RileyMan

Guys...as an OSU alum and long time follower of Riley here's something you should think about: OSU is not even in the same stratosphere as Nebraska when it comes to resources and talent but if OSU (under RIley) and Nebraska (Under Pelini) played I would have felt pretty good OSU could pull off the upset or, at the very least, make it a very very close game. All of the entirely due to Riley. If Nebraska were to play Oregon you would feel good about Nebraska having a decent chance to pull out the win...Purely based on Nebraska HISTORY and not because of Pelini. OSU has no real history (post 1960s) beyond Riley (and a lucky Dennis Erickson). Nebraska has tons of history...very little of it to do with Pelini beyond a hilarious twitter feed and questionable sideline video clips. All of OSU is now going to be watching Riley very very closely simply so it can finally be known if it was a lack of ability on his part (and those of his assistants) or he was the gem that most of football 'experts' believe him to be. Unfortunately for Nebraska, that's going to be revealed while he's the coach for Nebraska. You are the petrie dish. He will struggle the coming year based on all of his experience at OSU. He runs a difficult offense to pick up. You will see flashes of brilliance just before the QB throws another interception. By season's end you'll be thinking "we can be great next year if....." and that's the same question OSU fans have had: Will the resources and talent at Nebraska, the qualities OSU could not offer, allow Riley to turn the corner and produce the "IF" and take the team to the top level. For those who have said Riley has done nothing...He took a team that hadn't won more than 5 games a year for 28 years and made them the 3rd most successful PAC12 team over a decade. That would be harder to do than to turn Kansas into a top team in the Big12 for a decade or Indiana in the Big10 mentioned in the same breath as tOSU, Nebraska or Michigan (lloyd carr era) for 10 years. Most of you don't follow the PAC12 but there wasn't a program who ever took OSU lightly during the Riley era when, prior to his arrival, they feared playing Montana more than OSU. I get the angst but he will win at least 9 games a year and not embarrass you. You'll find yourself thinking "man, we looked good the last month of the season. With our starters returning we just might be conference champs next year". Will Nebraska's advantages over OSU be the difference? Trust me, everyone at OSU will be watching too.

He's Riley's best friend. He'll be DC

Riley is going to run a Pro-Set. He is the defact OC. The OC will be a QB coach for the most part who helps in game planning and play calling but the offense is all Riley.

Great hire and for the guys worried there are no Non-OSU guys yet...Riley is very well known for being loyal to his staff but cheer up, he has no OC and so he'll be looking for someone outside for OSU. I'm 99% sure it will not be Frost.

Everyone's been blown out by Oregon aside from the first few games of the year. Look at the Oregon results for the year. The previous year was a very close game and Oregon won it by 1.

The receivers coach Brennan is a fantastic coach. I'm not sure if the DB coach is coming (Rod Perry) but he's been very solid. I think he has other options as does the defensive line coach Joe Seaumalo particularly in the Pros. He is a great recruiter, particularly out of hawai'i for the big guys, and, when he has the healthy guys, has coached up some fantastic players like Paea and Crichton. The guys I wanted to see let go at OSU were Banker (mostly because he can't stop the spread and right now in the PAC12...that means he's not stopping many) and Read. Personally I think Read is an underperformer but as a kicking coach he has been undeniable. We've had groza winners and nominees and the current best kicker in the NLF (Johnny Hecker) is a phenomenal kicker. Returns (ko and punt) have been very very ordinary. Protection is ok. Not standout. Cavanaugh is a great coach but he's had a tough run the last few years. The line depth is practically zero. How much the poor performance has been to injuries and lack of depth is unknown. I think at Nebraska he will have the trenches guys to really be able to tell if he's lost his touch or just needed to right bodies. After Bray, Brennan, Seaumalo and Perry the rest of the guys are "ok" and the resources at Nebraska will be the true barometer. They're not going to have excuses of recruiting/resources to explain any deficiencies. To better understand the differences in recruiting, currently Nebraska has five 4* recruits. OSU has 1 and they're hoping he actually signs. The only 5 star I can remember in recent years is Seuamalo's son who is maybe the best center in the PAC12 but has been sidelined the entire year with a broken foot. The fans at OSU go crazy if they sign a 4 star guy. A lot of times they don't qualify academically anyway even after signing their LOI. The raw talent at OSU is far below even what Nebraska feels is an ordinary year. Riley & Co do a great job just to make the teams competitive. The OC is terrible and had only been on the job for a year. He's not going to be coming to Nebraska. The two previous OCs are now the head coach at Pitt and the QB coach at NY Giants in the NFL. I really have no idea who Riley has in mind for his OC. He's a pro-set guy and so the idea he's bringing Frost seems totally unlikely to me. Honestly, I know Tedford from Cal is wanting to get back into the college ranks, he and Riley have a bit of a relationship and so I wouldn't be shocked to see Tedford applying for the job. After that...it's really unknown. Riley is the OC in his offense. Everyone else is a QB coach. I wouldn't be 100% shocked if he steals the OC at Washington (J. Smith) but again...a bit of an unknown. Smith is a very talented guy and is getting a rough stick in Washington but if he isn't approached by Riley I wouldn't be surprised at all. A complete mystery really.

