Nebraska Championship Potential

[drmathprog]

It's hard to say.

 

Auburn shared the National Championship in 1957. They haven't won one since. Syracuse won in 1959. They haven't won one since. Minnesota won Championships in 1934, 1935, 1936, 1940, 1941 (they were monsters in those days!) and 1960. They haven't won one since.

 

My father (who attended NU in 1948-51) always marveled about the incredible turn around under Devaney, but in my NCAA football-aware lifetime (at least up till the Callahan era) NU was always on top. My brother, who graduated from NU in 1978, always thought that more than 2 loses was a disaster. And just as my father marveled at how fast NU went from Big 8 doormat to singular powerhouse, my brother marveled at how fast NU returned to mediocrity.

 

One hopes better days are ahead, and we will shortly all be again marveling at how fast NU returned to the role of perennial Championship contender. But history teaches that sometimes the end of an era really is the end.

For every one of those examples, I can throw out others in the opposite vein such as USC, UT, OU, etc. Programs who were on top of the CFB world, stubbed their toes for quite awhile, and now have returned to a close fascimilie of their former selves.

 

I didn't say there weren't counter examples, just that sometimes the end is the end.

[Husker Runner]

As long as John Cook is head coach, Nebraska will always have a chance for another National Championship.

[Scarlet Overkill]

It's hard to say.

 

Auburn shared the National Championship in 1957. They haven't won one since. Syracuse won in 1959. They haven't won one since. Minnesota won Championships in 1934, 1935, 1936, 1940, 1941 (they were monsters in those days!) and 1960. They haven't won one since.

 

My father (who attended NU in 1948-51) always marveled about the incredible turn around under Devaney, but in my NCAA football-aware lifetime (at least up till the Callahan era) NU was always on top. My brother, who graduated from NU in 1978, always thought that more than 2 loses was a disaster. And just as my father marveled at how fast NU went from Big 8 doormat to singular powerhouse, my brother marveled at how fast NU returned to mediocrity.

 

One hopes better days are ahead, and we will shortly all be again marveling at how fast NU returned to the role of perennial Championship contender. But history teaches that sometimes the end of an era really is the end.

For every one of those examples, I can throw out others in the opposite vein such as USC, UT, OU, etc. Programs who were on top of the CFB world, stubbed their toes for quite awhile, and now have returned to a close fascimilie of their former selves.

 

I didn't say there weren't counter examples, just that sometimes the end is the end.

 

While I agree that sometimes the end is the end, what I see in common with those who stubbed toes and made another run is that first, they get the right coaching staff in place, and second they make the commitment to get better. Some of the schools mentioned as powerhouses turned doormat, have neither the right coach nor the commitment, at least not at the moment. I do believe Nebraska has made the commitment, and Pelini does seem like he might be the right coach. I like, nay, love, the difference he's made so far, but jury's still out on just how good he'll be, and if he's "the one".

[huKSer]

As long as John Cook is head coach, Nebraska will always have a chance for another National Championship.

When is he going to start offering schollies to 5th graders?

[Husker Runner]

As long as John Cook is head coach, Nebraska will always have a chance for another National Championship.

When is he going to start offering schollies to 5th graders?

 

[junior4949]

The 80's and 90's are over, and we all know that these days parity is much more widespread than it used to be. With teams like Baylor and TTU coming into their own (and thus keeping more good players in Texas) I wonder if Nebraska will ever be championship caliber again. We are in one of the worst recruiting states, and it seems more kids will want to stay closer to home even if the team they go to isn't a football power. Teams like Texas, LSU, Ohio State, and USC will always have better recruiting and more talent than we will, always, and will we be able to keep up with that in the long run? I hope so.

 

On a side note, if a playoff system is initiated, won't that hurt Nebraska? The way I figure it, if you're playing against good teams one after the other in a playoff system, talent and superior athletes will have the advantage overall.

 

I hope to see us win more championships and BCS bowls, but sometimes I wonder if we'll ever be able to do that consistently again...

 

Considering we never won a NC in the 80's, I guess we can throw that decade out. It took what 22 years to win one from the Bobfather to TO's first? They don't just hand out NC's like they're candy. Can we ever win another one? Of course we can. Will we win another one? I hope so!

