Season Predictions

[cm husker]

The patience I'm referring to is the people who are saying "well, 7-5 would be an acceptable level of improvement," not the patience shown after 6-7.

7-5 would be an utter failure with this roster and against this schedule. It would be a sign that this staff can't get it done at the championship level people expect. It's wholly inconsistent to say that the previous coaches should have been fired, but that a 7-5 season would be anything other than disastrous.

As to recruiting, it appears statistically impossible that this 2017 class will finish in the top 20, even if it breaks entirely NU's way in terms of uncommitted targets choosing a school. On 247, we are currently 32nd and 9th in the B10. Based on average star numbers versus # of commits, NU could probably move up 10 spots if all goes well. On the flip side, three or four teams behind us have fewer recruits and higher average stars, so they could pass NU. All that said, I see this class finishing somewhere around 20th to 25th, which is consistent with most of the previous NU classes.

Personally, I think averaging classes in the 20s should be plenty good enough to compete for and win B10 championships if you run a good system, but to argue that we are somehow recruiting better than we have previously seems like pinning false hopes to misinformation.

 

[Guy Chamberlin]

The patience I'm referring to is the people who are saying "well, 7-5 would be an acceptable level of improvement," not the patience shown after 6-7.

7-5 would be an utter failure with this roster and against this schedule. It would be a sign that this staff can't get it done at the championship level people expect. It's wholly inconsistent to say that the previous coaches should have been fired, but that a 7-5 season would be anything other than disastrous.

As to recruiting, it appears statistically impossible that this 2017 class will finish in the top 20, even if it breaks entirely NU's way in terms of uncommitted targets choosing a school. On 247, we are currently 32nd and 9th in the B10. Based on average star numbers versus # of commits, NU could probably move up 10 spots if all goes well. On the flip side, three or four teams behind us have fewer recruits and higher average stars, so they could pass NU. All that said, I see this class finishing somewhere around 20th to 25th, which is consistent with most of the previous NU classes.

Personally, I think averaging classes in the 20s should be plenty good enough to compete for and win B10 championships if you run a good system, but to argue that we are somehow recruiting better than we have previously seems like pinning false hopes to misinformation.

You know, this making excuses thing works both ways.

 

[Redux]

^ Thank you!

 

[cm husker]

The patience I'm referring to is the people who are saying "well, 7-5 would be an acceptable level of improvement," not the patience shown after 6-7.

7-5 would be an utter failure with this roster and against this schedule. It would be a sign that this staff can't get it done at the championship level people expect. It's wholly inconsistent to say that the previous coaches should have been fired, but that a 7-5 season would be anything other than disastrous.

As to recruiting, it appears statistically impossible that this 2017 class will finish in the top 20, even if it breaks entirely NU's way in terms of uncommitted targets choosing a school. On 247, we are currently 32nd and 9th in the B10. Based on average star numbers versus # of commits, NU could probably move up 10 spots if all goes well. On the flip side, three or four teams behind us have fewer recruits and higher average stars, so they could pass NU. All that said, I see this class finishing somewhere around 20th to 25th, which is consistent with most of the previous NU classes.

Personally, I think averaging classes in the 20s should be plenty good enough to compete for and win B10 championships if you run a good system, but to argue that we are somehow recruiting better than we have previously seems like pinning false hopes to misinformation.

You know, this making excuses thing works both ways.

Who's making excuses the other way?

 

[Landlord]

7-5 would be an utter failure with this roster and against this schedule. It would be a sign that this staff can't get it done at the championship level people expect.

The first sentence I agree with. The second I don't. 2012-2013 TCU and 2012 Michigan State are two easy examples off the top of my head of teams with 7 win seasons that should have done a lot better, and then turned into champions. Oklahoma's had a few 7-8 (maybe just 8) win seasons sprinkled in their last however many years as well. I'm sure there are plenty of other examples.

 

[cm husker]

7-5 would be an utter failure with this roster and against this schedule. It would be a sign that this staff can't get it done at the championship level people expect.

