LJS: Can Huskers Return to (at least) Mid-80s Form?

[Mavric]

So, never mind Nebraska returning to its elite 1990s form. How about its mid-to-late 1980s form as a first step?


Even that is easier said than done.

Nebraska enjoyed advantages in the 1980s that are either gone entirely or diminished significantly. A few stand out in former Husker secondary coach George Darlington's mind. We're talking about elements that are largely self-evident but nonetheless worth pointing out, as reminders as much as anything.

For one, Nebraska no longer has one of the nation's top-five marquee televised games each season. The big-picture significance of the Nebraska-Oklahoma rivalry should never be underestimated.

"Any youngster in the United States who was into football knew about Nebraska vs. Oklahoma," says Darlington, who coached at Nebraska from 1973 to 2002, still attends practices, and stays in tune with the college game. "Even if kids couldn't find the states of Nebraska and Oklahoma on a map, they knew about the teams.

"We no longer have that. And that affects recruiting to some extent."

LJS

 

[TonyStalloni]

In the mid 80's it was Nebr/Okla and the 6 dwarfs. Now OSU will always be strong tho not impossible to say they could lose a few games a year. Penn St if their coaching equals their recruiting will be strong in the immediate future. Mich St is on a roll and right now is the only team that should challenge OSU. One would expect Mich to be better before long. Whisky has been and should be solid for awhile. Fortunately most of those teams are in the Eastern side of the conference. I don't think we are that far from being relevant in the eyes of the big boys. We have to be better than Minn and Wisc most years then take our shot in the CCG.

 

[True2tRA]

Of course we can. If other programs can, then why can't we?

Nebraska is not disadvantaged or behind some imaginary 8 ball. We need to stop this. We are on the same playing field that everybody else is on and we have our very own pro's and cons, just like everyone else.

Nebraska has hit a long down period, as have a lot of other elite programs throughout the history of college football. Look at Florida and Michigan right now. Michigan has all the same sources Nebraska has and then some. Florida is a recruiting hot bed of the country, yet both struggle.

We've been searching for the right guys in the right places, and all at the right time. Period. We just haven't found the elixir yet. Whether it be the style of football we play or the players to execute it.

Maybe we now have the Head Coach and staff in place to get over the hump.

When is the last time a program competed consistently for Championships without elite talent at QB? Who was then last elite Nebraska QB?

Nebraska needs to start winning, or at the very least become highly competitive in those "big stage" games. Those are the ones people care about. Media, recruits, fans and otherwise.

These narratives of Nebraska's disadvantages need to end. There's programs out there that would kill for the resources we've got. Work harder than the next guy and stop making excuses. We are one of the winningest programs in history. Where will these excuses be when we reach the top again. Will we ask for a pat on the back form overcoming these odds?

I'm betting the excuses will just kind of fade away when we are doing well, and creep up again when we are down again. We've got it good here.

 

[Enhance]

Of course we can. If other programs can, then why can't we?

Couldn't agree more.

With the exception of tOSU and Michigan, Nebraska is probably the third "best" university in terms of tradition, money, fan/booster support, and facilities in the B1G. Penn State is probably up there, too. But, Wisconsin and Michigan State still aren't the brands Nebraska football is. There's nothing sexy or cool about either of those schools. One is surrounded by drunks and the other's colors make you think they're advertising for forest preservation.

What I'm getting at is if other programs with less history, less fan/booster support, and lesser facilities can win B1G titles, Nebraska can too. Wisconsin certainly isn't in a rich recruiting area, either. They've just had good coaching and some successful players come through. Nebraska has had the talent imho in recent years. They've just been lacking in the coaching department.

 

[Dr. Strangelove]

Of course we can. If other programs can, then why can't we?

Couldn't agree more.

With the exception of tOSU and Michigan, Nebraska is probably the third "best" university in terms of tradition, money, fan/booster support, and facilities in the B1G. Penn State is probably up there, too. But, Wisconsin and Michigan State still aren't the brands Nebraska football is. There's nothing sexy or cool about either of those schools. One is surrounded by drunks and the other's colors make you think they're advertising for forest preservation.

