runningblind

It'll be a cultural fit if he wins, simple as that.

DeBoer

I think it's more these coaches who already have money, are not eager to go get fired in 4 years for not being Nick Saban. I wouldn't take that job as a successful coach at a different school, no way in hell. Nothing to do with them being clowns, product of Sabans ridiculous success.

How are people not more pissed off at the NCAA? What a cosmic level joke. Football needs a new league of 64 or whatever teams that leaves the NCAA....NOW. Do it now. The rest of the sports go back to regional conferences and the NCAA can manage those like old times.

Wildly different circumstances there. Nebraska when TO took over was already rolling, and had a slew of advantages over other teams in that era. Michigan State never did, and it was a different set of circumstances overall in the mid 90s. Alabama has inherent advantages over MSU, so you can't really compare those jobs. Saban won 7 titles, at two schools, in a time when you have to do more to win one. He's top 2 or 3, if not #1, easily.

Fair enough. All reasonable takes. While I agree with you in principle about rule following, I simply believe almost all teams knowingly break them here and there, with an organization as inept as the NCAA in charge and so much at stake. My biggest beef is with the NCAA, and I kind of appreciate Harbaughs middle finger to the NCAA on stupid rules. I think most people in the sport feel the same and want to break free from these worthless, hypocritical anchors to the sport.

Nice! Now figure out how to play like that on the road in conference for once and I'll start building a Hoiberg statue.

Where did I say it was ok? I said I believe everyone does it, that's different. You inferred I said somewhere that all rules can be broken whenever. Personally I feel some things are more grave than others yes, do you feel every rule is as significant as all the rest? They got caught, they didn't have their HC on the sideline for 6 of 12 regular season games. What more do you want? Just feels like a lot of butthurt here about Michigan specifically and not about the state of things overall.

Call it bull$#!t all you want, but it happens everywhere. You think the NCAA catches all the people who cheat? Use your own example with speeding. Most do it, few get caught. Staffing shortages, way more drivers, etc. It isn't a load of horse poo at all to say everyone does it, you just don't want to hear it and don't like it. Different levels of pushing boundaries I'll give you, or just being more creative than others, but it happens. You're absolutely kidding yourself to believe otherwise in a billion dollar industry.

Everyone steals signs, because it is legal. They went too far, and were slapped on the wrist for it. Everyone pushes the boundaries on recruiting also, don't kid yourself there. They were the best team, and they beat the hardest teams on their schedule after the sign stealing bit came out. They deserve this title. Harbaugh can flat out coach, no matter what you think of him. Wins everywhere he goes.

I watched a lot of Washington, and last night was the antithesis of the rest of the season. Michigan did a great job of making him uncomfortable, but that kid can make every throw imaginable if he get his feet set. He was pressing last night also once the D was giving up 20 YPC in the first quarter!

Wondering in the wilderness sounds like a great time

He could have dropped passes here! Would have been off target too, built in excuse.

Where is Minnesota though?!

Nothing is proven, I stated that as well earlier. This started from me responding to a comment about "all we need to be better is QB play" and my point was we can't just assume everything stays the same and we can improve QB play alone for increasing win total. My gut tells me the conference is going to be more difficult with 4 decent to good/really good teams coming in. I initially said it "would definitely be harder" and backed off from that a bit. I go back to my question to him there at the end though, do you really feel the conference isn't going to get better/more difficult overall with these 4 teams mixed in the schedule? Also without the built in 6 games against the West teams.

Opponents that are the same from 23 and 24: Colorado Illinois Purdue Wisconsin Iowa OOC differences: La. Tech -> N. Iowa (should be easier) UTEP -> N. Illinois (should be easier) Conference differences: Michigan -> OSU (Similar) Northwestern -> Rutgers (Similar) MSU -> Indiana (Similar) Maryland -> UCLA (Similar) Minnesota -> USC (Harder) So while I agree it isn't light years harder on paper, from here in January, it should in fact be harder by replacing Minny on the road with USC on the road. Our OOC cupcakes appear easier. We also have 5 conference road games in 24, versus 4 in 23, which means more higher quality teams on the road than 23 (sub Colorado at home). In 2025 we get all 3 of Michigan, USC and Penn State. In 2026 we get Tennessee (OOC I know, still on there), plus Washington, Oregon and OSU. Having three of the top teams on the schedule was considered a super hard schedule a couple years ago, now that is more normal with 4 better teams being added. Saying "there is no rational reason for taking that position" is just not true if you realize the conference as a whole is getting better with these 4 teams being added. Are you telling me you believe the conference ISN'T getting more challenging with adding these 4 teams?

You say that now, but you can't know that until the games are played. I can't either, so I shouldn't have said that definitively, but my gut tells me it will be based on how bad the West was this year.

That was true for 2023, but it annoys me when people compare year over year by saying things like "if X changes then we are good!". No two years are the same, and the schedule is going to get harder with the West going away and new teams being added. The West was also worse than normal last year. Better QB play is a must, but that doesn't mean everything else stays exactly the same from one season to the next. Other teams change also, some get better, some get worse, we play some on the road rather than at home, on and on and on.

Philly is in huge trouble. No way they make it out of the NFC IMO. Anything can happen in a playoff though, that's why I'm stoked for an actual one in college ball soon!

Enjoy it! Signed, a Broncos fan shaking my head at the stuff in the tweets above.

How about we start with "can Nebraska ever make a bowl again?". Once that box is checked, let's add "can Nebraska make the playoff?" and "can Nebraska win the conference?", then progress to greatness questioning.

Stop saying "it just had a good 30 year run". We've been good for decades more than that way back when, as people have pointed out. It was also THE BEST 30 YEAR RUN IN HISTORY. That's quite different.

I sort of get what you're on about, but Raiola is 100% here because of his love for NU/family. He would have been paid just fine at either school. We almost didn't get him because we are much worse than those schools, hence the earlier commitments, and we're lucky he came anyway. Don't kid yourself here that we flipped the kid for any other reason beyond his big red roots.

So you are using the flip of a 5 star as an argument to why recruiting doesn't matter? Makes sense.

Damn. Did they play Iowa like 7 times that year???