was the point. At that time we werent happy with a 9 win season. Nebraska fans still expected us to win it all. Stupid on our part for being so arrogant but i guess when your used to something thats what you expect.

Point is, i think nebraska will do just fine in the big 10. And i appoligize if any huskers are pounding there chest alittle 2 loudly. Just remind them of 2007 and that kinda puts them in perspective.

 

[bhawk326]

BigRedPowrWagon, thanks for coming on the message board and giving an honest assessment of Nebraska. Some Nebraska fans have been saying the last 8 years were flukes, but I think with how things have changed from a national and regional perspective those last 8 years are more likely the new norm.

I think Nebraska will post relatively similar records to what they have done over the past 8 to 9 years, but that won't be enough to win their new division like it has been for winning the Big 12 North. I did a little bit of digging to see how similar Iowa and Nebraska have played over the past 9 seasons (through 2001 since most people consider this the beginning of the Ferentz winning era). Here are the results, I think they may be much more surprising to Nebraska fans than Iowa fans:

Iowa
Overall Conference Post Bowl Season
Wins Losses Wins Losses Bowl Bowl Rank ESPN Rank AP Rank
2009 11 2 6 2 Orange (W) BCS ---- ----
2008 9 4 5 3 Outback (W) 3rd 20 20
2007 6 6 4 4 ---- ---- ---- ----
2006 6 7 2 6 Alamo (L) 5th ---- ----
2005 7 5 5 3 Outback (L) 3rd ---- ----
2004* 10 2 7 1 Capital One (W) 2nd 8 8
2003 10 3 5 3 Outback (W) 3rd 8 8
2002* 11 2 8 0 Orange (L) BCS 8 8
2001 7 5 4 4 Alamo (W) 4th ---- ----

Average 8.6 4.0 5.1 2.9 5-3 5 Top 25 & 4 Top 10



Nebraska
Overall Conference Post Bowl Season
Wins Losses Wins Losses Bowl Bowl Rank ESPN Rank AP Rank
2009^ 10 4 6 2 Holiday (W) 3rd 14 14
2008 9 4 5 3 Gator (W) 4th ---- ----
2007 5 7 2 6 ---- ---- ---- ----
2006^ 9 5 6 2 Cotton (L) 2nd ---- ----
2005 8 4 4 4 Alamo (W) 4th 24 24
2004 5 6 3 5 ---- ---- ---- ----
2003 10 3 5 3 Alamo (W) 4th 18 19
2002 7 7 3 5 Independence (L) 7th ---- ----
2001 11 2 7 1 Rose (NC) (L) BCS 7 8

Average 8.2 4.7 4.6 3.4 4-3 4 Top 25 & 1 Top 10

* Indicates Co-Big 10 Championships
^ Indicates Big 12 North Championships (Both Championship Games were Losses for Neb)

It appears that Iowa has better stats in almost every category other than Nebraska got to play in the National Championship game in 2001. Keep in mind that over this time that Nebraska only had to play Oklahoma and Texas 4 out of every 8 years where as Iowa had to play Ohio State, Penn State and Michigan 6 out of every 8 years. Also, Nebraska had the benefit of playing the Big 12 North. The more I look at it, I could see Nebraska averaging about 7.5 - 8 wins per year for the near future and Iowa averaging slightly better at about 8 - 9 wins per year.

 

[bhawk326]

Here are the charts in a more readable version.

 

[WinOneThisCentury]

IMO Nebraska is a program that is capable of beating any Big 10 team on any given day. The problem I see for them is that they are not used to having to strap it up for each and every contest every week like they will have to in the Big 10. They are used to defending spread offenses that strike quick and play finesse football and very little defense.
The Big 10 season is a meat grinder, and will be considerably more physical than the Big 12 north. I think the cumulative toll that the Big 10 season takes on Nebraska will surprise them. Much like Penn State they will win their share of games, but they wont dominate the league by any means.

Great post...I couldn't agree more. When you look at the records in the Big 12 and especially the Big 12 North, that kind of dominance points to programs being down year in and year out. The balance and style of play in the Big Ten forces you to play week in and week out, especially when you go on the road at PSU, OSU, Michigan, Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, and Michigan State. That's seven teams that will play you competitive in their house even in a down year. Like Penn State found out...going undefeated in conference play is truly a feat.

 

[IIHUSKERSII]

As most of you know my disdain for the Nebraska Media here in Southwest Iowa is well documented. I do however respect the tradition that is Nebraska football. I would like to get some opinions on what folks honestly think about their current state. The recruiting landscape has changed dramatically since their run in the 90's. Teams have went in to Lincoln recently and actually won. Their record against rated teams in NOT what it use to be with the Good Dr. coaching. Bo is a great defensive coach...I think the jury is still out on his head coaching. He is short fused, very hard on his players, hard on his coaches, hard on officials and sometimes just loses it on the field. These are not good traits to have as a head coach. You really need to be somewhat reserved and able to watch the big picture. I am all for some great fire in your head guy but F bombs all over TV does not help him coach. Their offense has really struggled under Watson and Bo...except for the bowl game against an Arizona team that mailed it in. I for one love their tradition coming into the league, I also like the fact we Iowa fans get to settle the discussions on the field now. However, all I hear over here is they are immediately the best team in the conference...they are going to immediately play OSU, PSU, Michigan and what great rivalries they will be. They think Iowa, Wisconsin and other teams are not even close to their talent pool and can't compete with them. I guess time will tell but just wondered what the board was thinking.

