What caused the demise of Nebraska?
- Thread starter ChosenChildren
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tksirius
HN's Love Doctor
Thawki
Well-Known Member
How much of your opinion must we seriously consider, given you cannot even come up with Bob Devaney as the name of the man that turned that program into a juggernaut?
hawkinn3
Well-Known Member
The game changed, it's wide open now and speed and athleticism are more valuable then strength. Those athletes aren't coming from Nebraska and it's hard to covince a good recruit to live in Lincoln. The entire city is a cul de sac surrounded by strip malls.
Also nice to see some little red trolls are creating accounts in hopes Iowa stumbles. Get used to your holes you little trolls you will be slumbering all season.
Also nice to see some little red trolls are creating accounts in hopes Iowa stumbles. Get used to your holes you little trolls you will be slumbering all season.
eveningnewsteam
Well-Known Member
They will never recruit well enough again to be a dynasty. They'll recruit well enough to be solid and sneak up every once in awhile and contend for a conference title. I realize that isnt good enough for the fanbase, but that is who they are.
MelroseHawkins
Well-Known Member
MelroseHawkins
Well-Known Member
A little bit of a stretch but you point out the timing which is an interesting observation.
MelroseHawkins
Well-Known Member
Agree. Just a horrible place to recruit now. Well, I should say difficult. Once in Lincoln, it's fine. It's just not flashy at all getting to Lincoln and your kind of on an island in Lincoln. Plus it gets cold during football season. Not a good combination.
HawkGold
Well-Known Member
Several things play into it.
1. Devaney and Osborne created a god cult like atmosphere. Those days are gone. Alabama may be the only one left. But even Sabin hasn't built the cult like atmosphere the big programs had in the past.
2. The Big 8 was very weak after the first 2. A number of easy wins.
3.. Changes in number of scholarships. They could stack. Makes a team hard to beat. Didn't they have Turner Gill, Roger Craig and IM HIpp in the same backfield?
4. The climate changed after WW2 Silver Star awardee Tom Niland (uncle of M's Beilien, almost by himself took down Barry Switzer at OU and the SMU Pony Express.
5. Today, even Nebbys' attendance is down.
6. Harder to recruit to Lincoln.
7. They got rid of an acceptable coach and hired an idiot who was not respectable.
From a previous comment, I'm not sure Michigan is back yet or will be. The state of Michigan is a shell of it;s former self, with a lot of areas really struggling. In mid sized cities, across the nation, high schools are having trouble keeping football programs going. It takes money and Michigan took a real dive in school quality due to funding.
1. Devaney and Osborne created a god cult like atmosphere. Those days are gone. Alabama may be the only one left. But even Sabin hasn't built the cult like atmosphere the big programs had in the past.
2. The Big 8 was very weak after the first 2. A number of easy wins.
3.. Changes in number of scholarships. They could stack. Makes a team hard to beat. Didn't they have Turner Gill, Roger Craig and IM HIpp in the same backfield?
4. The climate changed after WW2 Silver Star awardee Tom Niland (uncle of M's Beilien, almost by himself took down Barry Switzer at OU and the SMU Pony Express.
5. Today, even Nebbys' attendance is down.
6. Harder to recruit to Lincoln.
7. They got rid of an acceptable coach and hired an idiot who was not respectable.
From a previous comment, I'm not sure Michigan is back yet or will be. The state of Michigan is a shell of it;s former self, with a lot of areas really struggling. In mid sized cities, across the nation, high schools are having trouble keeping football programs going. It takes money and Michigan took a real dive in school quality due to funding.
MelroseHawkins
Well-Known Member
Valid point. Yes, I made the Michigan comment and agree that not totally back yet. It will be interesting to see what happens with football in the future with many parents questioning having their sons play tackle football. There may be a shortage of really good players in the future. I know I live in the Iowa City area and this is a point of conversation among us who have 9-12 year old boys. It's the talk of the town and more and more NFL players are coming out about their CNS health issues. Ben Utecht was just on TV the other night describing his issues. Scary stuff.
HawkGold
Well-Known Member
About Mich, who would have thought the 49ers would implode as fast as it did. There is a common thread between Mich and the 49ers.
I think being in the Big 8 helped them a lot. Other than Oklahoma and Colorado for a few years, they were almost assured of going at least 6-1 in conference. Even if they lost 2 non-conference games they would at worst be 8-3.
Also, teams in the south are much more competitive now then back in Nebraska's good years. Why would a kid from Texas now come up to Nebraska for college when they could play at Baylor, TCU, Texas Tech, Mississippi, Miss St, etc. Would also think Oregon now being able to take a lot of California kids also impacts Nebraska's success in recruiting the west coast.
Also, teams in the south are much more competitive now then back in Nebraska's good years. Why would a kid from Texas now come up to Nebraska for college when they could play at Baylor, TCU, Texas Tech, Mississippi, Miss St, etc. Would also think Oregon now being able to take a lot of California kids also impacts Nebraska's success in recruiting the west coast.
