BSU as a Model

R

robsker

Starter
Folks.... Boise State, the winningest team of the past decade (whose 10 year record is as good, I think, as just about any teams 10 year record in NCAA history) -- a team with two BCS victories --- and a team who plays with incredible heart and passion has to be set up as a model for all NCAA teams... NU included. Here is what I mean....

BSU wins against teams they should not be able to beat (VTech as an example) by simply being sensationally prepared, calm, focused and by playing w/o ever holding back. They have --- it would seem --- less talent by a wide margin than people that they walk up to and thump. Why is this perhaps NU related?

Seems to me that if things play out and NU gets a shot at an Alabama or a Florida or an Ohio State --- teams ostensibly with much superior talent --- there is no reason to think that NU cannot win. If BSU can walk in with a team of 2 star players and whip teams whose recruits are vastly superior, then why can't NU do the same (that is, wlak in and beat teams with "better" recruits).

We may not get a shot at Bama, Florida or OSU this year --- but we do have Texas once for sure (maybe twice) or perhaps Oklahoma --- and both teams have better talent than NU. So what? If BSU can routinely thump those with more talent then why can't NU.

Of course... BSU may be a lock now for the MNC game as they will be undefeated (again) and now the time has come where they likely should get their ultimate shot. That leaves only one other slot now...

But who knows?

In any event, if I were Pelini I would hold up BSU as an example that anything can be done if you work hard enough.

 
Yes and no. Boise State has beaten the top teams when they've played them, but they have a huge advantage in that they play such a weak schedule for 90% of their games that they are never battle-weary. Boise's SOS over the past decade averages somewhere in the 90s (of 120 teams). Their strongest SOS in the past decade was something like 74th in the nation (I ran the numbers last year, but can't dig them up right now). In contrast, Nebraska's most embarrassingly weak SOS in the past decade was 54th in the nation, meaning our weakest SOS was 20 spots higher than their toughest.

Bottom line is this - put Boise St. in the Big 12 over the past decade and they don't have nearly the same success. They'll get worn down in an AQ conference through sheer attrition. It's easy to stay healthy when you're playing the equivalent of Div II schools every week. They'll have to go through a conference championship game, adding another layer of difficulty to the mix, and they'll have to scheme against real defenses/offenses every week. No matter how good a staff, when you're challenged every week, the odds of missing something or failing to prepare properly for something goes up quite a bit.

I give full props to Boise State for winning the games they should win. But they have a HUGE advantage over AQ schools right now, regardless of the fact that they're very good.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
knapplc said:
Yes and no. Boise State has beaten the top teams when they've played them, but they have a huge advantage in that they play such a weak schedule for 90% of their games that they are never battle-weary. Boise's SOS over the past decade averages somewhere in the 90s (of 120 teams). Their strongest SOS in the past decade was something like 74th in the nation (I ran the numbers last year, but can't dig them up right now). In contrast, Nebraska's most embarrassingly weak SOS in the past decade was 54th in the nation, meaning our weakest SOS was 20 spots higher than their toughest.

Bottom line is this - put Boise St. in the Big 12 over the past decade and they don't have nearly the same success. They'll get worn down in an AQ conference through sheer attrition. It's easy to stay healthy when you're playing the equivalent of Div II schools every week. They'll have to go through a conference championship game, adding another layer of difficulty to the mix, and they'll have to scheme against real defenses/offenses every week. No matter how good a staff, when you're challenged every week, the odds of missing something or failing to prepare properly for something goes up quite a bit.

I give full props to Boise State for winning the games they should win. But they have a HUGE advantage over AQ schools right now, regardless of the fact that they're very good.
Click to expand...

There is doubt that BSU has had, and continues to have a weak schedule. And... this is the largest reason for their incredible record. Certainly. Yet the point is that they play with reckless abandon --- yet not so reckless... more like incredibly intense focus balanced with calm (bearing up under pressure). THIS is what every school should look to BSU as an example for --- because it is that which enables them to win so often when they should not.

 
robsker said:
BSU wins against teams they should not be able to beat (VTech as an example) by simply being sensationally prepared, calm, focused and by playing w/o ever holding back.
Click to expand...
There's one key. When you have more than one tough game on your schedule, and a few others you could definitely lose, you can't empty your playbook for one game. BSU is very good, better than I think most give them credit for, but they have a huge advantage in having just a couple games they really have to make sure they are up for and focused on. I think they do hold back on many of their conference games, it's just that they can without consequence, much like we can vs. WKU and SDSU.

 
VA Husker Fan said:
robsker said:
BSU wins against teams they should not be able to beat (VTech as an example) by simply being sensationally prepared, calm, focused and by playing w/o ever holding back.
Click to expand...
There's one key. When you have more than one tough game on your schedule, and a few others you could definitely lose, you can't empty your playbook for one game. BSU is very good, better than I think most give them credit for, but they have a huge advantage in having just a couple games they really have to make sure they are up for and focused on. I think they do hold back on many of their conference games, it's just that they can without consequence, much like we can vs. WKU and SDSU.
Click to expand...

Excellent points. I agree.

