I think timing is the key here. The examples I've cited above happened shortly after college football season ended. 6 months from now when fall camp begins, this controversy will barely register on anyone's radar, if at all.While I hope you are right, I think we all have to remember the 1995 season. We won the friggin title and nobody forgot about the controversies.I remember last year around this time when Oregon was in the national headlines for off-the-field issues. Masoli and the stolen laptop fiasco. LaMichael James assaulting his girlfriend which led to being suspended for the 1st game of the 2010 season. Their kicker was critically injured and hospitalized after getting beat up at a party. Each incident occurred within a week's time. They managed to prove their doubters wrong when it was thought that the loss of Masoli would hurt their chances to contend for a national title. Sometimes national controversies can make or break a team. How they come out of it falls on the staff that leads it. Oregon came out of it just fine.
Bo can do the same with Nebraska. We'll know how this all turns out once 2011 comes to a close. I guess the point is, winning big makes people forget the controversies that came before it. At least momentarily. You can bet if Nebraska were to have an Oregon-like season in 2011, the national pundits will be the first to jump on the bandwagon and these present controversies like this one will be a fart in the wind long forgotten.
The '95 season controversies were happening while the season was in full effect. Most of the pundits disagreed with the handling of LP's situation and felt he should've been dismissed from the team altogether. It put a sour taste in their mouth when LP got the nod to start in the Fiesta Bowl blow out against Florida and they never let up on it afterwards.
Last edited by a moderator: