What will it take?

[OmahaPoohBear]

I hope people look beyond the record and see that BC is bringing in great athletes and once he can build depth with great athletes, we will be on a roll.

bingo!!

At some point this "great recruiting" will have to pay off in the form of wins. Against top teams, not ISU, Maine, and Baylor.

[Overland Park Husker]

I love the "This is his 4th year of recruits, he better win" expectation. You people do realize that to make the progress we did we recruited A LOT of juco players, ones that could come in and provide an instant boost of talent (like Taylor, Mo, Bowman, Octavien). We still don't have talent/depth/experience at all positions. IMO give hime 6 years to prove himself.

 

Also, I'd expect a Big XII North title and some form of a post season win this year.

[OmahaPoohBear]

-To play devils advocate here, BC has had a number of years. Four, to be exact. How many does he need? Six? Ten? No other university around gives someone that much leeway. If these athletes are so big name, with his system I think the reload /turnaround should be happening this year.

 

As for progress, I expect no more then two losses. The time has come for this program to have a win that no critic can rebuke or overlook. In my opinion, Wake Forest and Mizzou are not those victories either. Everyone will say how much WF will have fallen from last year and Mizzou will never be a landmark victory.

 

You say the schedule does Nebraska no favors, I say it does them nothing but favors. Every week where there are those games that are not pushovers, there is a great chance for this coach, and this team to prove themselves. Its high time they took advantage of that.

 

Why weren't you guys demanding conference championships from Solich?

 

Many were, including his employers

 

This is the fourth year, and I actually do not count the first year.

Funny, everyone else including the statistics do

 

He had no time to recruit and was cursed with the worst QB Nebraska has ever had. No talent to run any offense. He was faced with a mutiny on the defensive side.

Fair point, in my opinion he wasn't without fault on a few games, but learning is learning

 

This man has done so much more than any other college coach it is unbelieveable.

Ease off on the myopia. That is just a false statment

 

He still does not have the talent/depth on board to compete with SC or Texas, how can you demand a CC.

I thought he was a great recruiter. Funny how Callahan is a great recruiter except when he has to beat good teams, then there is no way anyone could possibly keep up, even though UCLA, OSU, A&M, and K-state all had no problems beating those two teams.

 

We may get it, but if we win the games we should, all but SC and Texas and the South champion I will be very happy with the improvement.

I for one am tired of winning all the games "we" should. There was a time when Nebraska did not have a game on the schedule that was was widely considered a loss. Everyone wants a high goal, there's one. Stop giving this team breaks. Who knows, they might just rise to the occasion.

2 if the best posts ever!!!! At some point the excuses need to stop. Many other coaches have done more with less in less time. It's time to stop the talk and start

 

I for one am tired of accepting mediocrity. This is freaking NEBRASKA!!!!!!

[Hunter94]

Why weren't you guys demanding conference championships from Solich?

 

This is the fourth year, and I actually do not count the first year. He had no time to recruit and was cursed with the worst QB Nebraska has ever had. No talent to run any offense. He was faced with a mutiny on the defensive side. This man has done so much more than any other college coach it is unbelieveable.

 

He still does not have the talent/depth on board to compete with SC or Texas, how can you demand a CC. We may get it, but if we win the games we should, all but SC and Texas and the South champion I will be very happy with the improvement. We drop games to Ok State like last year, I will have problem. 11-3 is a great season, 10-4 is bareable, but I think we do better.

 

 

skers is absolutely correct on this one. cally is still in the midst of building depth and recruiting good players. it certainly looks like this year will be one of the best , if not the best class he has every brought in here. relax, sure he is gonna probably make some bone-head calls again this season (and i will bitch like hell when he does) , but i think he is learning the college game and the recruiting is improving more and more.

there will be losses again, just don't expect the world yet, he is still short some real talent in selected areas.

[Hunter94]

I love the "This is his 4th year of recruits, he better win" expectation. You people do realize that to make the progress we did we recruited A LOT of juco players, ones that could come in and provide an instant boost of talent (like Taylor, Mo, Bowman, Octavien). We still don't have talent/depth/experience at all positions. IMO give hime 6 years to prove himself.

 

Also, I'd expect a Big XII North title and some form of a post season win this year.

 

 

a reasonable expectation given the circumstances. relax everyone, the transition is still underway, short real depth in a lot of key areas.

[Foppa]

Okay, this isn't really a "prediction" topic, because those have been exhausted since January 2nd.....but, instead, my question is....... What will it take for Husker Nation to be 'satisfied" with the progress of the program....

 

will it take a Big 12 title and BCS bid for people too consider 07 a success, or will something less be viewed as "progress"...

 

Personally, I hope people don't look at the seaon-end "record" to evaluate BC and the team..... this year's schedule is killer.....now, if they win the North, Big 12, and or a BCS bid, it will be a great/fanatastic year, and I would say that this program is way ahead of the projections.

 

Being a realist, this team could "easily" lose to USC, Texas, Mizzou, and maybe another 1-2 that will be tight games ( at WF or at KU) the schedule does them NO FAVORS !!!! I hope people look beyond the record and see that BC is bringing in great athletes and once he can build depth with great athletes, we will be on a roll......right now, we may have a few 4-5 * guys, but not any depth of "tremendous athletes" (ie USC, TX, FLORIDA)......... yes, it used to be "not rebuild, but reload"......until BC has a number of years to put recruiting classes together, we can't "reload".....

 

It will be interesting to see how we compete...