What I'm getting at is if other programs with less history, less fan/booster support, and lesser facilities can win B1G titles, Nebraska can too. Wisconsin certainly isn't in a rich recruiting area, either. They've just had good coaching and some successful players come through. Nebraska has had the talent imho in recent years. They've just been lacking in the coaching department.

I disagree.

It's very difficult for Nebraska to recruit top-notch players. I also don't agree that Nebraska has 'had the talent'. It's been alright at certain positions. Nebraska has lacked DEs (other than Gregory), has a talent deficit at WR compared to top teams, lack of talent at TE to make the offense dynamic, the talent at QB has been good but not great, the OL has it's ups and downs.

The most talented position Nebraska has produced by far is RB. Nebraska struggled with DTs until recently thanks to a focus in recruiting that area by Pelini, but this cost Nebraska in their lack of focus at DE and LB.

But saying that Nebraska has had the talent to win B1G titles other than the one year when OSU underwent massive turmoil is simply not true. They absolutely outclass Nebraska all over the field.

 

[zoogs]

I think the point was more general. If Ohio State keeps up its current form forever, of course, it's going to be hard for any team ever to unseat them. Even if that happens, it won't stop Nebraska from being a top 15 contender if it holds its own otherwise. You need the right coach, the right players, maybe the right bit of luck.

 

[Enhance]

Of course we can. If other programs can, then why can't we?

Couldn't agree more.

With the exception of tOSU and Michigan, Nebraska is probably the third "best" university in terms of tradition, money, fan/booster support, and facilities in the B1G. Penn State is probably up there, too. But, Wisconsin and Michigan State still aren't the brands Nebraska football is. There's nothing sexy or cool about either of those schools. One is surrounded by drunks and the other's colors make you think they're advertising for forest preservation.

What I'm getting at is if other programs with less history, less fan/booster support, and lesser facilities can win B1G titles, Nebraska can too. Wisconsin certainly isn't in a rich recruiting area, either. They've just had good coaching and some successful players come through. Nebraska has had the talent imho in recent years. They've just been lacking in the coaching department.

I disagree.

It's very difficult for Nebraska to recruit top-notch players. I also don't agree that Nebraska has 'had the talent'. It's been alright at certain positions. Nebraska has lacked DEs (other than Gregory), has a talent deficit at WR compared to top teams, lack of talent at TE to make the offense dynamic, the talent at QB has been good but not great, the OL has it's ups and downs.

The most talented position Nebraska has produced by far is RB. Nebraska struggled with DTs until recently thanks to a focus in recruiting that area by Pelini, but this cost Nebraska in their lack of focus at DE and LB.

But saying that Nebraska has had the talent to win B1G titles other than the one year when OSU underwent massive turmoil is simply not true. They absolutely outclass Nebraska all over the field.

You're completely forgetting about 2009 and 2010, which I'm including in my analysis of "recent years." Both of those years, Nebraska was in a position to win a conference championship and was right where they needed to be. '09 of course resulted in the infamous :01 and Oklahoma capitalized on Nebraska's mistakes in 2010. We weren't good enough to win those days, but, that doesn't mean we didn't have the talent on those teams TO win.

I'll agree that the talent hasn't been great across the board in say the last 3-4 years, but, saying Nebraska hasn't had talent to win conference titles is wrong.

You're also ignoring another point I brought up. Schools that have less than Nebraska do (money, tradition, fan/booster support, facilities) have won conference titles in the last several years. Wisconsin, for example, also recruits at a lower level than Nebraska, but, manages to beat the Huskers more than they beat the Badgers.

 

[Enhance]

I think the point was more general. If Ohio State keeps up its current form forever, of course, it's going to be hard for any team ever to unseat them. Even if that happens, it won't stop Nebraska from being a top 15 contender if it holds its own otherwise. You need the right coach, the right players, maybe the right bit of luck.

Exactly. There are a lot of things in Nebraska's favor and we just need the right combination to win, and Nebraska is still in a position to create that combination.

 

[True2tRA]

I think the point was more general. If Ohio State keeps up its current form forever, of course, it's going to be hard for any team ever to unseat them. Even if that happens, it won't stop Nebraska from being a top 15 contender if it holds its own otherwise. You need the right coach, the right players, maybe the right bit of luck.

Exactly. There are a lot of things in Nebraska's favor and we just need the right combination to win, and Nebraska is still in a position to create that combination.