The first sentence I agree with. The second I don't. 2012-2013 TCU and 2012 Michigan State are two easy examples off the top of my head of teams with 7 win seasons that should have done a lot better, and then turned into champions. Oklahoma's had a few 7-8 (maybe just 8) win seasons sprinkled in their last however many years as well. I'm sure there are plenty of other examples.

A significant difference between TCU, MSU and Oklahoma is that each had showed a lot of promise/won championships prior tot he down ticks.

TCU was just moving up from the Mountain West when they hit their curve. They also played a much more difficult schedule in 2012 and 2013 than NU faces this year. But, Patterson had 5 or 6 conf. championships before his down years.

Mich St. hit a downturn but that was after a B10 championship and two top 15 finishes.

We are mostly all familiar with Stoops record and championships around his few 8-win seasons.

Obviously the difference for Riley and his staff is that he's never been part of a championship and they have as many losing seasons as they do winning ones. If NU goes 7-5, I think recruiting will nosedive. All it will take is one or two guys to decide to jump ship, and that will make it very hard to close out the recruiting class. 7-5 would almost certainly mean a staff shakeup.

In Nebraska's reality, a 7-5 season would be disastrous and would be a serious blow to the program's future under Riley.

 

[Guy Chamberlin]

The patience I'm referring to is the people who are saying "well, 7-5 would be an acceptable level of improvement," not the patience shown after 6-7.

7-5 would be an utter failure with this roster and against this schedule. It would be a sign that this staff can't get it done at the championship level people expect. It's wholly inconsistent to say that the previous coaches should have been fired, but that a 7-5 season would be anything other than disastrous.

As to recruiting, it appears statistically impossible that this 2017 class will finish in the top 20, even if it breaks entirely NU's way in terms of uncommitted targets choosing a school. On 247, we are currently 32nd and 9th in the B10. Based on average star numbers versus # of commits, NU could probably move up 10 spots if all goes well. On the flip side, three or four teams behind us have fewer recruits and higher average stars, so they could pass NU. All that said, I see this class finishing somewhere around 20th to 25th, which is consistent with most of the previous NU classes.

Personally, I think averaging classes in the 20s should be plenty good enough to compete for and win B10 championships if you run a good system, but to argue that we are somehow recruiting better than we have previously seems like pinning false hopes to misinformation.

You know, this making excuses thing works both ways.

Who's making excuses the other way?

The guy who claimed Riley inherited Top 10 talent from a predecessor who coached them to unranked irrelevance, who claims the Big 10 is easier to win now than when Riley's predecessor failed to win it, who claimed the new coach at Youngstown State deserved a pass after inheriting a winning team then delivering a 5-6 record (transitional year!), and who has consistently gone out of his way to discredit any positive recruiting story attributed to Riley.

That's off the top of my head.

I've never quite figured out your standard for determining "talent" but it seems pretty malleable and aimed almost entirely at making Mike Riley guilty for squandering it.

 

[cm husker]

So, you're pretty much inventing everything off of the top of your head.

Or creating false equivalencies like expecting better than 7-5 meant that a top 10 ranking was expected.

Got it.

And I've explained and linked to (and others have links to) the evidence about NU's talent relative to its opponents.

 

[Husker Psycho]

I think the team comes together after the loss of Sam Foltz and comes out hot. But the end of the season is rough due to lack of experienced depth along the defensive line and we lose a few games.

9-3 regular season with a Big Ten title game appearance.

Injuries could devastate this team. We aren't deep enough to overcome normal attrition. We need to be healthier than average this year to have a decent record.

Depends on the position but yeah it really could. We need a solid year from key spots without having to plug holes because of injury or lack of production. To finish atop the West, we need a solid team for 12 weeks.

Excuses no's... 10,678,416... 10,678,417.

Excuses... and more excuses... and more excuses... and more excuses... and on and on and on... never ending...

No more excuses !

What on earth are you talking about?