 

To everyone saying the repeat of the 90's since parity won't happen again, think about this. USC has ended close to the top how many years in a row? OU has been near the top for how many years? Ohio State has been towards the top for how long? Florida has a chance at 3 NC in 4 years. There may be more parity between teams than before, but the streaks of some teams are still there and will continue to be there. It appears as though Saban may get Bama into one of those strings if he hangs around long enough.

 

Recruits want two things when considering schools. First, they want to play for a winner which is why we will continue to see the same streaks we always have. Second, they want to play for a coach that gives them the best chance to make it to the NFL. Actually in terms of how they rank them, you should probably flip flop the two.

[Fuzzy]

First of all, every team is inconsistent when it comes to wins, USC will soon learn this as soon as Pete Carroll retires, mark my words. I mean lets think about it, Nebraska had its downs before the 70's, but it had great years afterwards. Nebraska is just in a slump, and as it has been said, it takes time to rebound, you cant base a return to former glory for one season, it takes awhile before it is seen that team is on a winning streak. Now i believe there is expectations and there is reality, everyone has different expectations some closer to reality than others. Alot of NU fans want to see another BCS championship, and soon. Probably to shut Mizzou and Texas fans up. But we have to realize that it takes time.

 

Now i believe what Bo Pelini said before spring practice game, that NU will make a bigger jump than it did last year. I see NU competing for the Big 12 North spot, i only see one obstacle keeping that from happening, and thats Mizzou. The next obstacle is winning the Big 12 championship, which i dont see that happening this year, Texas and Oklahoma are just too damn good right now. But i feel that either 2010 or more so 2011, will be the year that winning the Big 12 Championship is more of a reality. But on that note, anything, and i mean ANYTHING can happen between that time. I personally think that NU has a potential to make it to the Big 12 Championship within the next few seasons, and maybe a good 5-6 seasons down the line is when Nebraska can have a shot at a BCS championship.

[BigRedPowerWagon]

First of all, every team is inconsistent when it comes to wins, USC will soon learn this as soon as Pete Carroll retires, mark my words. I mean lets think about it, Nebraska had its downs before the 70's, but it had great years afterwards. Nebraska is just in a slump, and as it has been said, it takes time to rebound, you cant base a return to former glory for one season, it takes awhile before it is seen that team is on a winning streak. Now i believe there is expectations and there is reality, everyone has different expectations some closer to reality than others. Alot of NU fans want to see another BCS championship, and soon. Probably to shut Mizzou and Texas fans up. But we have to realize that it takes time.

 

Now i believe what Bo Pelini said before spring practice game, that NU will make a bigger jump than it did last year. I see NU competing for the Big 12 North spot, i only see one obstacle keeping that from happening, and thats Mizzou. The next obstacle is winning the Big 12 championship, which i dont see that happening this year, Texas and Oklahoma are just too damn good right now. But i feel that either 2010 or more so 2011, will be the year that winning the Big 12 Championship is more of a reality. But on that note, anything, and i mean ANYTHING can happen between that time. I personally think that NU has a potential to make it to the Big 12 Championship within the next few seasons, and maybe a good 5-6 seasons down the line is when Nebraska can have a shot at a BCS championship.

 

Sounds like your drinkin the koolaid. (give me a sip)

[junior4949]

First of all, every team is inconsistent when it comes to wins, USC will soon learn this as soon as Pete Carroll retires, mark my words. I mean lets think about it, Nebraska had its downs before the 70's, but it had great years afterwards. Nebraska is just in a slump, and as it has been said, it takes time to rebound, you cant base a return to former glory for one season, it takes awhile before it is seen that team is on a winning streak. Now i believe there is expectations and there is reality, everyone has different expectations some closer to reality than others. Alot of NU fans want to see another BCS championship, and soon. Probably to shut Mizzou and Texas fans up. But we have to realize that it takes time.

