Fru

If you wanna talk obsession, check out the All Buffs board and browse thru their several hundred page thread dedicated to us.

My heart wanted to vote 6. I think 6 wins are there (and have been there for years.) But my head says 2 wins. I’m just not convinced this staff or roster can get us to a bowl this year.

- NY was for his actions prior to his presidency. - Georgia and J6 were for his actions as a sitting President. - Documents was for his actions after his term as President ended. Before, during and after. No one forced him to do these things. They are all of his own making and all could have been avoided with even a modicum of critical thought. You either see him for what he is and vote accordingly. Or you continue to mental gymnastic your way to thinking that the most obvious con man to ever live is somehow fit for office.

Betts… anyone hearing rumblings?

Whew. Settling a $4 million discrimination lawsuit out of court and a gambling scandal all within 6 months! Is this the Iowa Way, Kirk?

For being the conference eggheads, NW sure seems to be full of morons.

We’re a few weeks out from a new era, and relitigating the past is generally useless. But for what it’s worth… One of my favorite dad-isms is “A smooth sea never made a skilled sailor.” You look at Scott’s coaching career and it’s kind of a lot of… smooth sailing. Did he really have to sweat it out as a WR coach or OC at Oregon to develop players? Did he really have to pay attention to the details and instill discipline at UCF so he could win games by doing the small things correctly? He never really had to cut his teeth on his various coaching stops. He never really had to hone his craft. He was almost always surrounded by a lot of talent. Taking a step back, it’s a lot easier to understand why it didn’t work out. Parts of it are still inexplicable, but as a whole it’s kinda obvious. As a head coach he was wildly unrefined. His previous coaching gigs did not prepare him for the complete rebuild that Neb needed when he was hired. I believe that he thought he was working hard, because compared to his Oregon and UCF days… he probably was. There’s two moments from his tenure that stick out to me. The presser after the 2020 Rutgers game where he looked like a wholly defeated man. Just completely somber. After a victory no less. You can see the job absolutely wore on him. And then the sideline after the Martinez fumble against Michigan in 2021. To me that’s not the look of a man who didn’t care or was checked out. It’s the look of a man who does not know how to fix what he was hired to fix.

As am I. Especially with USC and UCLA starting out as full members. https://www.nj.com/rutgersfootball/2022/07/usc-ucla-will-receive-full-big-ten-revenue-share-before-rutgers-heres-why.html?outputType=amp It’s still light years ahead of what Neb received upon joining the conference.

Wonder if they’ll get full member shares right away or if they’ll jerk em around for half a decade like Neb

If we can get back to respectability, I think FSU would develop into a really fun rivalry. Oregon and Washington don’t do much for me one way or another. Clemson would be kinda fun. I hate Miami more than any other school. The atmosphere in LNK during that 2014 game was absolutely crazy, so part of me would enjoy that regularly. But another part of me wants nothing to do with that school.

Smh. Unreal.

McNamara was a good pickup for them but I think keeping him and Petras healthy is going to be a significant concern. Both had injuries that required surgery, and Padilla hit the portal. I think Iowa is replacing a couple OL as well. There’s a scenario where they get down to their third string very quickly.

About a year ago I was going down a YouTube rabbit hole of Neb games and I stumbled upon that 2015 Wis game. I remember that we lost but for the life of me I couldn’t remember how. I watched the end of that game and genuinely got sick to my stomach. Just absolutely staggering the way this program has found ways to lose games.

Yeah I’d say Wis probably the safest, even with the revamping of their program. I’d have probably initially guessed Minnesota, but I recall reading/hearing somewhere that they’re replacing a huge amount of their production from last year. If they weren’t able to nab the West last year with Mo and Morgan, I don’t see how they do it with newer younger guys behind an even less experienced offensive line.

I’m a little surprised to see Wis get picked for the West. Fickell hiring an air raid OC was pretty surprising. I’m not sure what their attrition was like with the Fickell hire, but I have to imagine their cupboard is stocked pretty well. There’s a lot of vulnerability in the West, I’d say 1-4 would all have a pretty decent shot.

Was there any serious heat on his seat prior to the hazing scandal? I don’t recall any.

I admitted 90% was high. But I think my overall take is consistent. The majority of the B1G has attitudes about success that are at odds with what Neb thinks is successful. Since 2011 Ok St has played in 2 conference title games, winning 1.They’ve also played in 3 of the Major Jan 1st bowl games and finished ranked 7 times. Since 2011 Iowa has zero conference titles, but has played for two, they have 1 Major Jan 1st bowl appearance, and finished ranked in both polls 4 times. Fairly comparable with a slight edge to Ok St. The most significant difference though is Ok St isn’t choosing to hang on to the worst offensive coordinator in FBS football. Iowa’s ceiling is much higher than what they’ve done. They’re choosing to stay where they are. That is baffling to me. Agree on KSU and Wis. I think they’re very comparable programs. I’d argue they are different. NW was staring down the barrel of a third straight terrible season and prior to the hazing scandal, no one was batting an eye about Fitz being on the hot seat. This program played for two conference titles and was just as happy with 1 and 3 win seasons. I have no idea what’s going on at Indiana. I think they’ve had two or three winning seasons since 1990. That program is lifeless. Rutgers is obviously trying to replicate the success they’ve had with Schiano. Who knows if he can get that rolling again. Rutgers is in a very different spot now than when Schiano was there the first time. Kansas has obviously been mostly terrible but over the years they’ve made a lot of hires that at least made sense at the time or on paper. Turner Gill, Les Miles. They didn’t work obviously, but hell at least they went for it. They even managed an Orange Bowl win. NW, Indiana or Rutgers never found their way to a Jan 1st bowl. ISU has also been mostly bad, but they even found their way to a Fiesta Bowl win. Again. NW, Indiana and Rutgers never have. Texas Tech found their niche with Leach and have been trying to replicate it ever since. But at least they went all in on air raid. It may have been a bit gimmicky but it worked for them and helped them create an identity. I certainly don’t want them to be, but that seems to be the consensus from the rest of the B1G.

