Anyone wanna bet Michigan IMPROVES and Nebraska

[teachercd]

I get the idea of "he has not coached one game at NU yet..." But he has been a head coach for 25 years so it is not it like we don't have a decent sample size.

With that said, if it is true that OSU pretty much had the worst of everything and now he is pretty much getting the best of everything...and if he and his staff are better than Bo and his staff, isn't it fair to say they will win more games next year? Doesn't that all add up?

Depends. Are we pretending we're not implementing new systems on both sides of the ball?
I imagine we'll know more in year 2 than year 1.

Well...when Bo got here he took over a super crappy team...I think the offense stayed the same (right?) and they totally put in a new defense and he won 4 more games than the year before.

Now...we have a better coach...with better assistants...better talent then he has ever had before and a schedule where every tough team is at home. So we should expect what? 9 wins? 7? 11?

I mean...the offense was horrible and so was Beck, right? The new guys are better, right? So isn't that a wash? Riley also said he changes his offense to fit his players...I would assume the transition would be easy if that is the case. New terms, that would be it.

So with all the positives that we have now...I am not sure where I would even see a loss? Wisky at home (new coach), MSU at home (with Duzi gone), Iowa at home, I guess Minny is on the road but we have better talent.

 

[Elf]

I have an opinion on this and it won't look good from how i state this, but consider it fact in a few years and remember this was said. We lost our rivals. We lost our natural rivals, and ones that were just once and a while rivals. Iowa will never be what KSU was, Mizzou was, hell what KU was for our fanbase overall. Iowa St was more fun to play than Iowa!

By joining this conference, we will make more money and be on equal footing with all teams. We lost any rivalry game, and any games that fans are truly passionate about winning. That will take many more years to replace, and money can't obtain that.

Harbaugh going to Michigan will make Ohio St, Michigan and Penn St much stronger. It will make Michgan St stronger. It will not benefit the whole conference, including Nebraska. First off, its another 3 or 4 years before we ever play them. Either us or them will be looking at a totally diferent scenario. Either Riley is great and were winning at least West division titles or we are a 8-9 game winners like we are now and still feeling left out of all major football conversations. Either Michigan is winning titles and playing in playoffs or they are in the same boat as Nebraska and only winning 8-9 games a year. There is not enough room in the conference for multiple 10 wins teams. It doesn't happen that way. Your going to have alpha dogs and then all the rest. The Big 10 wants those dogs to be Michigan and Ohio ST. They want that game in late november to be what decides a playoff birth. The Big 10 champion game will be just a formality. Like this years game actually turned out.

I think Riley can win 9-10 games a year right now. I think the schedule will effect that down the road however. I think once Harbaugh and Urban get their rivialry going it will take over the Big 10 conference. That will be the key game each year, like it use to be. We can't compare ourselves to Michigan and Harbaugh or several fans will be and end up disappointed. If our days in the Big 12 should have taught us anything, it was once you lose your natural rival its never the same. If a conference wants to set up certain teams for more success than others, it can be done. Remember we are not blood Big 10, and never will be.

Kansas, Kansas St, Iowa St and Missouri were never our rivals. For most of the time we were in the same conference as them they were nothing more than door mats for us to stomp on.

Rivalries in college football generally have a long history that sometimes includes bad blood. Good rivalries bring out the best in both teams. Both teams generally play far better against their rivals than they do against other opponents.

 

[gobiggergoredder]

We don't even know if we have the players to run what ever scheme Riley wants to run. We don't know if he can run the power type running offense, a lot of people on here want.

GBR!!!

He's already indicated in several interviews that he has run multiple offenses in his career and the key is running an offense they fits the personnel.
Obviously you won't know until the spring, but I doubt we go down the same road as Cally trying to turn Joe Daily into Rich Gannon.

 

[Dr. Mantis Toboggan]

there seems to be alot of Bo Pelini type of bagage that follows Harbaugh. Sam McKeon had a link on twitter last night that I have to find that explains all the crazy paranoid types of the things hthhat he does. I was saying that I would love to see him here at Nebraska bbut after reading that no thanks. And yes I realize that he would have never came to NU being a Meechicken Alum.

Harbaugh doesn't have the "us vs them" mentality. He doesn't do well with people over his head. But, Harbaugh knows the importance of tradition and is respectful towards the fan base. Harbaugh is actually nothing like Bo (watch Harbaugh's presser for proof).

