ReddyRed

Is Leipold out for sure? I know he "agreed to terms," with KU, but that doesn't necessarily mean he's signed on the dotted line yet, does it?

On 5/29/2022 at 6:50 PM, floridacorn said:

Delete.

Respectfully disagree, FTW. Not yet time to pull the plug on Scott. Things are definitely improving.

A concern, though: The process of now "being so close," as many have mentioned after yesterday, might not necessarily continue forward. There's no guarantee. Lots of teams get close, but then stagnate or regress. What will happen over the rest of this season? That will tell us a lot about this program's position.

9 hours ago, BoNeyard said:

He may seem more upbeat because of two reasons. 1.) He understands what is going on is paranormal type situation, there is something bigger going on that has grasps against the program and it’s going to take something spiritual to get rid of it. And 2.) He knows how close we are and how much improvement has actually taken place. It’s heartbreaking that it results in another loss, but the progress is clearly there and things are close to happening. As painful as it is, we were told in year 1 this was a 5 year rebuild.

Yes, it's paranormal. No question about it. Paranormal.

13 hours ago, HuskerJax said:

If it’s that hard for you to be a fan, there are 106 other teams to cheat for. As a Nebraska fan you have a lot to hang your hat on, appreciate that and hope it will come back. It could be worse, you could be like an Illinois fan, a team that has never done anything. Point is, it’s a game, played by kids. If it ruins your life, it’s time to find a new focus

It's true that Illinois has never done anything, but that 2-5 Illinois team, that has lost to the likes of UTSA, Virginia, Maryland and Purdue, nonetheless beat the Huskers this year. And if you think being a fan means living in the distant past and not facing the current reality, then maybe YOU should find one of those other 106 teams to root for.

Merely stating an opinion that happens to be critical and realistic doesn't disqualify anyone as a fan. My honest opinion is that the glory days will not return for NU. A decent year here and there? Yes. An occasional close game or even an upset of a top 10 team at home? Yes. But mostly just an average program from year to year? Yes.

There are simply too many intrinsic disadvantages, including playing in a league with stronger programs that not only have top-shelf traditions, but also natural and fertile recruiting grounds in highly populated states – particularly Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania. That's a big reason that the past 10 years have been a depressing slog, and nothing can change that major disadvantage.

But saying all of this doesn't disqualify me as a fan who is willing to accept that reality.

5 minutes ago, HuskerJax said:

Yep. And Alabama sucked for a long time before they started dominating again. That’s the way it works 

Yes, that's the way it works for Alabama.

10 minutes ago, HuskerJax said:

True, but it’s all part of the game. We had our time in the sun, and it will come back, you have to give it time. No one rules forever, it goes in cycles. 

Yeah, like 3 decades ago.

7 minutes ago, The Duke said:

Adrian Martinez has many talents as a QB:

 

He's an exceptional human being.

 

By the time his career is over he will hold numerous historic stats at Nebraska.

 

However, the one stat where he is lacking that always matters the most is the Win/Loss record, and the cold hard truth is Adrian just can't seem to find a way to win these big games.

Wait a minute. Why does he have to be Tom Brady? There are 10 other guys on offense.

Just now, LumberJackSker said:

Northwestern just made this offense look better than it actually is.

I think that could be correct. I'm thinking Michigan's better athletes could widen the lead as the game continues in the 2nd half.

I honestly don't know if this program will ever be successful again. Why should it be?

-- No obvious recruiting territory that is rich in talent (lost the Texas recruits, for the most part, by leaving the B12).

-- Geographic disadvantage. Twenty-five years ago, this wasn't a problem. But the recruiting rules have changed. A lower-tier, unremarkable B1G program stuck in flyover country. Nearby K-State does a better job of handling this geographic problem.

-- No conference championships for more than two decades -- today's recruits weren't even born.

-- Just a string of mediocre seasons. And every mediocre season just cements the reputation of a meh football program.

-- Great facilities, but everybody has great facilities, thanks to TV money.

Sorry for the pessimism, but there's no sense living in sentimentality for the good ol' days. They're long gone, a quarter-century ago. That's the reality, and t's way past time to get realistic.

Bob Stoops stepped away because he didn't want to die of a heart attack on the sideline. He's done. He has all the money he'd ever want.

For all of the financial benefits of the B1G, every Husker misses winning conference championships – which hasn't happened in two decades. Nattys? Not even remotely on the horizon. Why? One reason is the absence of recruiting grounds.

A&M is furious about the idea of UT joining them in the SEC. What if A&M called NU with the idea of creating a "new" conference that they both could control – kinda like the old days of the Big 8 (with OU)? NU, Texas A&M, KU, KSU, ISU, Texas Tech, OSU, Baylor and TCU for starters. Maybe keep West Virginia. There have been rumors that the Arizona schools could be picked up by somebody. Arkansas is often mentioned, too.

