College Football's 10-Win Club

[Guy Chamberlin]

I'm just willing to give teams like Boise State and Northern Illinois credit because I'm not convinced Nebraska would have beat them this past decade.

Given how we had our hands full with Wyoming as our home opener, a team that went on to go 5 - 7 in a mid-major conference and fire a coach who outcoached us.

 

[Mavric]

I'm just willing to give teams like Boise State and Northern Illinois credit because I'm not convinced Nebraska would have beat them this past decade.
Given how we had our hands full with Wyoming as our home opener, a team that went on to go 5 - 7 in a mid-major conference and fire a coach who outcoached us.

Because it's not like Northern Illinois lost to Bowling Green this year. Or to an Iowa team that we beat last year. Or to Kansas the year before that.

Or that Boise State went 8-5 this year. I'm sure we would have been the sixth toughest team on Boise's schedule this year.

 

[NUpolo8]

I'm just willing to give teams like Boise State and Northern Illinois credit because I'm not convinced Nebraska would have beat them this past decade.
Given how we had our hands full with Wyoming as our home opener, a team that went on to go 5 - 7 in a mid-major conference and fire a coach who outcoached us.

Because it's not like Northern Illinois lost to Bowling Green this year. Or to an Iowa team that we beat last year. Or to Kansas the year before that.

Or that Boise State went 8-5 this year. I'm sure we would have been the sixth toughest team on Boise's schedule this year.

Since we're spanning years, say the XII championship goes the way the board thinks it should have......does Nebraska beat Boise that year?

 

[Scratchtown]

2013

ACC 2, BigXII 2, B1G 2, SEC 4

2012

ACC 2, BigXII 1, B1G 1 (which we didn't even play, despite our CCG appearance), SEC 5

2011

ACC 1, BigXII 1, B1G 3, SEC 4

Totals

ACC 5, BigXII 4, B1G 6, SEC 13

These are # of 11-win or more teams in the three years since we switched conferences. I guess that's what I mean. Maybe I shouldn't have focused on the B1G especially, but the competition SEC teams have in their conference schedule is just at another level.

Why did you leave out the Pac12?

 

[zoogs]

Wow, oops! What an oversight. They had 2 in every year from 2011 to 2013, for a total of 6 (ACC-5, BigXII-4, B1G-6, SEC-13).

Let's do 10 wins as well, instead of 11.

2013

ACC 3, BigXII 3, B1G 2, Pac 5, SEC 5

2012

ACC 2, BigXII 2, B1G 3, Pac 2, SEC 6

2011

ACC 2, BigXII 4, B1G 3, Pac 3, SEC 5

Total

ACC 7, BigXII 9, B1G 8, Pac 10, SEC 16

 

[Mavric]

I'm just willing to give teams like Boise State and Northern Illinois credit because I'm not convinced Nebraska would have beat them this past decade.
Given how we had our hands full with Wyoming as our home opener, a team that went on to go 5 - 7 in a mid-major conference and fire a coach who outcoached us.

Because it's not like Northern Illinois lost to Bowling Green this year. Or to an Iowa team that we beat last year. Or to Kansas the year before that.

Or that Boise State went 8-5 this year. I'm sure we would have been the sixth toughest team on Boise's schedule this year.

Since we're spanning years, say the XII championship goes the way the board thinks it should have......does Nebraska beat Boise that year?

The argument actually was "this past decade." Does anyone not think we would have beaten either of those teams multiple times over the last 10 years?

But to try to answer your question, I'm going to assume you mean 2009 (there was more than one Big XII Championship Game for NU) as that's the year Boise St. went undefeated. I'd say it would have basically been a coin flip. Both teams had very good defenses - the Huskers were Top 10 in both scoring and total defense, Boise St. was Top 20 in both. Boise beat Oregon 19-8 the first game of the year and beats TCU 17-10 in the Fiesta Bowl. But their defense wasn't really elite like ours - they gave up 30+ points three times. The most the Husker defense gave up was 24 to the #9 scoring team (TT) while giving up 12 to the #3 scoring team. Some might say their offense was better than ours but I'm not sure. They put up points against not-so-good teams - which the Huskers also did early in the year - but struggled to score against the only two good teams they played. I don't think they score more than 7-10 points against us. Thus, it's just a matter of if our offense could score - or the defense create - 13-14 points. I think that would be entirely possibly with Helu, Rex and Henry. If we played 10 times, I think we win at least 5.

