Get ready for another decade of mediocrity

[Eric the Red]

My prediction: Bo will continue to do just a good enough job (9-3, 10-2) in the regular season to keep his job a few more years. We will not make a BCS bowl with Bo as HC, barring some very flukey happenings, because Bo's teams will be outcoached in at least two games a year (often against opponents with losing records) and we will get to spend the next few years watching him not learn on the job.

 

Then the new HC comes in, takes 3-4 years to get HIS program going; boom, there goes your decade, and it could be longer if Bo's eventual replacement isn't any better.

 

In the meantime, Husker fans, get used to this scintillating selection of bowl games:

• #3 The Outback Bowl receives the third choice of Big Ten teams.
  
• #4 The Gator Bowl receives the fourth choice of Big Ten teams.
  
• #5 The Insight Bowl receives the fifth choice of Big Ten teams
  
• #6 The Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas receives the sixth choice of Big Ten teams.
  
• #7 The TicketCity Bowl receives the seventh choice from the Big Ten.
  
• #8 The Little Caesar's Pizza Bowl will take the eighth choice from the Big Ten; if no remaining teams are available, the bowl will choose a Sun Belt team.
  

I would love - love - to be proved wrong the next few years. But I'm not very hopeful.

 

 

I would totally take 9 to 10 wins per year. Especially in this time period of paridy in college football. Bo Pelini is a great defensive coach and we would be stupid to let him go.

 

Osborne played in a period when maybe 3 teams could contend for a divisional championship...usually 2.

[Eric the Red]

Teams move in and out of the "elite" category over the decades. Some fall hard upon coaching changes or NCAA infractions. Oklahoma in the 90's comes to mind. Michigan, Florida, Florida State and Miami are others that slipped and are trying to reenter. It is much easier to fall out than get back in. During the Callahan/Petersen years our program nearly went under. Only our reputation in the minds of media and fans kept us in the national picture. I too had hopes that as soon as our offense caught up with our dynamic defenses in Pelini's first few years we'd be well on the way to consistant top 5 finishes in national polls. We've made the jump from a 5-7 team to consistant 9-3 records. I'd say we are in the 3rd tier of college football right now. The step to elite level on par with Alabama and LSU will require better recruiting, better coaching and a lot of good fortune.

 

I'm afraid if we cut our losses now with Bo and staff we'll face the same problems Petersen had in finding a high level replacement. Who wants to take over a program where they fire 9 to 10 win coaches? I'm confident Bo can become a better head coach just like TO did. As much as we like to think TO always fielded dominant teams that was not the case. Yes we always seemed to share the Big 8 Title but in bowl games we often struggled. Of TO's 25 year head coaching career we were in the top tier maybe 7 or 8 of those years. The great 5 year run from 93 to 97 has us blinded to reality. We as Husker Nation will have to support our Huskers the best we can. The flip side has far more serious consequences than holding on to what we have and making it better.

 

 

Excellent post Tony.

[It'sNotAFakeID]

In four years Pelini has accomplished the exact same as Callahan, got us to a conference championship game with a loss. Huskers would be lucky to get to a conference championship game this year. A common theme in husker nation is continuing...its called "there's always next year"

 

Yes...because 29 wins in 3 seasons = 27 wins in 4 seasons. Good post!

[Count 'Bility]

Well if you want a coach fired simple because of the fact that he doesnt win a National Championship means you are completely stupid and deserve to have your face kicked in. That sir is completely absurd.

[Jason Sitoke]

Nebraska is in a good place. Yes, yesterday's loss was tough. They will never be talented enough or deep enough, like we were accustomed to for the better part of 30 years, to skate by weaker opponents when they play uninspired and unmotivated. However, I fully expect this team to win 9-10 games this year, and that's with a Jekyll and Hyde sophomore QB, thin D line, young secondary, young O line, and 5 freshman skill position players who all show flashes of brilliance. Losing Dennard and David will hurt next year, but I think the D will be better overall.

 

The quest is now to play better, hope for an MSU loss, and try to win the conference, which is very ordinary this year.

 

As has been said, I'll take a sure 9 wins. This is STILL the team that got blown out by Wisky. Amazing how a couple wins against mediocre opponents removed from that game will spur a few 'If we win out, we could win it all....' threads.