AreWeThereYet
Well-Known Member
Bob Devaney understood two platoon football perhaps more than anyone else during the transition from single platoon football. Two platoon football meant increased specialization. You could get bigger linemen and linebackers without having to utilize them in dual roles. Devaney also greatly increased the role of athletic conditioning, making it much more methodical and thought out process. Real sports science didn't really come to the fore until the mid eighties with the Eastern Block Olympic teams. Nebraska jumped on that quickly too.
WinOneThisCentury
Well-Known Member
Obviously it's a bunch of things, Recruiting, Competition Improvements, Athletic Administration, and Coaching...that have led to their mediocrity. I have to hang the big albatross though on the coaching staffs. Bill Calahan, Bo Pelini, Frank Solich, and now Mike Riley. That drop off from Osborne is like falling into the Grand Canyon...and they are still falling.
You can list a number of things but it can all be summed up as times have changed. They can't bank on facilities anymore because almost anybody who is anybody has high quality facilities. Coaching advantages have gone away in part because there are more great coaches at different places. The advantage in physical training methods has gone away because physical training methods have become an emphasis everywhere. They can't bank on TV exposure anymore because anybody who is anybody is on TV now. Add that with poor location in terms of local recruiting talent and being elite is much more difficult.
With all of this said, Nebraska still has a pretty solid program. Their recruiting hasn't fallen off of a cliff exactly. They still get quality players as evidence by the fact that Pelini averaged 9-10 wins a year which is recent history. Either he's a damn good coach or they still get solid players. Most programs would love to have that be the standard.
On the flip side of that, they were not able to get to the next level under Pelini which may also be an indicator of where there program is at. They can get a number of solid players, but not a lot of GREAT players. As much as a Nebraska fan would hate to admit it, the ceiling and floor for them as a program is much closer to Iowa and Wisconsin than it is at potentially elite programs such as Alabama or Ohio State.
With all of this said, Nebraska still has a pretty solid program. Their recruiting hasn't fallen off of a cliff exactly. They still get quality players as evidence by the fact that Pelini averaged 9-10 wins a year which is recent history. Either he's a damn good coach or they still get solid players. Most programs would love to have that be the standard.
On the flip side of that, they were not able to get to the next level under Pelini which may also be an indicator of where there program is at. They can get a number of solid players, but not a lot of GREAT players. As much as a Nebraska fan would hate to admit it, the ceiling and floor for them as a program is much closer to Iowa and Wisconsin than it is at potentially elite programs such as Alabama or Ohio State.
Many have stated valid reasons. Just think how exposure has changed in the last 30 years. How many games were on tv versus just the radio. Those at the top tended to stay there and got the greatest exposure. I am sure Devaney and Osborne were great salesman to recruits also. That contributed to the longevity of high level success. I assume donors dumped money in to keep the program up there as an elite team with facilities. Now so many teams are on tv each Saturday even when records might not be that good and social media has also changed things. And maybe guys just figured that there was more to do elsewhere than in Lincoln, Nebraska. They are close to Kansas City, but that is about it. The changing styles of play also contributed. Could a wish bone team anywhere be successful now. I doubt it. Athletes have changed so much over 30 years.
The year Nebraska was to join the B10 is a good illustration of what happened in part. They were all done with recruiting in late Nov. or first week of December. Then 2 weeks prior to signing day all the sudden they had to fill 5 rides. Why- you ask? The b10 at that time allowed each school to sign 2 partial qualifiers- kids who had to redshirt for not fulling qualifying under NCAA rules. Nebraska had 7 committed if I recall. So they had to cut 5 loose. Of which they complained long and hard because 2 or 3 ended up in the B10 at other schools who had not taken 2 partial qualifiers. Going forward they had/have to target a different type of student athlete.
DodgerHawki
Well-Known Member
Lots of reasons. No single reason. And I wouldn't call it a "demise" as Nebraska could still win conference titles and contend for a national title for the right coach. But you could say the same about a number of programs.
The Omaha World Herald had a good column from one of the guys there on a somewhat similar topic.
Huskers used to have a significant advantage in nutrition, training, facilities. With proliferation of TV $ to more programs, that advantage becomes less significant. Even the crappy teams in the B12 or B1G have the dollars to invest in facilities. Everyone either has a new facility or is in the process of building one.
The move of programs like Central Florida, South Florida, Baylor, TCU, etc. in Nebraska recruiting areas has also hurt. Players in those recruiting hotbeds now have more options closer to home, even if Florida, FSU or Texas aren't offering them.
Overcoming the disadvantages of being in the Midwest without ready access to great high school talent is a reality they are dealing with, just like Iowa or similar programs.
Obviously Osborne -- like him or dislike him -- was a great football coach. Arguably the best (at least in top 3) of his generation. Having a great coach matters. A great coach can return win conference titles and content for playoffs at Nebraska. Expecting another run like the 1990s is unlikely, but a great coach in Lincoln could make them very good again.
