Simple Metric for Nebraska Fan Satisfaction

[MichiganDad3]

I think it's really telling that our last three coaches have coached 14 seasons, we only finished ranked 5 times in that time frame, and 4 of those 5 times was 20+.

I realize times have changed. But it's just fascinating that Tom Osborne was able to go 25 straight seasons ranked, the vast majority top 10 and many-many top 5.

It'd be interesting to know that stat for schools like Wisconsin, Oklahoma, Michigan, Florida, Miami, etc. Get an idea of how it compares to other "down" schools, as well as compare it to schools we consider successful over the last decade or so.

What is more fascinating than TO being ranked 25 consecutive seasons is that people comparing TO to these coaches.

 

[HuskerMav11]

What is more fascinating than TO being ranked 25 consecutive seasons is people comparing TO to these coaches.

I don't understand your point unless you think it's unholy sin to speak both names in the same sentence.

Also Osborne literally hired Pelini.

 

[Nebhawk]

Collected the results of 12 other teams to compare from 2004 thru 2016 seasons:


Teams


Seasons


Total AP Top 25 Finishes


Nebraska


    13


     5


Wisconsin


    13


     11


Penn State


    13


     6


Michigan


    13


     7


Ohio State


    13


     12


Oklahoma


    13


     11


Texas


    13


     7


Colorado


    13


     1


Miami


    13


     4


USC


    13


     10


Florida


    13


     8


Alabama


    13


     10


Notre Dame


    13


     5

To add to your list:  

LSU-  13 seasons- 11 Top 25's

Iowa- 13 seasons-4 Top 25's

Kansas St-13 seasons  3-Top 25's

I was curious about our neighbors, and LSU.  Says alot when we only have 1 more than Iowa, and 2 more rankings than KSU

 

[Frost Advisory]

I don't understand your point unless you think it's unholy sin to speak both names in the same sentence.

Also Osborne literally hired Pelini.

I think he means how people try to compare Riley and Osborne.  Like how people say well it took Osborne 20 years to win a championship and Osborne was calm on the sidelines too and blah blah blah.  I cringe every single time they are mentioned in the same sentence.  It's beyond absurd, but I see it all the time.

 

[MichiganDad3]

I don't understand your point unless you think it's unholy sin to speak both names in the same sentence.

Also Osborne literally hired Pelini.

Auto correct got me in the original. I was trying to say that it is fascinating that people try to compare TOs early years to MRs tenure at Nebraska. There have been many comments that TO's teams were no better than MR's, and that if TO had been treated like MR, that we would have fired him. 

 

[HuskerMav11]

Auto correct got me in the original. I was trying to say that it is fascinating that people try to compare TOs early years to MRs tenure at Nebraska. There have been many comments that TO's teams were no better than MR's, and that if TO had been treated like MR, that we would have fired him. 

Gotcha. I misunderstood the context of your post. 

 

[beorach]

All this talk of how TO would have been fired made me look up one of my old posts, in which I wrote the following:

"Remember when TO's teams lost seven bowl games in a row by an average margin over two touchdowns? Washington, Oklahoma, and Colorado also defeated our beloved Cornhuskers by similar margins during the regular seasons of those years...with the worst score being 10-45."

1987 losses: Oklahoma by 10 and F$U by 3

1988 losses: UCLA by 13 and Miami by 20

1989 losses: Colorado by 6 and F$U by 24

1990 losses: Colorado by 15; Oklahoma by 35; and Georgia Tech by 24

1991 losses: Washington by 15 and Miami by 22 (with NU failing to score in the bowl)

1992 losses: Washington by 15; Iowa State by 9; and F$U by 13

1993 losses: F$U by 2

I remember when he was a joke.  How do you keep Tom Osborne from parking his car?  Paint a goal line in his driveway!  Hyuk!

How could anyone have foreseen the historic run that was to follow?  What year was it TO was going to leave NU (or get fired?).  My Google key is on the fritz at the moment...

 

[HuskerMav11]

All this talk of how TO would have been fired made me look up one of my old posts, in which I wrote the following:

"Remember when TO's teams lost seven bowl games in a row by an average margin over two touchdowns? Washington, Oklahoma, and Colorado also defeated our beloved Cornhuskers by similar margins during the regular seasons of those years...with the worst score being 10-45."

