Historical "What Ifs" What if Tom didn't go for 2

[TGHusker]

I came across a book in a used bookstore the other day that dealt wt historical what ifs - small changes in history that would have had a big impact - speaks to the 'little things matter' concept. It got me thinking last night as I laid in bed wt a migraine (love cheese but some give me an allergic reaction), what about some of NUs 'what ifs'

If Tom had not gone for 2, he would have won the NC wt a tie wt Miami (so the claim of conventional wisdom). How would that have change NU football in the 1980's or would it have remain the same.
1. It could have meant better recruits and we negate the Soon Magic and we win another NC or even 2 - the 1980s would be the decade we longed for again.
2. Tom retires sooner and the 1990s dynasty never occurs
3. Status quo changes nothing: we remain near the top of the rankings for most of the decade -except for a loss in the bowl game or to the Sooners. We still have very talented players - but a step behind in performance to the sooners and the bowl teams .
#3 is my view - what is yours?

Other little one play changes in history
1. 1982 PSU catch out of bounds ruled a catch
2. 1993 - FSU the phantom clip and the no call FSU fumble
3.1996 -NU foot poisoning - stomach sickness - CCG vs texas
4. 1999 - Alexander fumbles the ball going across the end zone vs texas
Change these 4 historical events plus the going for 2 in 1983, I think we could easily say NU would have 4-5 more championships. We were the best team in 1999, 96- we would have been a favorite although not as clear cut. 1982, 83, 93 no doubt those 3 plays cost us a NC.

So how would those 4-5 more NC reflected on NU now? Perhaps impossible to speculate - but I think we'd be in a better position than we are now.. A 1999 NC by Solich may have placed us on the different path & timetable.

[Moiraine]

2 and/or 3.

 

I think psychology is a huge part of the game, and if we had won a national championship in 1983, the 1994 team might have been less emotionally invested in that season/game and being the 1st team to win it for Tom and maybe they wouldn't have won.

 

As a selfish fan who was only 1 year old in 1983, I'm (kind of) glad we didn't win that year. It made it that much sweeter when he finally won it.

[hosker]

Whatif isntead of retireing after 97 Osbourne waited until after the 01 season? Regardless of the seasons inbetween, he would've ended his career with a NC win over the team that defined his career. Bringing a fitting and ironic close to his coaching career - and maybe would've kept him out of politics.

 

And in the mean time maybe he would've realize that Bohl was the man to endorse as HC, not Solich. And instead of NDSU winning 4 in a row, maybe we'd be talking about NU doing something along those same lines.

 

Also, if TO hadn't retired when he did, then Michigan fans' argument of TO/NU only getting that 97 title as a retirement gift of sorts would truely be put to rest. Also, Steve Peterson might still have a job in Lincoln then....

 

What ifs...

[BigRedBuster]

Whatif isntead of retireing after 97 Osbourne waited until after the 01 season? Regardless of the seasons inbetween, he would've ended his career with a NC win over the team that defined his career. Bringing a fitting and ironic close to his coaching career - and maybe would've kept him out of politics.

 

And in the mean time maybe he would've realize that Bohl was the man to endorse as HC, not Solich. And instead of NDSU winning 4 in a row, maybe we'd be talking about NU doing something along those same lines.

 

Also, if TO hadn't retired when he did, then Michigan fans' argument of TO/NU only getting that 97 title as a retirement gift of sorts would truely be put to rest. Also, Steve Peterson might still have a job in Lincoln then....

 

What ifs...

you have no way of claiming that other than speculation. That Miami team was ridiculously loaded. There is no way in heck of claiming that TO would have won that game.

[Moiraine]

 

Whatif isntead of retireing after 97 Osbourne waited until after the 01 season? Regardless of the seasons inbetween, he would've ended his career with a NC win over the team that defined his career. Bringing a fitting and ironic close to his coaching career - and maybe would've kept him out of politics.

