thequan

Serious question, not trolling. I am very curious as to whether Bo really intends to stay here. and I would like to hear your thoughts. Here is my conspiracy theory, which I believe is at least somewhat rational: I honestly believe that coach Pelini is in a bind here with expectations and inexperience as a head coach, and he may be biding his time to get out. I'm not saying he's not working to win conference championships, or busting his ass in recruiting. Don't get me wrong at all, I love Bo. I love his style, and I truly believe that he has the ability to win an (edit: national) championship with Nebraska if given the time. That being said, it is going to take him a long time to get there. He has to boost recruiting efforts, and find a stable winning coaching staff (not to mention QB's that can win). Just think about how long it took T.O. to build up to that 90's title show. Only after Turner Gill left did he truly start to get his act together. And that is after several years here. I don't think Bo has that kind of time. If we lose 4-5 games next season (a possibility), many of us will be questioning his viability here (if you're not already). Case in point: This is not Bo's last rodeo. Most likely, he will await Les Miles' departure at LSU and move to develop ridiculously dominant defenses there, or best case scenario: 5 years from now Urban burns out at theOSU and Bo takes over there. I'm not saying this is true. I would like to believe Bo wants to develop a powerhouse at Nebraska, but with recruiting disadvantages, etc. it is a tough place to do that. Bo is a tough man, and he is learning and growing with every game. We need to give him a lot more time and some more leniency, not all results are immediate. On top of this, Bo is a family man, and Lincoln is an amazing place to raise one. tl;dr // With all the fire Bo comments, it is possible that we won't even need to think about that. What if he leaves? I would be interested in your thoughts...

Does anybody have access to or know how to find all-time rushing lists for NU? With carries, yards, YPC, etc.? I can guess at some stuff and look it up but it would be great to have something like that. It has to exist.

...from this program in its fourth season? What is realistic right now?

After any practice or film study, the truth of the matter is that experience trumps all. For example, getting our (young) O-Line out there to handle these B1G D-Linemen will help them become better at playing in this conference (Edit: More so than any other facet of preparation). Each game, in my opinion, is like preparing for a bowl game right now. We basically have to start from scratch with scheming, playcalling, etc. for all of these teams. Even if we aren't a BCS team again in the next year or two, I think that things will improve. We have a young and inexperienced team, and coaches who can develop defensive talent. Don't lose faith, this is our first year in the Big 10, and we were not a championship caliber team in this league to begin with. Guys will get smarter, faster, put on more weight, and NU will become a better football team in 2011.

Even with all this media coverage, I still felt ignorant yesterday about the facts of the Penn State case. So I went and read up on the grand jury report and downloaded the PDF. After the second case I was sick to my stomach and had to stop reading. I picked it back up a couple hours later and finished it out. These stories brought tears to my eyes, and rage into my heart. At first I regretted this decision because of what I now know, but realized that this is the kind of thing that makes us appreciate what we have (no matter how selfish that thought is). The entire situation has forced me appreciate all of the amazing people Nebraska has been so blessed to have throughout the years. I know this is weird, and knowing the emotional state of these (now grown men) is most certainly destroyed forever by Paterno's decision, but the scandal at Penn State makes me proud to be a Husker. Go Big Red.

I am absolutely terrified that Penn State is going to come out on fire, and Bo won't have our guys ready again this week. I know it's insanely pessimistic, but this is just the type of thing a fanbase and team can rally around. Everyone expects them to lose. They are in the ultimate "us against the world" situation. This is ignoring injuries to Rex and our thin D-Line of course, but for some reason this game scares the crap out of me. Before the Northwestern game, I thought we could win out. Now I'm scared we will lose out. I'm usually an optimistic cat. Why the hell do I feel like this??! Help me out here!

None of these. Anybody ever read Max Olson at the Daily Nebraskan? Best sports writer in Lincoln, and recognized as one of the best young sports writers in the nation. Just saying, this kid's good.