 

Now i believe what Bo Pelini said before spring practice game, that NU will make a bigger jump than it did last year. I see NU competing for the Big 12 North spot, i only see one obstacle keeping that from happening, and thats Mizzou. The next obstacle is winning the Big 12 championship, which i dont see that happening this year, Texas and Oklahoma are just too damn good right now. But i feel that either 2010 or more so 2011, will be the year that winning the Big 12 Championship is more of a reality. But on that note, anything, and i mean ANYTHING can happen between that time. I personally think that NU has a potential to make it to the Big 12 Championship within the next few seasons, and maybe a good 5-6 seasons down the line is when Nebraska can have a shot at a BCS championship.

 

Streaks come about because of coaches. USC with Carroll, Florida with Urban, probably Bama with Saban depending on how long he stays, OU with Stoops, etc. I don't see this changing anytime soon.

 

As far as making a bigger leap than last year, this would take a Big 12 Championship to accomplish as we "kind of" tied for the Big 12 North spot last year. We'd almost have to have an undefeated season to make a bigger jump than last year. I don't think we win the Big 12 this year either, but it definitely is in the cards for 2010 depending on Lee's performance. If something were to happen to Bradford or McCoy this year, I think Okie State could be the contender in the South. We're probably going to be a better team this year than last year, but I don't think we'll make a huge jump in terms of the win/loss category. I see KU as being a bigger hurdle this year in the North than Mizzou, but time will tell.

[JGS30]

I said this before in a post and I will repeat it, I believe something that has hurt you guys as well as us is the revival of USC. You guys used to clean up in SoCal and now Pete Carrol gets to pick and choose. If the NCAA would come down on USC like they should over Reggie Bush that would loosen his grip over there. For us the rise of Texas and Mack Brown's ability to build a fence around Texas and especially Houston has hurt us. We used to recruit Houston well. Certainly nothing is certan but this is just a theory that I have.

 

Exactly. Great point buffs. NU used to be able to pick and choose from just about anywhere in the country-the rise of USC definetely doesn't help Nebraska....neither does Texas and Oklahoma and the way they continue to bring in top 10 classes. As long as this continues, I really don't see anyone from the North coming out undefeated with a shot at the NC.

[Fuzzy]

I said this before in a post and I will repeat it, I believe something that has hurt you guys as well as us is the revival of USC. You guys used to clean up in SoCal and now Pete Carrol gets to pick and choose. If the NCAA would come down on USC like they should over Reggie Bush that would loosen his grip over there. For us the rise of Texas and Mack Brown's ability to build a fence around Texas and especially Houston has hurt us. We used to recruit Houston well. Certainly nothing is certan but this is just a theory that I have.

 

Exactly. Great point buffs. NU used to be able to pick and choose from just about anywhere in the country-the rise of USC definetely doesn't help Nebraska....neither does Texas and Oklahoma and the way they continue to bring in top 10 classes. As long as this continues, I really don't see anyone from the North coming out undefeated with a shot at the NC.

 

Thats why i think its going to take a good 5-6 seasons to even have a shot at the BCS championship. First thing is to consistently win the Big 12 North and make an appearance in the Big 12 Championship, once you win the Big 12 Championship on a conistent basis then you can start looking for a National Championship bid.

NU has a long steady history at being the top in the nation, and many young kids dont know that, but coaches do, and once NU starts to show its a powerhouse and starts shutting up big name teams, it perks the ears of young kids.

[junior4949]

Recently though, winning a Big 12 Championship has resulted in at least playing for a BCS Championship. If we win a Big 12 Championship in the next year or so, I'd say there's a very good possibility of at least playing for a NC.

[jayhawk]

Yeah, eventually you will.

[Fuzzy]

Recently though, winning a Big 12 Championship has resulted in at least playing for a BCS Championship. If we win a Big 12 Championship in the next year or so, I'd say there's a very good possibility of at least playing for a NC.

 

Thats only because the SEC and ACC have been slacking lately. haha.

[junior4949]

I think we've already established the OU/NU rule in another thread about having to win your conference to play for the NC, so there won't be two SEC teams in the NC game. Who out of the ACC is even close to a NC? I'd say the Pac 10 is closer to having a NC worthy team than the ACC, and I think that is a stretch considering what talent USC lost. Ohio State maybe out of the Big 10, but I'd be willing to bet that a Big 12 team and a SEC team once again play for the NC this year.