Just spitballing, but kinda intriguing. A&M and NU (with renewed access to Texas recruits) could rule the roost of a very good conference. Would Alberts be receptive to that idea?

deleted

On 4/20/2021 at 12:33 PM, BIG ERN said:

Agree on both and we have no excuses to not at least get to a bowl game even with the tough schedule. 

Yeah, I guess. How long has that been the refrain?  As to Illinois, Bielema is a solid coach, and a substantial upgrade from Lovey.

14 hours ago, macroboy said:

 

It really is. Everything about it is.

But nothing new. Over the past 2 decades, they've been the better program.

2 hours ago, All Hail Herbie said:

 

Coach Klieman clearly parachuted into one of the prime jobs in all of college football, while Coach Frost was left with ruins.  Given this, it would probably be a bear for the NU administration to convince Coach Klieman to switch jobs and double his salary.  In terms of the "lucky" wins, and if they are indeed nothing more than good fortune, than I think we can agree that we are due for one of those ourselves.  

 

Incidentally, I am confident that the SP+ bonus comp is in the mail for Coach Frost.  Another season of success.

 

 

Not sure those were lucky wins. In 2019, K-State led OU 41-23 at the end of the 3rd quarter. And in 2020, they outscored OU 17-0 in the 4th quarter, on the road, to win the game.

Serious question: Is there a W remaining on the schedule?

I really don't think the program has a bright future at all. Given lack of natural recruiting grounds, remote location, a 20-year drought in conference championships, kids not aware of the long-ago tradition, and multiple head-coaching failures, I just don't see how things can get much better. No B1G championships in the next 5 years (at least)... and likely never another natty – the CFB world has simply changed too much. I feel sorry for fans who for so many years tied their personal self-esteem to this program. Very sad, but it's the reality.

4 minutes ago, Okielarry said:

I think part of it is a B1G issue. Nebraska needs to quit screwing around and hire a big time coach and come back to the Big 12. I miss the OU/Nebraska rivalry. Win or lose it was a great rivalry. It's just not right for Nebraska to be swimming in mediocrity in the B1G, please come home Nebraska!

"Home"? To a conference where UT owned NU (1 and 9 vs. the Horns)? No thanks.

13 minutes ago, Guy Chamberlin said:

 

Yet out of those 16k, Kansas City managed to find enough people willing to boo the show of brotherhood by the players.

 

Hello, P&R thread. I'm coming....... 

They weren't actually booing. They were shouting, CHIEEEEEFS, which is their custom.

I think I've wandered into Platitude Hell.

3 hours ago, schriznoeder said:

 

I have a lot of great Nebraska football memories, but seeing the Huskers beat the Longhorns in person in the 1999 Big 12 Championship is definitely one of my all-time favorites. I can still hear the chants of "Opie, Opie, Opie" directed at Major Applewhite ringing in my head. 

That was great. Unfortunately, the record against Texas was 1-9 during the Big 12 years. Yay.

21 minutes ago, gossamorharpy said:

quite frankly, none of those victories impresses me outside of iowa. and when ya peel the onion back you'll notice the 2016 iowa team at 8-5 wasnt the juggernaut were making em out to be

 

The original statement i responded to was saying NDSU would be favored to win 70% of the time if we played... I really feel for you if you agree these are the expectations these days

 

As i said in an earlier post, im not knocin ndsu and of course pure title and relative success they'd win in a landslide in terms of progrum stature.  but if they came into lincoln next month, our backyard and neck of the woods, id be shocked if we didn't win by 20.

There is a good chance you would be shocked. And a good chance NDSU would win. Every FBS team they have played has thought it was a sure win.

On 1/20/2020 at 1:53 PM, Huckleberry Muhammad said:

 

You're answering your own question if you fancy Iowa and Wisconsin as formidable as Nebraska was during the Mr. D and Dr. O days (and for that length of time).

This is a very insightful, and correct, response.

8 hours ago, 84HuskerLaw said:

Outside of NUs program itself, just what has so fundamentally changed that it has become practically impossible for NU football to become what it was for the decades of the 60s, 70s, 80, and 90s? 

Easy. Dominant programs in the Southeast; no local recruiting grounds; multiple superior or equivalent programs in the B1G that do have local recruiting grounds (Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Illinois); lack of any NU intimidation factor whatsoever in the B1G (as opposed to the old Big 8 and Big 12); poor location on the far western edge of the conference; abandoned ties to Texas recruiting; a 2020 recruiting ranking that is on par with Kentucky, North Carolina and South Carolina;  and a current reputation as a mediocre (at best) program that doesn't go to bowl games regularly and shocks no one when it loses to the likes of Illinois, Indiana, Northwestern, Northern Illinois, Purdue and Troy. None of that was true in the 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s, and that's "what has so fundamentally changed." Therefore, there's simply no reason to expect anything beyond "pretty good football" from this point forward. Of course, anything can happen in any given year (KU 2007), so there's always hope. Every program has hope.