1987 losses: Oklahoma by 10 and F$U by 3

1988 losses: UCLA by 13 and Miami by 20

1989 losses: Colorado by 6 and F$U by 24

1990 losses: Colorado by 15; Oklahoma by 35; and Georgia Tech by 24

1991 losses: Washington by 15 and Miami by 22 (with NU failing to score in the bowl)

1992 losses: Washington by 15; Iowa State by 9; and F$U by 13

1993 losses: F$U by 2

I remember when he was a joke.  How do you keep Tom Osborne from parking his car?  Paint a goal line in his driveway!  Hyuk!

How could anyone have foreseen the historic run that was to follow?  What year was it TO was going to leave NU (or get fired?).  My Google key is on the fritz at the moment...

We were still a respected team in college football all those years.

Regardless, it's a bulls#!t comparison to make, as the others have pointed out. You're basically saying that Mike Riley should be given a pass because everyone who was ever successful was unsuccessful first.

That's not the way the world works. You're given opportunity to prove yourself, and if you can't make a convincing argument that you're worth a s#!t, you're gone.

The vast majority don't think Mike Riley is worth a s#!t when it comes to coaching college football.

 

[beorach]

I didn't write anything about Mike Riley so I'm not sure why you're cursing at me?

TO's rep changed.  College football has changed (or those margins would have been worse, for one thing).  Some of us would do well to remember such things ahead of the next roll of the dice.

p.s. - Remember this cartoon? 

LJS from 1990

 

[Redux]

How about # of division titles, conference titles and BCS/Playoff appearances

 

[MichiganDad3]

All this talk of how TO would have been fired made me look up one of my old posts, in which I wrote the following:

"Remember when TO's teams lost seven bowl games in a row by an average margin over two touchdowns? Washington, Oklahoma, and Colorado also defeated our beloved Cornhuskers by similar margins during the regular seasons of those years...with the worst score being 10-45."

1987 losses: Oklahoma by 10 and F$U by 3

1988 losses: UCLA by 13 and Miami by 20

1989 losses: Colorado by 6 and F$U by 24

1990 losses: Colorado by 15; Oklahoma by 35; and Georgia Tech by 24

1991 losses: Washington by 15 and Miami by 22 (with NU failing to score in the bowl)

1992 losses: Washington by 15; Iowa State by 9; and F$U by 13

1993 losses: F$U by 2

I remember when he was a joke.  How do you keep Tom Osborne from parking his car?  Paint a goal line in his driveway!  Hyuk!

How could anyone have foreseen the historic run that was to follow?  What year was it TO was going to leave NU (or get fired?).  My Google key is on the fritz at the moment...

More info for those who want to compare TO to any recent coach or even to any hall of fame coach.

1987
Defeated 3 ranked teams - UCLA(2), Arizona St (12), Oklahoma St(12)

Final ranking - 6

1988

Defeated 4 ranked teams - Texas A&M(10), Oklahoma St(10), Colorado(19), Oklahoma(9)

Final ranking - 10

1989

Defeated no ranked teams

Final ranking - 11

1990

Defeated no ranked teams

Final ranking - 17

1991

Defeated 2 ranked teams, and tied one - Arizona St(24), Oklahoma(19),  Colorado(15) tie

Final ranking - 15

1992

Defeated 2 ranked teams - Colorado(8), Kansas(13)

Final ranking - 14

1993

Defeated 2 ranked teams - Colorado(20), Oklahoma(16)

Final ranking - 3 (Everyone who watched the game knows we were robbed by the refs. This should have been TO's first MNC)

Every single one of these seasons was better than any season since Solich was fired. And this was the worst stretch of TO's career.

 

[beorach]

It appears you're using the rankings from when the games were played up there, MD.  UCLA ended up 9th in the final AP poll for 1987.  ASU was 20th.  Oklahoma State actually went up to #11  by that season's end.  I'm not pointing it out to nitpick.  I just think early rankings are often worthless and don't think Tom needs the assist besides.

I think TO gets plenty of love here and the general issue, when it comes to talk of unrealistic expectations, is how spoiled we were.  I wasn't trying to hate on my own team by trying to temper them somewhat.  Another big problem is how many people don't watch enough college football.  You realize how rare a great QB is when you see nationally relevant programs struggle offensively, for example.