 

[louisianared]

Good post. And it was very appropriate, whether intended or not, to include #5 and #9, twice. I don't think that aspect can be stressed enough. Good things are about to happen with this program and they go way beyond 9 wins. I feel sorry for people that can't get a sense of what an upgrade we just got.

I included it twice on purpose. I have nothing against getting a team to play with a chip on their shoulder by making them think their opponents don't respect them.

But to have the team not trust fans, administration and people who they represent it is a problem. The coaches should do everything they can to have the players embrace the school and fans. Make the players feel like they are part of something large and special.

Even if you as a coach have no faith in your administration you NEVER tell your players that. That is something for coaches to worry about, players already have more than enough to worry about without adding politics in.

I think rebuilding those relationships will do more to help than many realize.

If nothing else it will allow the game to be fun again.

 

[The Dude]

I get the idea of "he has not coached one game at NU yet..." But he has been a head coach for 25 years so it is not it like we don't have a decent sample size.

With that said, if it is true that OSU pretty much had the worst of everything and now he is pretty much getting the best of everything...and if he and his staff are better than Bo and his staff, isn't it fair to say they will win more games next year? Doesn't that all add up?

Depends. Are we pretending we're not implementing new systems on both sides of the ball?
I imagine we'll know more in year 2 than year 1.

Well...when Bo got here he took over a super crappy team...I think the offense stayed the same (right?) and they totally put in a new defense and he won 4 more games than the year before.
Now...we have a better coach...with better assistants...better talent then he has ever had before and a schedule where every tough team is at home. So we should expect what? 9 wins? 7? 11?

I mean...the offense was horrible and so was Beck, right? The new guys are better, right? So isn't that a wash? Riley also said he changes his offense to fit his players...I would assume the transition would be easy if that is the case. New terms, that would be it.

So with all the positives that we have now...I am not sure where I would even see a loss? Wisky at home (new coach), MSU at home (with Duzi gone), Iowa at home, I guess Minny is on the road but we have better talent.

I don't care about Bo and Beck anymore. Riley's tenure can be evaluated by itself. Assuming it's a seamless transition, yes, 10-12 wins isn't out of the question. Assuming it's not, 7-9 also isn't out of the question.
How can we make either assumption with any amount of certainty?

I think Riley has the track record to support the statement that he adjusts his offense to fit his players, but that's in the context of his system. Not in taking guys who were recruited to run one offense and suddenly have to learn an entirely different offense.

 

[REDSTEEL]

Even a bigger ground out, was the fact that Eichorst was in San Fran, and we all know his first choice was Harbaugh, and that was quickly turned away. Then Mr Riley was on the board somewhere from our 3rd to 5th choice. We know that Bielema was contacted. We know that Harbaugh was first choice. I think Riley was at least 3rd on the list if not 4th or 5th. Like I have said, the new Tv deal almost guarantees us at least 40 million $ per year once its up and running in full capacity. That right there should have been enough to lure in a huge home run hire. I guess at some point you decide if Volleyball, Basketball, Baseball and other sports really matter. Alabama doesn't care about anything other than football. Most of the athletic budget is generated thru the football program. Its time for Nebraska to consider where we stand. Do we want to compete in all major sports or do we put our eggs back into our football basket and start acting like 1980"s Nebraska.

You do realize that the only reason Eichorst went down to San Fran was because Riley was down there recruiting for OSU and, that the NU president happen to already be down there for a conference?

 

[BigRedBuster]

Is this how the entire off season is going to be? A bunch of threads talking about how our new coach sucks? Is that what's fun about being a fan? Making assumptions about how it's all going to turn out before it even starts?

If that's the case then I might be done with much of what I do as a Husker fan while following the team I love.

Good lord...some of you must be really fun to hang out with while watching s game.

Haven't you realized by now? Its much more fun to play the game of being the most pessimistic clown possible... Its really a win/win for em. If they're right and the hire doesn't pan out they can scream I told you so, if they're wrong and the hire is great then the team is doing well and they turn a blind eye to their original grouchy old man stance.

Nothing like trying to tear down your team 8 months before the kick off of the new season!!

I actually saw a post the other day (but wasn't where I could respond) where someone thought this was a bad hire and that if true, the Nebraska football program would be damaged beyond being able to ever be recovered.

All I could think of was....WTH????

We might as well just shut it down and forget about football forever.

 

[KazLong]

OP, your butthurt is strong

What is "OP" mean? Original poster?