My point in the post is not that BSU be held up as a program so much... for their success is somewhat situational. Rather it is to say that if BSU can beat Oklahoma and VTech --- teams that, from the sheer talent perspective, they have no right being even competitive against --- well then NU can beat Texas, Oklahoma or even Alabama if given the chance --- what it takes is the same kind of tenacity, focus and confidence that BSU has displayed when they play against those "superior" to themselves.

 
Nebraska did exactly what Boise State has done. We always were playing a bit over our heads against the Florida schools back in the 80s and 90s. They had all those super fast athletes. We got some very talented athletes in recruiting with Os, don't get me wrong, but they always had more. We found our niche, we out worked people, and we ground out our titles. With Bo, we are getting back to this model. If T-Mart works out like we all hope, we'll have a dangerous offense keyed by a fantastic athlete and an awesome defense orchestrated by the brothers Pelini. But we will still have times where we will need to grind it out against teams that simply fill up recruiting boards year in and year out with 12-13-14 four-star kids and two or three five-star guys.

 
robsker said:
knapplc said:
Yes and no. Boise State has beaten the top teams when they've played them, but they have a huge advantage in that they play such a weak schedule for 90% of their games that they are never battle-weary. Boise's SOS over the past decade averages somewhere in the 90s (of 120 teams). Their strongest SOS in the past decade was something like 74th in the nation (I ran the numbers last year, but can't dig them up right now). In contrast, Nebraska's most embarrassingly weak SOS in the past decade was 54th in the nation, meaning our weakest SOS was 20 spots higher than their toughest.

Bottom line is this - put Boise St. in the Big 12 over the past decade and they don't have nearly the same success. They'll get worn down in an AQ conference through sheer attrition. It's easy to stay healthy when you're playing the equivalent of Div II schools every week. They'll have to go through a conference championship game, adding another layer of difficulty to the mix, and they'll have to scheme against real defenses/offenses every week. No matter how good a staff, when you're challenged every week, the odds of missing something or failing to prepare properly for something goes up quite a bit.

I give full props to Boise State for winning the games they should win. But they have a HUGE advantage over AQ schools right now, regardless of the fact that they're very good.
Click to expand...

There is doubt that BSU has had, and continues to have a weak schedule. And... this is the largest reason for their incredible record. Certainly. Yet the point is that they play with reckless abandon --- yet not so reckless... more like incredibly intense focus balanced with calm (bearing up under pressure). THIS is what every school should look to BSU as an example for --- because it is that which enables them to win so often when they should not.
Click to expand...
There is doubt or there is no doubt? I think you meant there is no doubt, right?

The thing is, it's pretty easy to play with reckless abandon for one or two games and basically take the rest of your games off every year when you know you don't have to play anyone tough. Nobody is saying BSU isn't good - they are. They're about as good as Missouri when they had Chase Daniel, Rucker and Maclin, and that pretty decent defense to boot. You put Missouri in the WAC during the past decade and I'll bet you their results are very similar to Boise's. But you see what Missouri was able to accomplish in the Big 12 in the past decade - some success, sure, but no BCS games (although they coulda/shoulda gone to one).

 
tmfr15 said:
Nebraska did exactly what Boise State has done. We always were playing a bit over our heads against the Florida schools back in the 80s and 90s. They had all those super fast athletes. We got some very talented athletes in recruiting with Os, don't get me wrong, but they always had more. We found our niche, we out worked people, and we ground out our titles. With Bo, we are getting back to this model. If T-Mart works out like we all hope, we'll have a dangerous offense keyed by a fantastic athlete and an awesome defense orchestrated by the brothers Pelini. But we will still have times where we will need to grind it out against teams that simply fill up recruiting boards year in and year out with 12-13-14 four-star kids and two or three five-star guys.
Click to expand...
Exactly! I agree --- NU of the Osborne era were as well up against teams with more "talent" and did well. For the same reasons.

Another thought... unrelated to your post directly but.... The BSU thing whereby the "little guy" can jump up and thump the big guy is also a real good reminder to players on teams who are the big guy in the game -- the reminder being to never overlook the little guy. While we mention this.... we have another Idaho "little guy" this week...

 
Would Boise State beat NU? Let's say, in the week 3 slot instead of Washington, played on a neutral field?

 
That would be quite the game, but as of right now I say they would beat us.

 
Unfortunately, I believe so, in a close game.

But, if Nebraska minimized the mistakes that VT made last night, then no.

Boise State is playing some good football.

 
As of right now, and as of week 3, yes BSU would beat NU. Now by week 10 or so, it could be a different story with the maturation of Martinez and the young linebackers.

 
If our defense played up to par then I think we would have shot. Their defense is beatable given they gave up 30 points, so all we might need is a couple of big plays.

I've said all along that Boise State is a product of their own schedule. They have one or two tough games a year that they are almost always physically and mentally prepared for because they play such a terrible schedule. Imagine if Ohio State played against VaTech last night and then played an entire WAC schedule. How pissed would everybody be when Ohio State would (inevitably) be undefeated every year? That's the exact same scenario people are defending Boise for.

 
I don't think the quality of defense that we showed against WKU would be good enough to handle Boise but if things improve like they should I think we could hold them to 21-24 points. Our offense is at least as good as VT and I'd like to think we would have better play calling at the end of the game.

Bottom line: If we played that game 10 times I think Boise wins 6 of the 10.

 
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