KSU was literally one of my examples of a program that has pulled themselves out of the cellar because they focused on beating the top teams in the conference and elevated themselves as a program.

90% was a bit of an overreach. Rather, I’d say a majority of the B1G have the “just accept what you are” mindset. I don’t think it only applies to Iowa. 7 of the 14 teams have 6 or fewer winning seasons in the last 12 years. Minnesota has 7. Michigan, OSU, PSU, Wis, Iowa and Mich St. all have 9+ since 2011 Mich, OSU and PSU will assuredly always be formidable. Iowa has chosen as a program that they like where they are and won’t take steps to change anything. Even with their consistency, choosing not to elevate your program at a prime opportunity is about as defeatist as it gets. Wis is absolutely an outlier as a program that was horrific and elevated themselves to be perennial contenders. Before Barry that program was terrible. In some ways I respect them axing Paul and going after Fickell. We’ll see if it pans out. I wouldn’t put Mich St in the same category as Wisconsin. Yes 2015 was a great year for them but they seemingly squandered any opportunity to turn that into annual consistency. They haven’t sniffed that kind of success and have been on a downward trajectory ever since.

Purdue is really the only team that has raised their profile by winning the division. They’re basically back to square one now. Minnesota under Fleck is basically what they were under Kill. Their winning percentage is marginally better. I’m still in wait and see mode with Illinois. My point is about mindset. Neb gets mocked for aspiring to be elite again. The Iowa’s of the conference have this “Just accept what you are as a 7-5 program!” mindset that I do not understand. If Iowa nutted up and got a real OC, they could absolutely make a serious run at a conference title. They choose not to. That’s settling.

When CU was bad, did they create a trophy game with Kansas? Or did they fight their way to being as relevant as they could be with Neb? KSU, CU, Ok St, Baylor all raised their profiles because of aspiring to be better and not settling in and accepting 7 wins and celebrating a rivalry game with zero stakes.

I think this applies to 90% of the B1G and is one of the “cultural” differences that remains between Neb and the old guard B1G. Neb came from the Big 8/12 where the mindset of the down schools was “How can we beat the top dogs?” CU, KSU, Ok St scratched, clawed and fought their way to relevancy because of aspiring to be/beat NU or OU. The mindset of down teams in the B1G is “Celebrate 7 wins, bowl eligibility, and act as if it means you’ve arrived as a program.” Most of the B1G schools have been largely irrelevant in the major football landscape for decades. To me, that’s why they love their trophy games so much, because frankly there was nothing else to play for. They can call it “tradition” or whatever they want. But…Ever wonder why Mich and OSU don’t play for an axe, pig or jug? Same reason NU and OU didn’t play for one. For right or wrong, Neb has at least aspired and tried to achieve something greater than what they’ve been the last 20 years. It obviously has produced the results we’d all want, but I find it admirable to aspire for more.

I think there’s some validity to this. Rivals can help keep you relevant on the field and on the recruiting trail.

When Neb joined the B1G I remember thinking that Penn St would’ve been a great team to develop a rivalry with. Traded blows in the early 80’s (If Penn Staters want to talk 94, we’d be happy to talk about the calls in the 82 game) then again in the early 2000’s. It really had all of the ingredients for a series that could develop a rivalry organically, rather than feeling forced. In fact I’d say most of the Neb-PSU matchups since 2011 have been excellent games. But to be completely honest, whenever I see anything related to Penn State, I can’t help but think of the Sandusky scandal and subsequent student rioting and it makes me sick to my stomach. You seem to be posting here in good faith, and I don’t bring up those things to throw stones or talk sh!t. It’s just the truth. Obviously you had nothing to do with it and obviously bad things happen at all schools. At least once a year I hear a Lawrence Phillips crack from an opposing teams fan. It always amazes me how Neb fans often get the “delusional” label from other B1G fans, albeit for a fraction of what other B1G fanbases are guilty of. Penn St has rebounded and recovered incredibly well after one of the most horrific sports scandals of all time. In fact I’m rather amazed by it. Would it be a great annual late November college football matchup? Yes. I’m sure it’d deliver many classics. But what went down in 2011 with that school is too indelible for me to get over. I want nothing to do with Penn St.

Agreed. The way the B1G treated Neb in 2020, in the wake of some of the most horrific scandals in the history of college athletics, pretty much all but sealed my disdain for the conference as a whole.