1) Nebraska has never really had one area that they recruited more than another (except we can take anyone in the state of Nebraska) I dont think not playing in texas once a yr is going to change much. we have far more tx players on our team now then we did in the 90s. up until recently I believe we avg. something like 2.5 players a yr from texas from the TO yrs up until about 4 yrs ago. We dont play in Arizona, California and Florida on a regular basis and still able to pluck kids out of those states. I dont believe TX will be any diff. I also believe the Bit Ten will help with recruiting, it's a much better brand to talk up along with the traditions that the Big XII just didnt have.

2) It is true, teams have come into Lincoln and won. Thanks to Bill "I ruined Husker Football" Callahan. But, Bo has brought out the best in BCs players and recruiting his "style" of players since he arived has turned this team around faster than many of us thought he could do. he has the Huskers on the right track.

3) Bo was a wreck on the sidelines his first yr. There was alot of publicity on local radio shows/message boards/local news stations about his actions on the sideline. TO spoke with him about that and has since been relatively calm compared to his first yr. I think most Husker fans will forgive him for his antics with a 20-8 record and 3 bowl wins since hes been here.

4) the offense has not always struggled under Watson. during the BC yrs the Offense was actualy fairly good. When Bo became the head coach he wanted to get back to running the ball more which is what we did. and there was an obvious learning curve the O-line had to overcome and we had O-linemen that were good pass protectors and horrible run blockers that, and replaceing a fairly decent QB and our top recievers last yr really hurt the O. I think you will see a significant improvement in the Husker O this yr.


I think the competition will be better. but you are fooling yourself if you think the Huskers are the finese team that BC coached. They may not go undefeated but they are by no means a 5 win team either. The Huskers have the talent to compete with everyone in the Big Ten except OSU right now. It will deff. make for some great football!

 

[atxhawk]

I think the competition will be better. but you are fooling yourself if you think the Huskers are the finese team that BC coached. They may not go undefeated but they are by no means a 5 win team either. The Huskers have the talent to compete with everyone in the Big Ten except OSU right now. It will deff. make for some great football!

I think you misunderstood what the previous poster was discussing when he said that NU would not be used to the physical play of the big ten and that it would wear on them. It was more a knock on the rest of the Big XII and how their style is softer than that of the Big 10. The Huskers physical style will fit right in with the conference, it will just take them a year or two to adjust to the rest of the teams playing that style and the wear it puts on the players.

 

[BigRedPowrWagon]

Ill be perfectly honest with you. Growing up in the Big 8 and Big 12 we were always taught or lead to believe that the Big 10 was a slower weaker conference. With the exception of OSU and MU that was pretty much all you guys had. Then when i got older i herd big 10 folks talk about how week the big 12 was. How the north was a cupcake conference. At this point i dont know what to believe. Because when you think about it, why would either one of our fan bases really take the time to look into the others conference when we were hardlly apart of it. Which is interesting in itself because they are 2 neighboring conferences who would have close traveling distances between schools for some pre conference games. Its just going to come down to whose gonna be prepaired. Do i think some nebraska fans need a realistic wakeup call. Yes. Do i think we can handle big 10 style football. Yes. Maybe we win out the 1st year we are there, maybe we only win 5. We are used to this type of system you guys are going to be fresh in with the champ game that is.

Bottom line is this, Nebraska will be ready for the Big10. But some fans need to wake up and smell what there shoveling.

 

[loesshillshawk]

1) Nebraska has never really had one area that they recruited more than another (except we can take anyone in the state of Nebraska) I dont think not playing in texas once a yr is going to change much. we have far more tx players on our team now then we did in the 90s. up until recently I believe we avg. something like 2.5 players a yr from texas from the TO yrs up until about 4 yrs ago. We dont play in Arizona, California and Florida on a regular basis and still able to pluck kids out of those states. I dont believe TX will be any diff. I also believe the Bit Ten will help with recruiting, it's a much better brand to talk up along with the traditions that the Big XII just didnt have.

2) It is true, teams have come into Lincoln and won. Thanks to Bill "I ruined Husker Football" Callahan. But, Bo has brought out the best in BCs players and recruiting his "style" of players since he arived has turned this team around faster than many of us thought he could do. he has the Huskers on the right track.

3) Bo was a wreck on the sidelines his first yr. There was alot of publicity on local radio shows/message boards/local news stations about his actions on the sideline. TO spoke with him about that and has since been relatively calm compared to his first yr. I think most Husker fans will forgive him for his antics with a 20-8 record and 3 bowl wins since hes been here.

4) the offense has not always struggled under Watson. during the BC yrs the Offense was actualy fairly good. When Bo became the head coach he wanted to get back to running the ball more which is what we did. and there was an obvious learning curve the O-line had to overcome and we had O-linemen that were good pass protectors and horrible run blockers that, and replaceing a fairly decent QB and our top recievers last yr really hurt the O. I think you will see a significant improvement in the Husker O this yr.