 

And in the mean time maybe he would've realize that Bohl was the man to endorse as HC, not Solich. And instead of NDSU winning 4 in a row, maybe we'd be talking about NU doing something along those same lines.

 

Also, if TO hadn't retired when he did, then Michigan fans' argument of TO/NU only getting that 97 title as a retirement gift of sorts would truely be put to rest. Also, Steve Peterson might still have a job in Lincoln then....

 

What ifs...

you have no way of claiming that other than speculation. That Miami team was ridiculously loaded. There is no way in heck of claiming that TO would have won that game.

 

 

You aren't correct in saying there is no way we would have won the game, either. If you just insert Osborne into that game, then you are probably right. But I don't think that's what hosker is claiming. There are all sorts of variables. We're talking 3-4 years of recruiting and player development that would have gone differently and we don't know what effect that would've had. Maybe we would have had better athletes, or maybe our athletes would have been better players. Who knows? Maybe some of Miami's players would've been on our team

[BigRedBuster]

 

 

Whatif isntead of retireing after 97 Osbourne waited until after the 01 season? Regardless of the seasons inbetween, he would've ended his career with a NC win over the team that defined his career. Bringing a fitting and ironic close to his coaching career - and maybe would've kept him out of politics.

 

And in the mean time maybe he would've realize that Bohl was the man to endorse as HC, not Solich. And instead of NDSU winning 4 in a row, maybe we'd be talking about NU doing something along those same lines.

 

Also, if TO hadn't retired when he did, then Michigan fans' argument of TO/NU only getting that 97 title as a retirement gift of sorts would truely be put to rest. Also, Steve Peterson might still have a job in Lincoln then....

 

What ifs...

you have no way of claiming that other than speculation. That Miami team was ridiculously loaded. There is no way in heck of claiming that TO would have won that game.

 

 

You aren't correct in saying there is no way we would have won the game, either. If you just insert Osborne into that game, then you are probably right. But I don't think that's what hosker is claiming. There are all sorts of variables. We're talking 3-4 years of recruiting and player development that would have gone differently and we don't know what effect that would've had. Maybe we would have had better athletes, or maybe our athletes would have been better players. Who knows?

 

I didn't say we would have had no way of winning that game. His post makes it sound like with TO as coach, we definitely would have won and TO would have ended his career with a win over Miami. There is no way of knowing if TO would have won that game or not.

[TGHusker]

I have often wondered about that myself - if Tom had been HC in 2001, I do think we would have had better weapons instead of EC left and EC right. The recruiting dropped off considerably or so it seemed by results after Tom left. If he had stayed on after establishing the 94-97 dynasty, we would have been like today's Bama - everyone wanting to play for coach Tom and playing in the Big 12. The 1999 team, pretty much all Tom's players starting was about as good as the 97 team

Never could figure out or reconcile why Tom left football for health reason and then went into politics - not exactly a stress free occupation.

[TGHusker]

Whatif isntead of retireing after 97 Osbourne waited until after the 01 season? Regardless of the seasons inbetween, he would've ended his career with a NC win over the team that defined his career. Bringing a fitting and ironic close to his coaching career - and maybe would've kept him out of politics.

 

And in the mean time maybe he would've realize that Bohl was the man to endorse as HC, not Solich. And instead of NDSU winning 4 in a row, maybe we'd be talking about NU doing something along those same lines.

 

Also, if TO hadn't retired when he did, then Michigan fans' argument of TO/NU only getting that 97 title as a retirement gift of sorts would truely be put to rest. Also, Steve Peterson might still have a job in Lincoln then....

 

What ifs...

Maybe Bohl was a better HC than a DC as he became Solich's scapegoat

[Landlord]

It's only fun to play the game if you get to change those moments in their own vacuum without a butterfly effect going down history. Especially in the 90's.

 

 

If the phantom clip doesn't happen, or if we make the field goal, we win the national championship in 1993.

Then another in 1994.

Then another in 1995.

