The Tangent Thread, Dec 2014 Edition

[Landlord]

Nick Saban's career at Michigan State:

 

 

6-5-1

6-6

7-5

6-6

9-2

 

0-3 in bowl games

 

 

Worked out pretty well for LSU not going for the splash hire

[Guy Chamberlin]

 

 

Meyer, Saban and Patterson already have jobs.

I didn't realize Riley was in the unemployment line.

 

 

That's an interesting point, TheSker. Riley had been pursued in the past by USC, UCLA and Alabama and turned them down. By 2014 he'd long been considered unavailable and uninterested in leaving Oregon State. That's why his willingness to come to Nebraska was considered a coup.

 

If you want to talk about why Urban Meyer, Nick Saban, Gary Patterson and Jim Harbaugh wouldn't leave their current job for Nebraska, even assuming we emptied our coffers and batted our eyelashes, that's a valid conversation. But I think you'll find it has more to do with where they're at, than what we're not.

 

Biggest difference between Mike Riley and those guys? Mike Riley has something to prove and wants to prove it at Nebraska.

 

Let's run with that.

[Mavric]

Nick Saban's career at Michigan State:

 

 

6-5-1

6-6

7-5

6-6

9-2

 

0-3 in bowl games

 

 

Worked out pretty well for LSU not going for the splash hire

 

Except that he actually was a splash hire. The overall record isn't great but he took a team that had only won more than six games once in the previous eight years and got them into the Top 10 and they beat #10 Florida - winners of at least 10 games in seven of eight seasons - in their bowl game. Definitely seen as a coach on the rise.

[Count 'Bility]

And two years ago Riley had Oregon St in the top ten with two games left and a legit shot at the Pac12 championship. People look at the last two subpar years up there as a representation of Riley's entire tenure there and that is just straight bushleague bullsh#t. I know it's a "what have you dont for me lately" type of deal, but damn it, look at the whole body of work for once before you write someone off.

 

I see the last couple years as a result of getting burned out. Just coming to the full realization with Oregon coming on line fully just 40 miles down the road that he was fighting and no-win battle. As Oregon continued to mash the pedal, Oregon St just fell farther and farther behind. I'm probably underselling the effect. We'll never understand the full impact of having a program like Oregon just 40 miles down the road has on your program.

[True2tRA]

And two years ago Riley had Oregon St in the top ten with two games left and a legit shot at the Pac12 championship. People look at the last two subpar years up there as a representation of Riley's entire tenure there and that is just straight bushleague bullsh#t. I know it's a "what have you dont for me lately" type of deal, but damn it, look at the whole body of work for once before you write someone off.

 

I see the last couple years as a result of getting burned out. Just coming to the full realization with Oregon coming on line fully just 40 miles down the road that he was fighting and no-win battle. As Oregon continued to mash the pedal, Oregon St just fell farther and farther behind. I'm probably underselling the effect. We'll never understand the full impact of having a program like Oregon just 40 miles down the road has on your program.

 

Hell man, it doesn't have anything to do with getting burned out. The reason things went worse is because everybody else is getting better. We can't forget that aspect, although we tend to around here even with Nebraska. Nebraska might field a hell of a football team this year and still lose to Ohio St., Wisconsin, or even Minnesota. Those schools have really gotten it going recently. We just want to be competitive win or lose, right?

 

Well, at Oregon St., Riley's squad played in the same conference as Oregon, USC, UCLA, Stanford, Arizona, Arizona St., Washington and Utah. All of those schools have been highly competitive recently. I don't blame them for struggling. Still, I guarantee at some point, those teams would be down and Riley's staff would have shined in those moments. Heck, even when those teams were having their up years, Oregon St. still pulled an annual upset or two. They beat #7 Arizona St. last year.

 

I'd love to see Nebraska pull off a big win in the spotlight over a #7 team or something like that. Seems like its been awhile.

[Mavric]

And two years ago Riley had Oregon St in the top ten with two games left and a legit shot at the Pac12 championship. People look at the last two subpar years up there as a representation of Riley's entire tenure there and that is just straight bushleague bullsh#t. I know it's a "what have you dont for me lately" type of deal, but damn it, look at the whole body of work for once before you write someone off.

 

I see the last couple years as a result of getting burned out. Just coming to the full realization with Oregon coming on line fully just 40 miles down the road that he was fighting and no-win battle. As Oregon continued to mash the pedal, Oregon St just fell farther and farther behind. I'm probably underselling the effect. We'll never understand the full impact of having a program like Oregon just 40 miles down the road has on your program.

 

And last year with three games left we were were 8-1 and were not eliminated from CCG contention. Not the same situation but you have to play them all. That year OSU got beat by the top three teams in their own division and didn't have to play the top two teams in the other division so their record might be a little inflated.

 

Riley has definitely had success but I look at the trend and it makes me wonder. It's not just the last two years. Their best season (record-wise) was 2006 at 10-4. Since then they had 9 wins the next two years then 8, 5, 3, 9, 7, 5. Probably were a little unlucky in 2011 to only win three games and possibly a little lucky to get to nine wins in 2012 but overall that's a steadily downward trend for the last eight years.