 

[True2tRA]

So Pelini won 9-10 games a year, so since Riley is a better coach that means he should win 11-12. Hoke went from 11-2 his first year at Michigan to 5-7 his last year. So Harbaugh should win at least 8-9 right? Or since Harbaugh is a "splash hire" that all the ladies in the knitting circle can talk about, then he should easily win 11 his first year.......

That's how this logic works, or am I missing something?

We don't talk about coaching transitions as in talent level, strengths and weaknesses of said talent, how that talent fits the new coaches schemes. Maybe a time period of learning a new system. Maybe a huge lack of depth on an offensive and defensive line. The loss of two record setting players at RB and WR. The lack of depth or experience developed by the previous staff. No........none of this matters.........

If coach A won 10 but coach B is a better coach than Coach A, then coach B should win a minimum of 11 in his first season.

Geez guys, if its that easy, what the hell am I working so hard for.

 

[URSS]

I have an opinion on this and it won't look good from how i state this, but consider it fact in a few years and remember this was said. We lost our rivals. We lost our natural rivals, and ones that were just once and a while rivals. Iowa will never be what KSU was, Mizzou was, hell what KU was for our fanbase overall. Iowa St was more fun to play than Iowa!

By joining this conference, we will make more money and be on equal footing with all teams. We lost any rivalry game, and any games that fans are truly passionate about winning. That will take many more years to replace, and money can't obtain that.

Harbaugh going to Michigan will make Ohio St, Michigan and Penn St much stronger. It will make Michgan St stronger. It will not benefit the whole conference, including Nebraska. First off, its another 3 or 4 years before we ever play them. Either us or them will be looking at a totally diferent scenario. Either Riley is great and were winning at least West division titles or we are a 8-9 game winners like we are now and still feeling left out of all major football conversations. Either Michigan is winning titles and playing in playoffs or they are in the same boat as Nebraska and only winning 8-9 games a year. There is not enough room in the conference for multiple 10 wins teams. It doesn't happen that way. Your going to have alpha dogs and then all the rest. The Big 10 wants those dogs to be Michigan and Ohio ST. They want that game in late november to be what decides a playoff birth. The Big 10 champion game will be just a formality. Like this years game actually turned out.

I think Riley can win 9-10 games a year right now. I think the schedule will effect that down the road however. I think once Harbaugh and Urban get their rivialry going it will take over the Big 10 conference. That will be the key game each year, like it use to be. We can't compare ourselves to Michigan and Harbaugh or several fans will be and end up disappointed. If our days in the Big 12 should have taught us anything, it was once you lose your natural rival its never the same. If a conference wants to set up certain teams for more success than others, it can be done. Remember we are not blood Big 10, and never will be.

Rivals can come and go depending on how old you are. We will develop rivals in the Big10- it just may take some time. Missouri used to be big rival at one with the Big Brown Jug as a trophy. Then Colorado and Oklahoma were big rivals. Osborne said the Oklahoma rival made us better. In time, we will get more rivals.

I don't know what Riley will do. The posts that I have read say that he and his assistants are good recruiters. We do need good recruiting. The difference will come in the assistand coaching and their ability to teach and develop players. Both Devaney and Osborne did well with long time assistants that were not nationally known top echelon coaches. They were effective and good at what they did. Hopefully, Riley and crew will get the job done. Time will tell. Harbaugh, Frost, McElwain and others did not come to Nebraska so we have Riley. Let's support him and see what happens. Its our only option since is on a multi-year contract.

 

[TheSker]

So Pelini won 9-10 games a year, so since Riley is a better coach that means he should win 11-12. Hoke went from 11-2 his first year at Michigan to 5-7 his last year. So Harbaugh should win at least 8-9 right? Or since Harbaugh is a "splash hire" that all the ladies in the knitting circle can talk about, then he should easily win 11 his first year.......

That's how this logic works, or am I missing something?

We don't talk about coaching transitions as in talent level, strengths and weaknesses of said talent, how that talent fits the new coaches schemes. Maybe a time period of learning a new system. Maybe a huge lack of depth on an offensive and defensive line. The loss of two record setting players at RB and WR. The lack of depth or experience developed by the previous staff. No........none of this matters.........

If coach A won 10 but coach B is a better coach than Coach A, then coach B should win a minimum of 11 in his first season.

Geez guys, if its that easy, what the hell am I working so hard for.

A "splash hire" can make a quick and significant difference on the recruiting trail immediately. There are some Husker fans who had to look up Mike Riley to see who he was. Urban Meyer obviously had no such issue when taking the Ohio State job. Neither does Harbaugh with Michigan.