There are a half dozen teams that will have a meaningful season each year, and five of them will be making excuses about not winning the National Championship.

There's a very good chance Nebraska will not achieve a Husker Psycho level of success this year, and there will probably be very good reasons.

You can call them excuses if you want, but actually they will be "reasons."

You can then take the reasons why Nebraska did not win as many games as you would have liked and compare them to the reasons why Nebraska won as many games as they did, and decide if that counts as improvement. You will join the other 120 college football programs that did not win any meaningful championship and decide if you like the way the program is trending. You can be optimistic and realistic at the same time.

Were there exciting games, memorable moments and highlight reel plays by your favorite players?

That counts for something, too. It's an entertainment business.

As much as we might grouse about our last 15 championship-free seasons, it's similar to or far better than the troughs other dynastic football programs have been through. That's not an excuse. Just a reality.

And nobody --- I mean nobody --- is endorsing a losing culture.

Winning is a lot more fun. We are rooting for the team to win.

Some of us just want to give the new coach a second or third year before totally flipping out.

So it's no longer the Nebraska Football Program...

It's now the Nebraska Entertainment Business.

I've always said that we would know the ultimate point of our downfall... the point of no return... when people started talking nonsense like that.

This is a total betrayal of all those who have come before. All those players and coaches who gave their heart and soul for the sport of football.

Will there now be tap dancing after we have thrown an interception. Will we become Nebraska Dancing With The Stars ? Will we show slow motion replays of lost fumbles and then let the crowd vote with number cards on the players performance during the fumble. If they get up with a big smile on their face do we give them a high rating for their performance ? Hey, why not it's entertaining. Will we show judges with huge smiles on their faces and jaws droped in amazement after we lose a game ? Of course, it's great entertainmemt.

Or will we stop the nonsense and rededicate ourselves to the sport of football... with high athletic an coaching achievement and performance. Will we get back to being a program that cares more about winning football games... recruiting and developing high achieving athletes... and cares nothing about making excuses... I SURE HOPE SO !

As far a giving the coaching staff another year.

Well guess what you goof ? That's exactly what were doing.

We're all still here... and we're all giving the current coaching staff another chance. We'll cheer when we win and we'll be angry when we loose. When the season is over we will re-evaluate what happened this year and combine the results with what happened last year. We will also look at the results of the current staffs third year of recruiting and each and everyone of us will make their own personal decision on what we think... and where we should go from there. And that's a right that each and every one of us has, as loyal Nebraska fans. You cant force allegiance on fans. My allegiance is to the Nebraska Football Program... not any particular coaching staff or athletic director. I want what's best for the program.

Each and every one of us has the right to think for ourselves. Many of us played football and many of us understand the game and coaching. We can see for ourselves what's happening and whether we're headed in the right direction.

Go Big Red

 

[Redux]

 

[ADS]

 

[BigRedBuster]

Good friggen lord.

So now if we aren't pissed off all the time at the program and constantly just plain not happy unless they are winning championships, we are betraying every player and coach that has come before these pathetic players and coaches that haven't won a championship.

You have one hell of an over zealous view of being a fan.

Hint....the coaches and players know they are supposed to win or they will be replaced. I don't need to be miserable while watching them work towards that goal.

 

[cm husker]

Who are you addressing BRB? hope it's not me, because if it is, you've misunderstood my feelings toward the program and definitely toward the players.

 

[Ed Helms]

"Take it easy Pyscho."

 

[Guy Chamberlin]

So, you're pretty much inventing everything off of the top of your head.

Or creating false equivalencies like expecting better than 7-5 meant that a top 10 ranking was expected.

Got it.

And I've explained and linked to (and others have links to) the evidence about NU's talent relative to its opponents.

We've been through this before. I take the time to go back and find the posts where you say exactly what I've claimed, then you find something irrelevant and distracting to say. Let's save us both the time.

If you're actually hanging your hat on a poster or two suggesting a 7-5 season might not be so bad....whatever.