[Jason Sitoke]

Well if you want a coach fired simple because of the fact that he doesnt win a National Championship means you are completely stupid and deserve to have your face kicked in. That sir is completely absurd.

 

And if you love overstating things to this level, then you are absurd.

[nowhereman]

If those are the bowls we go to every year we have officially turned into The University of Iowa. YIKES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

There are plenty of people around here and other places perfectly happy to be like Iowa.

 

And that scares the living hell out of me.

[Enhance]

In four years Pelini has accomplished the exact same as Callahan, got us to a conference championship game with a loss. Huskers would be lucky to get to a conference championship game this year. A common theme in husker nation is continuing...its called "there's always next year"

Because 5-6, 8-4, 9-5 and 5-7 is the exact same as 9-4, 10-4, 10-4, and currently 7-2.

 

A common theme in Husker nation is continuing...overreaction.

[HuskerfaninOkieland]

If those are the bowls we go to every year we have officially turned into The University of Iowa. YIKES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

There are plenty of people around here and other places perfectly happy to be like Iowa.

 

And that scares the living hell out of me.

No one is saying we want to be like Iowa. We just don't live and die by whether the Huskers lose or win. Wins are great, losses suck but at the end of it all, life continues.

[husker0072]

Love how we win and Bo's god, we lose and it's fire Bo. Would you have fired T.O. before the national championships? I think people take for granted how good 9 and 10 win seasons are.

Some peoples reality seems to be that every year will be like the mid 1990's, and sorry folks the game of college football just isn't like that anymore. there is a lot more parity, athletes are everywhere, and remeber that these are young kids playing the game. Anything can happen on any given gameday. If you can't realize and accept that you might want to quit watching the game altogether. There are those that are unhappy with 9-10 win seasons and there is nothing wrong with high expectaions, but being realistic is also something people often fail to do in these cases. Some years we will beat people we have no business beating, others we will lose to teams we think we shouldn't lose to. Such is life. Cheer for the team and enjoy the season. If you can't enjoy it don't worry it's almost over.

[T_O_Bull]

Your head is lodged squarely in your posterior.

T_O_B

G>B>R

[Chaddyboxer]

In four years Pelini has accomplished the exact same as Callahan, got us to a conference championship game with a loss. Huskers would be lucky to get to a conference championship game this year. A common theme in husker nation is continuing...its called "there's always next year"

Because 5-6, 8-4, 9-5 and 5-7 is the exact same as 9-4, 10-4, 10-4, and currently 7-2.

 

A common theme in Husker nation is continuing...overreaction.

We could very well win out....or completely drop all 3....we are inconsistent as a team....I hope Bo leads this team to victories the rest of the season. One game at a time fellas. I'll take 10 win seasons anytime of the day

[Manny Bob]

It's too early in Bo's tenure to fire him! Also, having attended a couple of Big Ten schools, Northwestern was always the team that the other conference teams would underestimate, look past, and then lose. So, it's no surprise that the unimaginable happened.

 

Here are my concerns with Bo, to be answered in the next 2 to 3 years -

 

1. Can we stay undefeated at Memorial Stadium for one season?

 

2. Can Bo win a conference championship (not sayin' anything about a National Championship)?

 

3. How will his recruits (not Callahan's) perform?

 

Man I wish we had even just one of the linebackers in the LSU or Alabama programs!

[True2tRA]

We don't play an aggressive style of defense. The top recruits in the country don't want to come to Nebraska and play patty cake patty cake baker man. They want to blitz, they want to hit somebody. They want to dominate. Bend but don't break defense at Nebraska looks more like bend over and take it defense.

[AustinHuskr]

Love how we win and Bo's god, we lose and it's fire Bo. Would you have fired T.O. before the national championships? I think people take for granted how good 9 and 10 win seasons are.

Don't try to make this some sort of generalization. A LOT of fans don't think Bo's HC material. You have to be drinking A LOT of the KA to think otherwise.

 

Great HC's coach their teams to be good at the little things. Bo has shown exactly ZERO in that department and after 4 friggin years, it's time IMO to seriously think about who the next HC should be - unless of course people are happy with MSU-like records: A win here and win there and a couple of losses.

 

This team bought into the hype after beating a vastly overrated MSU squad and that's no different than NU's losses to TT & ISU in 09 and aTm in 2010. Bo might "say" that he's consistent and it's 1-game at a time but his demeanor and actions speak otherwise