 

[Hunter94]

So Pelini won 9-10 games a year, so since Riley is a better coach that means he should win 11-12. Hoke went from 11-2 his first year at Michigan to 5-7 his last year. So Harbaugh should win at least 8-9 right? Or since Harbaugh is a "splash hire" that all the ladies in the knitting circle can talk about, then he should easily win 11 his first year.......

That's how this logic works, or am I missing something?

We don't talk about coaching transitions as in talent level, strengths and weaknesses of said talent, how that talent fits the new coaches schemes. Maybe a time period of learning a new system. Maybe a huge lack of depth on an offensive and defensive line. The loss of two record setting players at RB and WR. The lack of depth or experience developed by the previous staff. No........none of this matters.........

If coach A won 10 but coach B is a better coach than Coach A, then coach B should win a minimum of 11 in his first season.

Geez guys, if its that easy, what the hell am I working so hard for.

A "splash hire" can make a quick and significant difference on the recruiting trail immediately. There are some Husker fans who had to look up Mike Riley to see who he was. Urban Meyer obviously had no such issue when taking the Ohio State job. Neither does Harbaugh with Michigan.

long term, Meyer and Harbaugh will always out best Riley......

 

[True2tRA]

So Pelini won 9-10 games a year, so since Riley is a better coach that means he should win 11-12. Hoke went from 11-2 his first year at Michigan to 5-7 his last year. So Harbaugh should win at least 8-9 right? Or since Harbaugh is a "splash hire" that all the ladies in the knitting circle can talk about, then he should easily win 11 his first year.......

That's how this logic works, or am I missing something?

We don't talk about coaching transitions as in talent level, strengths and weaknesses of said talent, how that talent fits the new coaches schemes. Maybe a time period of learning a new system. Maybe a huge lack of depth on an offensive and defensive line. The loss of two record setting players at RB and WR. The lack of depth or experience developed by the previous staff. No........none of this matters.........

If coach A won 10 but coach B is a better coach than Coach A, then coach B should win a minimum of 11 in his first season.

Geez guys, if its that easy, what the hell am I working so hard for.

A "splash hire" can make a quick and significant difference on the recruiting trail immediately. There are some Husker fans who had to look up Mike Riley to see who he was. Urban Meyer obviously had no such issue when taking the Ohio State job. Neither does Harbaugh with Michigan.

Mike Riley has kept most of Bo's recruiting class intact, correct?

So what significant difference are you looking for? According to all reports he's hit recruiting pretty hard and done well so far. Even offered some elite talent the previous staff may not have even attempted to offer? If I'm wrong, correct me, I'm not huge on recruiting.

So that all said, we're you happy with this class when it was Bo's class? I have a feeling you were. Ive got a feeling that if Bo was still the coach, many of you would be raving about this staffs great effort in recruiting. I heard plenty of people bragging this class up prior to Bo being fired. So......is the class, which is mostly intact, suddenly not good enough now that Riley has been here for what......two or three weeks now?

 

[Guy Chamberlin]

I'm a 49ers fan, and also got a lot of local Harbaugh scoop when he was at Stanford.

Between my Saturday and Sunday football loyalties, it was funny how often the criticism of Harbaugh echoed the criticism of Tim Beck: why doesn't he use Frank Gore more? Why does he go away from what's working? Why does he decide to get cute with his playcalling? Four straight passes inside the 10 yard line with Gore and Kaepernick in your backfield and the Super Bowl on the line?

And yeah, a few echoes between Harbaugh and Bo. Harbaugh would either gaslight, stonewall or openly mock reporters. Hated that part of the job, though he could be charming when he decided to be. His team was winning, so there was a lot of love to bask in, but Harbaugh still managed to instill a little bunker mentality in the team. Kaepernick took his cue and began to act as if he didn't need to answer to anyone outside the team. It looks like Harbaugh's "us against them" was directed mostly at management, and that's how the most successful rookie coach in NFL history got fired. There were folks at Stanford who considered him an bad guy, too. His MO was to always have his players' backs, to deflect all criticism for both their on- and off-the-field behavior and to save his berating for administration underlings. Not surprisingly, the players loved this about him.

Big difference between Harbaugh and Bo is that Harbaugh is an outstanding football coach with an outstanding defensive coordinator.

If Harbaugh doesn't turn Michigan around almost immediately, it will be the first time in his career.