 

[NUpolo8]

I'm just willing to give teams like Boise State and Northern Illinois credit because I'm not convinced Nebraska would have beat them this past decade.
Given how we had our hands full with Wyoming as our home opener, a team that went on to go 5 - 7 in a mid-major conference and fire a coach who outcoached us.

Because it's not like Northern Illinois lost to Bowling Green this year. Or to an Iowa team that we beat last year. Or to Kansas the year before that.

Or that Boise State went 8-5 this year. I'm sure we would have been the sixth toughest team on Boise's schedule this year.

Since we're spanning years, say the XII championship goes the way the board thinks it should have......does Nebraska beat Boise that year?

The argument actually was "this past decade." Does anyone not think we would have beaten either of those teams multiple times over the last 10 years?

But to try to answer your question, I'm going to assume you mean 2009 (there was more than one Big XII Championship Game for NU) as that's the year Boise St. went undefeated. I'd say it would have basically been a coin flip. Both teams had very good defenses - the Huskers were Top 10 in both scoring and total defense, Boise St. was Top 20 in both. Boise beat Oregon 19-8 the first game of the year and beats TCU 17-10 in the Fiesta Bowl. But their defense wasn't really elite like ours - they gave up 30+ points three times. The most the Husker defense gave up was 24 to the #9 scoring team (TT) while giving up 12 to the #3 scoring team. Some might say their offense was better than ours but I'm not sure. They put up points against not-so-good teams - which the Huskers also did early in the year - but struggled to score against the only two good teams they played. I don't think they score more than 7-10 points against us. Thus, it's just a matter of if our offense could score - or the defense create - 13-14 points. I think that would be entirely possibly with Helu, Rex and Henry. If we played 10 times, I think we win at least 5.

I have to commend your tap dance.

I think my ultimate point is when you look at those teams that Nebraska is grouped with in this category, you have to consider them. Nebraska's peers.

In those equal years, I have a hard time seeing Nebraska winning at most half of those games. There's just too many faults on a fundamental level for Nebraska that those others don't have. That has needed to be fixed for 5 years.

 

[Scratchtown]

I'm just willing to give teams like Boise State and Northern Illinois credit because I'm not convinced Nebraska would have beat them this past decade.
Given how we had our hands full with Wyoming as our home opener, a team that went on to go 5 - 7 in a mid-major conference and fire a coach who outcoached us.

Because it's not like Northern Illinois lost to Bowling Green this year. Or to an Iowa team that we beat last year. Or to Kansas the year before that.

Or that Boise State went 8-5 this year. I'm sure we would have been the sixth toughest team on Boise's schedule this year.

Since we're spanning years, say the XII championship goes the way the board thinks it should have......does Nebraska beat Boise that year?

The argument actually was "this past decade." Does anyone not think we would have beaten either of those teams multiple times over the last 10 years?

But to try to answer your question, I'm going to assume you mean 2009 (there was more than one Big XII Championship Game for NU) as that's the year Boise St. went undefeated. I'd say it would have basically been a coin flip. Both teams had very good defenses - the Huskers were Top 10 in both scoring and total defense, Boise St. was Top 20 in both. Boise beat Oregon 19-8 the first game of the year and beats TCU 17-10 in the Fiesta Bowl. But their defense wasn't really elite like ours - they gave up 30+ points three times. The most the Husker defense gave up was 24 to the #9 scoring team (TT) while giving up 12 to the #3 scoring team. Some might say their offense was better than ours but I'm not sure. They put up points against not-so-good teams - which the Huskers also did early in the year - but struggled to score against the only two good teams they played. I don't think they score more than 7-10 points against us. Thus, it's just a matter of if our offense could score - or the defense create - 13-14 points. I think that would be entirely possibly with Helu, Rex and Henry. If we played 10 times, I think we win at least 5.

Not that it matters, but didn't we give up 31 to Texas tech? going off the top of my head not looking it up. I thought the final score was 31-7....?

