All Hail Herbie

I had a terrific holiday season and I hope you and your family did as well. All posts today are thoughtful and aimed at generating dialogue, not conflict. That said, I get the message with the rule citation as it is the signal flare. Ultimately, it has been the goal of many here to simply censor speech and I am very confident you will get your wish. Not being a millennial, and having witnessed a time when totalitarian regimes censored speech, I do not fully appreciate the virtues of this neo-totalitarianism. It strikes me as odd. I wish you and this fanbase all the best. Many happy returns.

Coach Aranda has had defensive success at Wisconsin, LSU, and Baylor (Power 5 programs all). I agree that his Head Coaching resume is limited (Big XII Champions), but his system has worked in 3 different Power 5 leagues. Conversely, our esteemed coach was merely an understudy of Chip Kelly at Oregon where their program was already at a zenith. Given the results of other successful AAC coaches at Power 5 schools, I am becoming convinced that their time in that league does not translate well. Bottom line, whether the selection is Coach Aranda, Coach Freeze or other, let's just make certain we go with a proven Power 5 winner. There are no guarantees in this business except to say that standing pat will not improve our situation.

I reiterate, money has corrupted the game to the point that it is becoming unrecognizable. Conference realignment where regional rivalries are tossed in favor of odd unions such as Missouri / South Carolina and Kansas / West Virginia (money). Coaches that leave elite schools at the drop of the hat (money). Players that either transfer to a new school or enroll early (Ewers) (NIL money). Playoff participants largely coming from a single league each year based on a networks profitability (money). Say what you will about the good old days and the antiquated regional system; loaner cars, money handshakes, etc., there was an understanding that this behavior was frowned upon publicly and as a result, it was kept quiet. Amateurism still maintained some level of virtue. Today, money is so brazenly and openly behind every decision in the game. The fig leaf has been removed for all time...

No doubt we paid for Coach Frost, but the reality is that it was a marriage of expediency. He fit in so many ways (professionally, culturally, and personally) that we all knew his tenure would bring about a return of the program. There was no need to look elsewhere for a new hire as this was going to be the perfect union. Now that we know his tenure will not revive the program, we need to get serious about putting real money on the table for a proven commodity in this business, and it is a business. Watching USC and LSU assert their positions aggressively with coaches that were seemingly settled in elite jobs illustrates the lengths to which we need to go. No more experiment or learn on the job candidates. Let's go get "the guy" that will finally return us to the elite of this game.

Wandale made the right decision... And come November, I trust that Trev will make the right decision on our head coach's fate as well...

Correct. This hire in November should be about getting the right candidate this time. Not the expedient one or the value one. If Nebraska wishes to return to the group of elite programs in the game, it is time they make the decision to pay for it. To build a nine figure football facility and then seek a value hire makes little sense. Let's get it right this time...

Please forward this list to Coach Aranda at Baylor. Need to get him acquainted with some of his new roster come November!

True. And that tournament functions very well.

I completely agree with this approach. Now that we have a network that not only shapes the playoff participation process (based on its' own interests), but also tampers with league membership to that same end (see UT and OU to SEC), it would be wise to eliminate exclusive coverage rights for this event. I know CBS maintains exclusive rights to the NCAA tournament, but last time I checked, CBS does not shape the composition of the tournament field.

An expanded team playoff that is exclusively owned and run by ESPN. Great idea...for those that own Disney stock. Half of the teams will be from the SEC and you can forget about any Cinderella stories. Non-Power 5 teams do not enhance the bottom line for those working in Bristol. Cincinnati, even at 12-0, would have been excluded this year absent the victory over Notre Dame. Forgive me, but watching Alabama win the Championship by playing the likes of Ole Miss, Auburn, LSU, and Georgia a second time in a season does not sound entertaining. Did we finally put to rest the notion that the SEC is the best conference in the country? 5-6 bowl record as a league. Rather than focusing on an expanded playoff, can we first begin by focusing on eliminating exclusivity for the playoff coverage? This might actually lead to a better, and more balanced, playoff field.

Incredible that some believe that a 5th consecutive losing season will justify a sixth losing season. And I thought John Gotti was the "Teflon Don". Since so many are attached to the concept of Coach Frost, and he is unable to have a winning season, could we pay him $5 million annually to be an "honorary" coach? He could wear the gear, the headset, and walk the sidelines, but only appear to be coaching, much like a mascot. Kids could have their pictures taken with the honorary coach and he could participate in the halftime show for home games.

Congratulations to Wandale and UK on their victory over Iowa today. For those that watched, Wandale's big reception late in the game was the difference as UK overcame a late deficit to win. Good to see that one team was able to utilize his skills properly. Separately, I am watching one of our top head coaching prospects guide Baylor in the Sugar Bowl this evening. November will be here before you know it....

For all the great comments posted, you can distill all of the problems down to one element...money. Competition has been corrupted by it at the collegiate level. The game is nothing more than a semi-pro league for aspiring NFL talent. It explains why a sport such as Women's College Volleyball is so enjoyable to watch. Team and competition remain the core elements.

I am anxious to see how Martinez performs while at K-State. I tend to think that a coach such as Kliemann will put him in position to succeed and as a result, K-State will have a terrific 2022 season. It would really be something if 2022 witnessed the Big XII crown Adrian Martinez as first team all conference and similarly watch the SEC crown Wandale Robinson as first team all conference. It would prove that our former offensive staff could recruit (at their peak), but could not develop or utilize that talent. Of course, after 4 years of losing, we are now reduced to recruiting offensive players based on OC Whipple's experience at Pitt. For recruits, give Kenny a call!

Missing the point. No expectation of any championships, league or otherwise, in the near or perhaps distant future. Progress is the name of the game here... My point was aimed at our propensity to lose repeatedly in one score football games. You cannot deny that inability to manage the pace and flow of these games is responsible to a large degree in losing close so often. We simply lack the mettle when the game pressure is at its' zenith to produce results. The Coach is responsible for that aspect and you could see that on display on Saturday night. Texas had not lost in that building in 2 years, and had only a single loss all season coming in. TX too has a terrific coach so it was a true match of wits. Cook managed the game pressure and the emotion well, and led a very young team to a terrific win. Repeated collapses late in games is a failure of the coach as he has allowed the game to get away from his team. It is time for this coach to detach from the tactical elements once and for all and focus on the in-game strategy. He simply is too buried in game details to see the game trends, let alone how to shape them.