 

None of that necessarily means a lot because there are myriad variables that go into it, many of which were out of their control but that doesn't mean it's wrong to point out the results.

[Landlord]

 

Nick Saban's career at Michigan State:

 

 

6-5-1

6-6

7-5

6-6

9-2

 

0-3 in bowl games

 

 

Worked out pretty well for LSU not going for the splash hire

 

Except that he actually was a splash hire. The overall record isn't great but he took a team that had only won more than six games once in the previous eight years and got them into the Top 10 and they beat #10 Florida - winners of at least 10 games in seven of eight seasons - in their bowl game. Definitely seen as a coach on the rise.

 

 

 

How the hell is what you just described any different than Mike Riley's tenure at Oregon State?

 

 

The dude turned down jobs at Alabama and USC, as two examples. If those schools wanted him then what the hell is so egregious about us getting him?

[Landlord]

 

Riley has definitely had success but I look at the trend and it makes me wonder. It's not just the last two years. Their best season (record-wise) was 2006 at 10-4. Since then they had 9 wins the next two years then 8, 5, 3, 9, 7, 5. Probably were a little unlucky in 2011 to only win three games and possibly a little lucky to get to nine wins in 2012 but overall that's a steadily downward trend for the last eight years.

 

 

 

Careful you might trip on your backpedaling.

 

 

Saban didn't show any trend of any kind. He won 6, 6, 7, 6, and then had one apparently anomaly year getting 9 wins.

 

Riley trended down at the end, but he also trended up at the start, which you conveniently aren't bringing up.

 

3-8

5-6

8-5

7-5

5-6

10-4

9-4

9-4

8-5

5-7

3-9

9-4

7-6

5-7

 

 

Calling that a steadily downward trend is the worst graph reading I've ever seen, especially since they finished higher in their division in the two 9-4 seasons following the 10-4 season. That's not downwards, definitely not steadily so.

[zoogs]

I think he just hit a wall at Oregon State. That was a program by -- look at their recruiting budget, resources spent on football, etc -- was content to be a lower tier FBS team. And Riley had a lifetime contract. In a way, that makes anybody content, too.

 

However, at day's end, he is still one of the most experienced and capable head coaches in college football. His reputations both in character and coaching, are pretty high up there.

 

If the standard is "why didn't Nebraska hire a guy who has already won championships" -- well, where do you propose to find somebody like that?

 

I think we scored a darn good get. More than we could have expected to.

[Count 'Bility]

Also notice that Riley's real downtrend began in 2010, when Oregon really came online with all their Nike money and fancy-pants shenanigans. That's when Chip really got the train rollin.

[The Dude]

 

 

 

Riley has definitely had success but I look at the trend and it makes me wonder. It's not just the last two years. Their best season (record-wise) was 2006 at 10-4. Since then they had 9 wins the next two years then 8, 5, 3, 9, 7, 5. Probably were a little unlucky in 2011 to only win three games and possibly a little lucky to get to nine wins in 2012 but overall that's a steadily downward trend for the last eight years.

 

 

Careful you might trip on your backpedaling.

 

 

Saban didn't show any trend of any kind. He won 6, 6, 7, 6, and then had one apparently anomaly year getting 9 wins.

 

Riley trended down at the end, but he also trended up at the start, which you conveniently aren't bringing up.

 

3-8

5-6

8-5

7-5

5-6

10-4

9-4

9-4

8-5

5-7

3-9

9-4

7-6

5-7

 

 

Calling that a steadily downward trend is the worst graph reading I've ever seen, especially since they finished higher in their division in the two 9-4 seasons following the 10-4 season. That's not downwards, definitely not steadily so.

Considering their .144 winning percentage the 25 years before Riley got there, I'd say he did okay.

[BRV920]

Here's a question. If you guys can use Saban's record at MSU to prove that Riley is going to be a great coach here, then why is it so hard to admit that Bo might turn out to be a great

[Guy Chamberlin]

Here's a question. If you guys can use Saban's record at MSU to prove that Riley is going to be a great coach here, then why is it so hard to admit that Bo might turn out to be a great

 

a great.........?

 

Big a-hole?

 

Embarassment to another program?

 

Example of how NOT to lead young men?

 

You need to clarify, BRV.

[BRV920]

Is Bo perfect? Far from it, but he did a lot of very good things while he was here. He graduated his players and held them accountable for their behavior. He also managed to win at least 9 games for 7 years, which according to Tom Osborne who has forgotten more about football than this entire board of experts will even know isn't that easy. And he accomplished all of this being a first time head coach at a blue blood football program. He didn't have the luxury of coaching at directional Michigan to figure things out.

[Dr. Strangelove]

Nick Saban's career at Michigan State:

 

 

6-5-1

6-6

7-5

6-6

9-2

 

0-3 in bowl games

 

 

Worked out pretty well for LSU not going for the splash hire

I'm sure every fan base doesn't think this when they hire a head coach without an impressive pedigree.

 

The odds of him becoming a head coach of that caliber are low. It's not happening.