OSU alum here and now a Nebraska supporter simply because you guys had the intelligence to hire Mike Riley. I get the apprehension a lot of you have about Riley...I really do however, you now have a gem of a coach. Some of you look at his record and think "eh...mediocre record" but honestly, the difficulties of recruiting and coaching at OSU are so profoundly deep and complex it's difficult to understand unless you've followed the OSU program for years. The unhappiness with Riley has come from his inability to take the 2nd smallest funded program in the PAC12 to the Rose Bowl every 2-3 years while the fanbase watches Oregon in the CFP final 4. The rivalry is intense and the hatred real between the two fanbases and yes...the jealousy very real. A 9 win season at OSU is a National Championship if you ask me. Many OSU fans are now going to be watching Nebraska very closely and there is a deep sense of regret for the poor treatment he's received the last 2-3 years. Mike Riley turned OSU into a job that isn't the most embarrassing in college football. He was so successful there he actually changed people's perceptions that people could win at OSU despite the long history to the contrary. A 6 win season was so rare...OSU holds the record for the most losing seasons in a row...28. No one at Nebraska can even come close to understanding that level of futility. Riley will win 9 games a year...but he will need 2 years to get there. He is an AMAZING QB coach and will produce heisman candidates. His offense is difficult to pick up and so the first year QB will struggle but still put up big numbers, including interceptions unfortunately. He will produce a fantastic running game but get pass happy sometimes. He will lay at least 1 egg a year and then produce when the time comes in the biggest games of the year. His football IQ is unreal and yea, everything you've heard about him is true, he's the nicest guy in college football who gets his players to perform way beyond their skill set. The players love him. He turns walkons into NFL calibre players. Forget what you've heard about Dennis Erickson being the reason for OSU's 2000 fiesta bowl. DE was just lucky to be in the right place at the right time and when he left, his record was terrible and his recruiting was also. Riley is the guy who turned OSU into a good PAC12 team that everyone was afraid to play. Great hire for Nebraska and given a solid 4-5 years he will have the Husker Nation excited about each year and one thing you'll love about him...No one in the nation will ever say "he wins but at what cost to our pride and reputation?". You won't see him on SportsCenter being mocked and no parent will regret sending their son to play for him because Riley treats them like dirt.

Bray is a fantastic hire and many at OSU were hoping, if Riley was sticking around, Bray would be named DC. Fantastic position coach and when he was brought in to OSU the play of the linebackers, already considered to be a decently performing bunch in the PAC12, took a big step forward. I think Nebraska will be extremely happy with the Linebacker play under Bray's tutelage. OSU has a very strong tradition of linebacker play and Bray has been a player and coach in that tradition. Great get for Nebraska.

Another Riley old friend...Turns out fantastic kickers/punters but not really a great return schemer. Nothing to be excited about but nothing to lose your mind over either.

Arguably Mike Riley's best friend and I can't imagine he would be anything but the DC. Many at OSU think the reason Riley was suddenly very open to the idea of taking a job elsewhere is he was pressured to fire Banker and possibly Read and even Cavanaugh. He is an extremely loyal man and believed that the struggles at OSU weren't because OSU didn't have the best coaches but rather didn't have the resources to bring in the better recruits that a place like Nebraska will give him access to. As far as Banker goes, he's a top notch DC against pro style systems but struggles MIGHTILY when the opposing offense has a mobile QB. His defenses routinely get abused by Spread systems...again the hope is that Nebraska can bring the recruits he needs to really succeed with his schemes against the spread. His defenses need big DTs, quick DEs and fast cornerbacks. Generally a gap cancellation scheme where if you have a slower DL. With fewer spread system in the Big 10 than in the PAC12, Banker should be a better than average DC and if he can find the recruits to come to Nebraska then he may turn out to be a fantastic DC. Time will tell.