 

[Mavric]

Not that it matters, but didn't we give up 31 to Texas tech? going off the top of my head not looking it up. I thought the final score was 31-7....?

I said the defense gave up 24 - TT scored a TD on a fumble return.

 

[Mavric]

I have to commend your tap dance.

I think my ultimate point is when you look at those teams that Nebraska is grouped with in this category, you have to consider them. Nebraska's peers.

In those equal years, I have a hard time seeing Nebraska winning at most half of those games. There's just too many faults on a fundamental level for Nebraska that those others don't have. That has needed to be fixed for 5 years.

So saying the teams were basically equals is a tap dance? OK.

What fundamentals was the 2009 team lacking?

 

[NUpolo8]

I have to commend your tap dance.

I think my ultimate point is when you look at those teams that Nebraska is grouped with in this category, you have to consider them. Nebraska's peers.

In those equal years, I have a hard time seeing Nebraska winning at most half of those games. There's just too many faults on a fundamental level for Nebraska that those others don't have. That has needed to be fixed for 5 years.

So saying the teams were basically equals is a tap dance? OK.

What fundamentals was the 2009 team lacking?

Wasn't that the 9 turnover year against ISU?

 

[Mavric]

Wasn't that the 9 turnover year against ISU?

Nope.

It was 8.

Turnovers by game: 1-0-2-0-2-2-8-2-1-0-1-1-3-0

Four games with no turnovers. Four games with 1. Four games with two. And one game where Niles Paul was carrying a greased pig instead of a pigskin. Not great. Not terrible.

 

[zoogs]

We had it going on in 2009. I think we would have had a great shot at anybody we played. First, that defense was exceptional. And when Bo finally took the reins off the offense for bowl prep, it showed. Arizona's D didn't know what hit 'em.

 

[NUpolo8]

Wasn't that the 9 turnover year against ISU?

Nope.

It was 8.

Turnovers by game: 1-0-2-0-2-2-8-2-1-0-1-1-3-0

Four games with no turnovers. Four games with 1. Four games with two. And one game where Niles Paul was carrying a greased pig instead of a pigskin. Not great. Not terrible.

Yeah ok you got me....

But that was probably Bo's best year. 2010 was awesome sure, but the ending sucked, and it feels like we haven't climbed out of it.

 

[killer cacti]

The mid-majors ... on the one hand, they're in nobody conferences playing nobody teams. On the other hand, they're also a nobody team.

So, they're sort of in a different situation than big conference schools like Nebraska, but remember, we're comparing achievements, not teams. There's no implication that a 12-win Northern Illinois team stands a chance against a less successful Big 12 school, but that doesn't make their success any less legitimate.

Nebraska and other schools in certain conferences also benefit in these broad-picture views: while we have similar resources, national expectations, and following as any other major BCS program, we don't play the brutal SEC conference schedule. The B1G especially of late hasn't fared too well in outputting elite teams.

I would modify that last sentence to say that the B1G hasn't fared too well in the perception of outputting elite teams.

We were not quite as good but pretty close to as good as South Carolina and Georgia in the Capital One Bowl two years running - both "elite" top 10 schools. Michigan was every bit as good as South Carolina in 2012. Michigan State went 13-1 and beat "elite" Stanford in the Rose Bowl. Ohio State was still right there with "elite" Clemson even after the hopes of their entire season left them with a lack of motivation. Iowa hung right in there with LSU. Michigan State beat Georgia in 2011. Wisconsin lost to "elite" Oregon by a touchdown that same year, then went back to the Rose Bowl and lost to "elite" Stanford by a single score too, despite being an 8-6 team.

Are we as good as the SEC? No. Are we comparable to any other BCS conference? Absolutely. At least I think so.

I know you have quotations around the word, but Clemson was not elite. I don't care what their record is even if its 12-1 and that one loss was by 35+....they or whoever are NOT elite.

Elite teams do not get blown away

So if Clemson had blown out Ohio State, you would drop their elite card? Clemson blew many chances in that game, including a int thrown at the 3 yard line. Not discrediting OSU, but if we would've protected the ball, it could have been a 21-28 point win.