Jack Platte

After all these years, Frank Solich's team is going to a bowl game, and Nebraska is not.

Auburn is a -9.5 favorite over UCF.  Not sure if that reflects well on UCF or not.

16 minutes ago, Huskers93-97 said:

Also we are wiser as a fan base today in what we want, we are a more seasoned "less spoiled" fan base. We have experienced horrible failure for 16 years so we know what we want and need. We are not enamored by shiny objects we want substance. I think we are better for it and have the potential to learn from it and be even better fans- more appreciative of what's in front of us. 

 

 

I would say that's true.  Back then it was too close to the Osborne years - one of the most extraordinary coaching performances of our time - and the fan base  thought it was a God given right to be in the hunt for a NC every year, so everyone was quick to believe that Callahan would deliver, because that's just how it was meant to be at Nebraska.  Reality was a shock.  

But I wouldn't categorize Pelini's years as 'horrible failure'.  

4 hours ago, roadrat said:

I don't think anyone was excited about Callahan. Like the guy said on the radio, This is former Nebraska players taking control of a situation that was destroyed by a bunch of outside screw ups.

Please.  Callahan landed some highly rated recruits, and the Nebraska message boards lit up with every new commitment.    A big contingent of Husker fans - more than any other school - flocked to the Army all star game to watch prized recruits Lucky, Dillard, and Roark.  A huge part of the Husker Nation became recruiting geeks overnight, and everyone talked about how it was going to translate into a return to glory.  A common expression was something like; 'Lucky and Beck!  We're back!'  It was a frenzy.

Don't get too excited yet.  I remember people doing backflips after Callahan's first full year when he recruited some highly rated players - Marlon Lucky and Harrison Beck come to mind? - with people almost wetting third pants with predictions of immediate return to glory,  NC's in two years, Heisman Trophies, etc.  Beck transferred, Lucky was just fairly good, and Callahan fell flat on his face.

On Wisconsin baby!

Don't forget the hard lesson after the Solich firing.  People were mentioning names like Parcels and Mariucci.  And then a guy named Houston Nutt said no and very publicly stood us up at the airport.  Callahan was a desperation hire.  The job just wasn't that desirable.   Expectations too high.  

 If Frost says no, it won't be easy to find the right guy.   

9 hours ago, Redux said:

Akron - W

Colorado - W

Troy - W

@Michigan - L

Purdue - W

@Wisconsin - L

@Northwestern - W

Minnesota - W

@Ohio State - L

Illinois - W

Michigan State - W

@Iowa - W

 

9-3

That's about right for the upside.  Beating Michigan State and Iowa back to back is kind of optimistic, but you must be taking into consideration a team getting better as they get accustomed to a new coach.  

Not that hard to do it immediately.  Lou Holtz took 2 years at Notre Dame.  Stoops, Harbaugh, Saban and many others have all juiced up a struggling program right from the start, and made a big impact in one or two years.  All it takes is some talent in the cupboard and the right new coach.

Moos had best do a better job of finding a replacement than Pederson did when he canned Frankie.  The assumption was that big name coaches would be jumping at the chance, and people even mentioned Bill Parcels and Mariucci.  Then Houston Nutt turned him down in the most public and embarrassing way.  Callahan ended up being a desperation hire that looked, for a brief moment, that it was a stroke of luck, but wasn't.  

Find the successor now.  

Minnesota has one of the worst secondaries in college football.  When the Michigan backs got past the front 7, the DB's were helpless to stop them.  And this was without a great RB - the Michigan back are just in the pretty good category.  

The Gophers are 1-5 in the Big Ten.  When you're now in the category of, run of the mill, also ran Big 10 Teams - another Minnesota or Purdue - it just goes to show how far you have fallen from the great, NC caliber Devaney/Osborne teams and the glory days of the Big 8 Conference.

Nebraska is in danger of losing that blue blood status for good.  An average Big Ten team, years on end, is not a blue blood.  Today's blue chips weren't even born last time Nebraska was relevant.