If the team wasn't sick with the flu and we stop 'roll left' on Texas' 4th down, we go to play for another possible national championship.

Then we win another in 1997.

If Tom doesn't retire, it's fairly safe to say he would have won at least one more with Eric Crouch and a better managed/recruited roster than what Solich gave him.

[NUance]

And think of the impact to Miami. If TO had kicked an extra point then Howard Schnellenberger would never have gotten that fat job offer from the USFL. And Jimmy Johnson would not have become the next Hurricane coach. This, in turn, would have delayed the U's era of dominance by several years. Most importantly, the 7th Floor Crew would not have recorded that goofy assed song 20 years later. LINK (<<NSFW lyrics!) Damnit Tom, why couldn't you just kick the ball!

[ColoradoHusk]

I was only 7 years old at the time of the 1984 Orange Bowl, and I didn't watch the 2nd half of the game. I remember asking my dad about the game afterwards, and he was convinced that even if NU had kicked the PAT or even made the 2-point conversion that Miami would have marched down the field and got at least a FG attempt. Jeff Smith scored with about 45 seconds left, and Kosar had been torching NU's defense for most of the game. It would have been a heck of a hurry-up offense and FG kickers weren't as good then, as they are now. It's just something my dad would always say about that game.

[huKSer]

The gate swings both ways - instead of reaching across the goal line with the football Tagge fumbles the ball and loses to LSU

 

Johnny the jet does not get the punt return against OU

 

The kick becomes the sing and a miss and we lose against MU

 

Warren Sapp stops running his mouth which gives him more energy in the 4th quarter to cover the full back trap (ok, reaching for this one)

[ColoradoHusk]

The gate swings both ways - instead of reaching across the goal line with the football Tagge fumbles the ball and loses to LSU

 

Johnny the jet does not get the punt return against OU

 

The kick becomes the sing and a miss and we lose against MU

 

Warren Sapp stops running his mouth which gives him more energy in the 4th quarter to cover the full back trap (ok, reaching for this one)

I know it's the most well-known play in the Game of the Century (and you are just using it as an example), but the punt return happened in the 1st quarter of that game, so I don't consider that the key play of the game. Shoot, probably the biggest play that Rodgers made in that game was a big catch on 3rd down to keep the final NU drive alive, in which Kinney scored the winning TD.

[huKSer]

 

The gate swings both ways - instead of reaching across the goal line with the football Tagge fumbles the ball and loses to LSU

 

Johnny the jet does not get the punt return against OU

 

The kick becomes the sing and a miss and we lose against MU

 

Warren Sapp stops running his mouth which gives him more energy in the 4th quarter to cover the full back trap (ok, reaching for this one)

I know it's the most well-known play in the Game of the Century (and you are just using it as an example), but the punt return happened in the 1st quarter of that game, so I don't consider that the key play of the game. Shoot, probably the biggest play that Rodgers made in that game was a big catch on 3rd down to keep the final NU drive alive, in which Kinney scored the winning TD.

 

I bow to your superior rememory

[ColoradoHusk]

 

 

The gate swings both ways - instead of reaching across the goal line with the football Tagge fumbles the ball and loses to LSU

 

Johnny the jet does not get the punt return against OU

 

The kick becomes the sing and a miss and we lose against MU

 

Warren Sapp stops running his mouth which gives him more energy in the 4th quarter to cover the full back trap (ok, reaching for this one)

I know it's the most well-known play in the Game of the Century (and you are just using it as an example), but the punt return happened in the 1st quarter of that game, so I don't consider that the key play of the game. Shoot, probably the biggest play that Rodgers made in that game was a big catch on 3rd down to keep the final NU drive alive, in which Kinney scored the winning TD.

 

I bow to your superior rememory

 

LOL, I wasn't trying to be a big jerk. I was just trying to correct the misconception that Rodger's punt return was the winning play in the Game of the Century. Yes, it was a spectacular play by a great player, but there was a lot of game left after the punt return, and many other plays that decided the game.