I think the competition will be better. but you are fooling yourself if you think the Huskers are the finese team that BC coached. They may not go undefeated but they are by no means a 5 win team either. The Huskers have the talent to compete with everyone in the Big Ten except OSU right now. It will deff. make for some great football!

If you have watched Nebraska, which I know you have, teams have had success running straight at you. Even the 1620 the zone has brought this up as a potential trouble spot for Nebraska in the B10. Big backs that want to run behind smash mouth lines have hurt Nebraska...I think this is something Bo will address but Nebraska is in for a week in and week out grind that they havent seen in the B12 north.

 

[loesshillshawk]

Ill be perfectly honest with you. Growing up in the Big 8 and Big 12 we were always taught or lead to believe that the Big 10 was a slower weaker conference. With the exception of OSU and MU that was pretty much all you guys had. Then when i got older i herd big 10 folks talk about how week the big 12 was. How the north was a cupcake conference. At this point i dont know what to believe. Because when you think about it, why would either one of our fan bases really take the time to look into the others conference when we were hardlly apart of it. Which is interesting in itself because they are 2 neighboring conferences who would have close traveling distances between schools for some pre conference games. Its just going to come down to whose gonna be prepaired. Do i think some nebraska fans need a realistic wakeup call. Yes. Do i think we can handle big 10 style football. Yes. Maybe we win out the 1st year we are there, maybe we only win 5. We are used to this type of system you guys are going to be fresh in with the champ game that is.

Bottom line is this, Nebraska will be ready for the Big10. But some fans need to wake up and smell what there shoveling.

Most Nebraska fans look only at themselves...PERIOD. To look objectively at the rest of the conferences is something most Husker fans do not do. I think another thing that will hurt Nebraska, probably fans mostly, is their lack of available seats in visiting stadiums. Husker fans are use to being able to snatch up however many tickets they want...in the B10 you will be relegated to your few rows in the corner. You will not have the fan presence on the road.

 

[IATrainMaster101]

I think that Nebraska will fit right into the B10 and be a top tier team right out of the gate. When we look back a decade or so after their initial season,we will likly see that Neb, Iowa PSU and possibly Wisc (although I think as long as BB is in charge up there they will fall back a peg) were typically jockying for that 2nd position and the ocasional B10 title.

I think the right replacement for Jo Pa could make PSU a Giant in college football again. I don't think the same is true of Neb. As much as I respect the Neb history, They won't ever replicate that level again consistently IMHO. They will likely always be good, maybe even great once in a while just not ever dominant like they once were.

I think one of the more interesting theings to watch play out is who will have their number and who's number will they have.

 

[atxhawk]

You will not have the fan presence on the road.

Except at Northwestern, Indiana, and possibly Minnesota as the jury is still out on them with their new stadium. If Mini still played at the Metrodome, Nebraska fans would turn it into Memorial Stadium North just like we did.

Will they ever duplicate the run they had in the 90's? No. Will anyone? Doubtful.

Will they be a very competitive team in the new Big Ten? Yup.

Will they win a conference title? At some point, yes. When? Sometime in their first 10 seasons. And no, this is not some sort of slam on your program Husker fans. If the program keeps heading in the direction it has the past two seasons it could happen the first year. It could also take 10 years since there is still OSU, PSU, Iowa, and Wisconsin to deal with.

 

[DAHAWX1]

There is no question that the Big 10 top to bottom is a more physical conference but you are just fooling yourself if you think the Big 10 schools dont have speed. Ask Georgia Tech how the speed was for the Iowa team last season. Every year people try to bring this up yet they continue to be surprised when they can't move the ball as easily on Big 10 teams.

 

[loesshillshawk]

Except at Northwestern, Indiana won't be in their division, and possibly Minnesota Minnesota is now limited to 45000 fans so that hurts the Kinnick or Memorial North argument. as the jury is still out on them with their new stadium. If Mini still played at the Metrodome, Nebraska fans would turn it into Memorial Stadium North just like we did.

Will they ever duplicate the run they had in the 90's? No. Will anyone? Doubtful.

Will they be a very competitive team in the new Big Ten? Yup.

Will they win a conference title? At some point, yes. When? Sometime in their first 10 seasons. And no, this is not some sort of slam on your program Husker fans. If the program keeps heading in the direction it has the past two seasons it could happen the first year. It could also take 10 years since there is still OSU, PSU, Iowa, and Wisconsin to deal with.

 

[clicheusername3]

There is no question that the Big 10 top to bottom is a more physical conference but you are just fooling yourself if you think the Big 10 schools dont have speed. Ask Georgia Tech how the speed was for the Iowa team last season. Every year people try to bring this up yet they continue to be surprised when they can't move the ball as easily on Big 10 teams.

was GT ever questioning our speed? Was GT supposed to have speed? I always thought this was a b10 vs. SEC thing

 

[BigRedPowrWagon]

You will be suprised. Even if fans cant get into the stadium they will still travel to the town. It just how they do things.