Exactly.

 

[TheSker]

Of course we can. If other programs can, then why can't we?

It's very possible we can, but the question you may not be asking yourself is how did other programs......the TCUs, the Minnesotas, the Baylors, the Mississippis begin to rise.

Are you going to continue to ignore what rule changes and conference structures have done to college football the past 15-20 years?

Parity has not affected Nebraska just because we don't play defense "Charlie McBride style".

 

[hskrfan4life]

I hope and believe we can.

 

[BigRedBuster]

It somewhat depends on what you mean by 80s form.

Can we get to the point we are top ten consistently and eon conference championships? Absolutely no reason not to.

However, I have been in conversations with fans they think we should be so good that we never should have to worry about teams like Minnesota or Iowa. That just isn't the case.

I agree with Darlington on the recruiting factor that the Oklahoma game gave us over other teams that never were on tv. Now, everyone has that exposure. Those teams have more talent now than they used to.

We can get back to top ten and conference championships but it's going to look different.

 

[lo country]

Of course we can. If other programs can, then why can't we?

Nebraska is not disadvantaged or behind some imaginary 8 ball. We need to stop this. We are on the same playing field that everybody else is on and we have our very own pro's and cons, just like everyone else.

Nebraska has hit a long down period, as have a lot of other elite programs throughout the history of college football. Look at Florida and Michigan right now. Michigan has all the same sources Nebraska has and then some. Florida is a recruiting hot bed of the country, yet both struggle.

We've been searching for the right guys in the right places, and all at the right time. Period. We just haven't found the elixir yet. Whether it be the style of football we play or the players to execute it.

Maybe we now have the Head Coach and staff in place to get over the hump.

When is the last time a program competed consistently for Championships without elite talent at QB? Who was then last elite Nebraska QB?

Nebraska needs to start winning, or at the very least become highly competitive in those "big stage" games. Those are the ones people care about. Media, recruits, fans and otherwise.

These narratives of Nebraska's disadvantages need to end. There's programs out there that would kill for the resources we've got. Work harder than the next guy and stop making excuses. We are one of the winningest programs in history. Where will these excuses be when we reach the top again. Will we ask for a pat on the back form overcoming these odds?

I'm betting the excuses will just kind of fade away when we are doing well, and creep up again when we are down again. We've got it good here.

Agree 100%. I am so sick of the BS that NU is hard to recruit for, lost our advantage in Omaha, losing talent to other schools from NE etc.....

Wining cures a lot of issues. Quit giving up 408 yards and and NCAA record to one dude in 3 quarters and see how that improves our fortune. Win a conference title and see what that does. Go to a BCS bowl and see what happens.

Lincoln is much nicer than many schools that are allegedly so much easier to recruit to than NU. In the B1G alone, you mean to have me actually believe Minnie, Wisky and MSU have advantages over NU. Cry me a mother clucking river. What they have is scoreboard over NU and in the case of MSU, BIG wins and Wisky RECORD setting performances. Win ad we recruit better. Continue to get woodshedded on national tv and continue to struggle.

Quit blaming everything on some down turned recruitment and the lie we can never be back. Tuscaloosa is a crap hole........

 

[Dr. Strangelove]

I think the point was more general. If Ohio State keeps up its current form forever, of course, it's going to be hard for any team ever to unseat them. Even if that happens, it won't stop Nebraska from being a top 15 contender if it holds its own otherwise. You need the right coach, the right players, maybe the right bit of luck.

Exactly. There are a lot of things in Nebraska's favor and we just need the right combination to win, and Nebraska is still in a position to create that combination.

Exactly.

Nebraska certainly needs the right bit of luck. However, most agree that Nebraska is farther away than we were in 2009 or 2010. The schedule in the future only makes our task more challenging.

I will say the 2017 recruiting class could be a difference maker. Lets hope Mike Riley can successfully pull some of those kids from California we've spent a lot of time recruiting.

 

[TheSker]

.

Lincoln is much nicer than many schools that are allegedly so much easier to recruit to than NU. In the B1G alone, you mean to have me actually believe Minnie, Wisky and MSU have advantages over NU.

It's not 1985 anymore. The schools you mentioned don't necessarily have "advantages", but the NCAA has taken steps toward equalization. Baylor and TCU are great examples.