The Big Red Machine

FWIW, there was a poll on another board, and the top 3 vote-getters (by far) were Richt, Frost, and Petersen. Charlie Strong was a distant 4th.

I think Smart is an SEC guy who is waiting for a HC job in the SEC. He might come here, temporarily, but I think he'd bolt for the SEC first chance he gets.

I respect each and every one of your opinions. This is my personal preference; you are entitled to your own. I'm interested in hearing who you all would prefer.

It might not be his choice... a couple more losses and his seat will be warm again. The fans in Athens want a change. As for Saban, he is not coming here. Texas will match any offer we'd make to him and up it.

I repeat: Nearly every coach (with the exception of Saban and Meyer, neither of whom will come to Nebraska) has struggled in the SEC at some point. Who else hasn't?

Nearly every coach (with the exception of Saban and Meyer, neither of whom will come to Nebraska) has struggled in the SEC at some point. Who else hasn't? Who else besides Bama has the dominance you seek?

It's absolutely one thing if he was losing one game and they were to the Alabama's and LSUs of the world. It's another to lose to Clemson in your opener and to Mizzou and Vanderbuilt. Clemson, Mizzou, and Vandy would all beat Nebraska. Once again I reiterate that there are no "gimmes" in the SEC, well except for maybe Kentucky, and even they are on the up-and-up.

Bottom line is, this team is not making progress. We see the same problems year after year and Bo doesn't seem to have the answers. Every summer he says how great it went, and how the defense will be fine, yet when the team takes the field they struggle against any decent opponent. But it's OK, says Bo, because he has watched the tape and it's all "fixable." Then we play another quality opponent and it's the same thing all over again. Bo has reached his plateau and instead of progressing, he's regressing. The program is stagnant right now, like it or not.

There are plenty, I assure you. Here's a list I've come up with, and I'm sure there are more that I've forgotten. Not to mention that that I highly doubt this team will achieve 9 wins this year. Chris Petersen Gary Patterson Mark Richt Tim DeRuyter Bobby Petrino Mike Riley Craig Bohl Scott Frost Kirby Smart Art Briles Al Golden Greg Schiano Charlie Strong Jon Gruden Dan Mullen Jim Tressel Dave Doeren Terry Bowden

I don't buy that argument. There are no "gimmes" in the SEC. It's extremely difficult to go undefeated in that conference; even Bama has lost games during their championship years. He has won 2 SEC championships and been to 3 BCS bowls. He is a widely-respected coach, high character, and well-liked by pretty much everyone in the college football community. Plus he's a Nebraska son, grew up a fan of the Huskers, and would love to bring the program back to its former glory. What more could you want?

I'm personally not a fan of Schiano. His overall head coaching record is poor, and it took him quite a while to turn Rutgers around. But hey, that's just my opinion.

Only person we could possibly lure from Bama would be Kirby Smart, and I think he's holding out for an SEC gig. How about we take Richt from Georgia, and they can get Kirby?

After examining dozens of possible candidates, my personal preference is Mark Richt. He was born and raised in Omaha, grew up cheering for the Huskers, and still has family living in the state. He is a proven winner and a great recruiter, and he knows the types of athletes it takes to compete against SEC opponents. Fans in Georgia are looking for a change and this would give Richt a fresh start in a place he's familiar with, a place where he is loved and respected. My vote is for Richt!

Explain and elaborate as to what is wrong. If you can't say anything other than "hes only a three star kid," please save yourself the time. Rivals currently has us ranked as the #45 class. Is that good enough for you?

Would have to be worked through. We could hire Frost for a 3 year contract and if it doesn't work out then Tressel and others would be available in 2017. I would make Shaw a $4-$5 million dollar man. I think his salary is currently $2.5 million. I like what Stanford does on the OL, TE's, and running game...sound defense too. Who would do this deal? Shaw for $4-$5 milliion? Peterson is at $1.7 million. I would offer him $4 million. We need to pull a serious hire showing we are here to win championships. Oh, I agree that no doubt, we need an established name and proven winner and need to be willing to open the pocketbook. I really like Richt, especially since he knows the type of athletes needed to compete against the SEC, along with his Nebraska roots. I just still think Eichorst will attempt to get Golden first, due to his connection w/ him.

A couple more embarrassing losses is all that it's going to take, IMO.

Doesn't Tressel still have the no-approach clause?

I think Pelini is a good coach, just not a good HEAD coach. He's gotta go.

I'm a Pelini backer, but your post is way too simplistic. I don't want change because Pelini is performing in the W/L column and is doing the things personnel wise to take us to the next level. There are some posts about us being a laughing stock in the national media because of the blowouts on the scoreboard. We were a laughing stock ten years ago because of the coaching change with where our program was. Those with decision making ability are well aware of that. We were a laughing stock then, and we're still a laughing stock. On a national level, Bo has never shed his label of being a hothead who can't win the big game. I live in Baton Rouge in the heart of LSU country where Bo was DC of one of their national championship teams, and even the LSU fans laughed when we hired Bo as HC. I defended the hire and defended Bo for his first few years, until I began to hear the same excuses over and over again, and how everything was "fixable" yet no fixes were ever made. Now I am convinced that Bo is simply pacifying the fan base by telling them what they want to hear, and that he really doesn't have the answers. Today was just more proof to solidify that belief.

There is no guarantee that we will do better with a new coach; however, there's also no guarantee that we'll do worse. Sometimes you have to take the risk. This is one of those times.

Basically, based on the rationale of these Bo-backers, Bo could go 0-12 and they'd still want to keep him, simply because they don't want change.

Pelini has plateaued and this is as good as it gets. We have the same problems each year with no signs of getting it fixed. Every year is filled with excuses. We're becoming an also-ran in a weak division. We get humiliated every time we play on national TV. Pelini continues to pacify the fan base with the same worn-out excuses and spiel every time, and sadly, some fans continue to buy it. It's time for a change. These blowouts are like a toothache that keeps coming back. Sooner or later you gotta pull the tooth out at its root to stop the problem. Sadly some fans want to keep putting Oragel on it in hopes it will get better. It won't.

Philosophical statements can be used according to agenda. For instance, those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it. We know what happened when we kept a coach around for 25 years......and we know what has happened when we changed coaches every 6 years. Just how long would you like to keep him around without winning anything, and repeatedly being humiliated on national TV?

I don't see how anyone can possibly think that this team is going 9-3. I'm thinking 7-5 at best. Any team with a pulse is going to give us trouble, and every team remaining on the schedule has a pulse.

My top picks would be 1- Richt, 2- Petersen, 3- Frost. I like Briles but don't see him going anywhere except Texas (if they offer). I also like Tressel but he can't be approached, or so they say.