 

-To play devils advocate here, BC has had a number of years. Four, to be exact. How many does he need? Six? Ten? No other university around gives someone that much leeway. If these athletes are so big name, with his system I think the reload /turnaround should be happening this year.

 

As for progress, I expect no more then two losses. The time has come for this program to have a win that no critic can rebuke or overlook. In my opinion, Wake Forest and Mizzou are not those victories either. Everyone will say how much WF will have fallen from last year and Mizzou will never be a landmark victory.

 

You say the schedule does Nebraska no favors, I say it does them nothing but favors. Every week where there are those games that are not pushovers, there is a great chance for this coach, and this team to prove themselves. Its high time they took advantage of that.

 

No offense to TO, obviously he was THE man, but look how many years he needed. How short would Cally's leash (and NU career) be if he lost 7 straight bowl games in this day and age? It is a new and impatient era at NU...even though I don't think he was the answer...ask Solich.

[NUpolo8]

Those days are looooong gone in college football. No coach would survive 7 straight bowl losses today

[strigori]

Two losses or less would be the ideal goal, with the brutality of our schedule, I will judge more on how the team plays vs the big boys. If we lose 3 or 4 to the likes of USC and Texas, and the losses are one score difference with chances to win late, I will be much more forgiving than if we get blown out.

 

Saying it's the door this year for not winning the Big 12 is nuts. Anyone with a revolving door of coaches never ends up being important in the large scheme of things.

 

I expect 10 wins by the end of bowl season, but the NU slate is tough this year with 8 bowl teams from last year, and a final record like last year's wont make my head explode.

 

We were this close to pulling wins over Texas and Auburn last year. We are just a couple players away from being 'back'. This year has the potential to be the year where we are 'back'.

[NUpolo8]

Two losses or less would be the ideal goal, with the brutality of our schedule, I will judge more on how the team plays vs the big boys. If we lose 3 or 4 to the likes of USC and Texas, and the losses are one score difference with chances to win late, I will be much more forgiving than if we get blown out.

 

Saying it's the door this year for not winning the Big 12 is nuts. Anyone with a revolving door of coaches never ends up being important in the large scheme of things.

 

I expect 10 wins by the end of bowl season, but the NU slate is tough this year with 8 bowl teams from last year, and a final record like last year's wont make my head explode.

 

We were this close to pulling wins over Texas and Auburn last year. We are just a couple players away from being 'back'. This year has the potential to be the year where we are 'back'.

 

 

The topic, of course, was what we thought should be progress. Not a "win this much or you're fired" line. Winning the XII is the next logical step after playing in the CCG last year. As is winning these games everyone is so quick to point out Nebraska "almost" won.

[eliot1171]

I would have to agree with the fact that winning the Big 12 Championship would be a good goal for this year. Last year we won the north division which was almost understood, but also a major goal.

 

Moving forward all boils down to goals, small ones in my opinion. Each year our standards need to keep moving upward, which they have been. Keep faith and support the progress.

[zoogs]

Those days are looooong gone in college football. No coach would survive 7 straight bowl losses today

 

But how did TO turn out? I think this is a pretty dismal reflection of today's expectations and perhaps the nature of today's game. If no coach would survive 7 straight bowl losses, than even a great like TO wouldn't make it today - could it hurt to give someone a chance?

[husker rob]

of course a Big 12 championship would be a step in the right direction, but also a 10 win season is progress also

 

i would be happy with a 10-3 season with a bowl game win

 

 

You're missing a game, assuming we go to the Big XII Championship we will be playing 14 games again afaik..

 

 

 

Also, conference champs is what it will take this year, imo

not if NU loses to UT and MU, and USC

 

2 confrence losses will be hard to win the North

 

I do not think that NU loses to MU though, and it depends on who NU plays in the CCG. if it is UT then I say NU wins, OU it is toss up

[skersfan]

The point is he has 3 years period. Not 4. until the end of this year.

 

He has dealt with a totally lost program. The direction of the program had to be turned completely around. Not only the downward spiral, but the type of athlete we recruit.

 

But it really makes no difference what any of us want. He answers to one person and only one. That person just got a contract extension. In that extension comments were made about how well the football program was doing, direction, improvement. Most that are complaining or demanding were saying a couple of weeks ago he and BC would be down the road this year if they did not win big.

 

Guess that is not going to happen. So as far as I am concerned I will go with what the powers are demanding. They are demanding a clean program, realistic goals. They have the knowledge of where we were and where we are headed.

 

WE will never return to the 90's. It took Coach Osborne twenty plus years to get there.

 

As far as recruiting. You have never heard me say we are recruiting with the top programs, we still are not. But we are doing better than we did the last 6 years, there is no question. WE have a long ways to go to have the talent/depth that the top programs have. We may never reach that level. This is a hard sell compared to SC, Texas, Florida, LSU, Auburn and a couple of others. I agree we are on the same level as Michigan or Ohio State as far as weather is concerned, but the population is to their advantage, plus they are on TV every single week. This is a game of sales. If you work in the sales field you can understand the problems, if not, it is hard to understand I guess.

[gamecocks]

I say:

 

1.Win the Big 12 North

2.Do not lose to anyone that we shouldn't lose to (CU, KU, ISU, KSU, MU, aTm, OSU, WF, BS, Nev)

3. Win a game that we are not favored to win (USC, Texas, Big 12 championship)

[MCAT800]

IMO losses to both USC and UT will taint the season regardless of the outcome.