Does anyone think we'll be better next year?

[BigRedBuster]

Yes

[neepster]

It would be hard to be worse, but given the complete lack of accountability for mistakes, the staffs apparent inability or unwillingness to adapt their 'system' to the players they have, all it would take would be for POB to have a bad first year and we could be this bad or worse.

 

The best predictor of future performance is past performance. Statistically we will probably see 'reversion to the mean' which means 0.52. Which means 6-6 +\- 1 game. So better yes. But not 'good' and certainly not 'great'.

[QMany]

Really can't get much worse. So yes it should be better.

That is what I was thinking. We will likely finish this year 4-8 with wins over Southern Alabama, Southern Miss, Minnesota, and Rutgers. It can't get much worse than that, can it? It will likely get better only because this year is so God-awful.

 

That being said, I don't think it will be pretty. At first glance, I would pencil in 4 losses to Oregon, Wisconsin, Ohio State, and Iowa. I'd add on another loss or three due to coaching incompetence, such as clock mismanagement and game-planning, because I don't see a tiger changing his stripes after this much "experience."

[kozzman555]

My bold prediction is that we totally implode next year and don't win a game for the first 8 weeks, then Riley and Eichorst are fired midseason after a mob of fans with torches and pitchforks burn Memorial Stadium to the ground.

[TGHusker]

Can't be any worse so it has to be better. But again, this year my range went from 11-2 (complete buy in, experience coaches motivate and train players to greater efficiencies than Bo did) to 6-6 (complete transition disaster). Well we fell below my disaster point. I hope that the offseason will bring in buy in by all players, better recruits and lessons learned by this staff (not so confident there due to the continued forcing the square peg into round hole and no rotation of players on OL and little development of RBs).

To go out on a limb - we loose to Ducks, Bucks, Hawks (if Iowa is more than a 1 season wonder)+ one more that we shouldn't lose to. Lose bowl game 8-5

 

Year 3 of MR experiment - 11-2 (If he succeeds year 2 and keeps his job. )

[Kiyoat Husker]

I dunno. Without the crappy luck and boneheaded plays we've seen this year we could easily be at 7-2 with the possibility of winning 2 of our last 3. But we're not. The best we can hope for is a bit of improvement, and reducing mistakes. For that schedule next year I could see us winning 7 or 8 games. Or maybe 6 at worst, or 9 at best.

 

I see two tough games to national powerhouses (tOSU, Ducks), three reasonably tough B1G opponents (Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota), five also-ran B1G teams (NW, Illinois, Indy, Purdue, Maryland) and a couple of nonconf games that don't look too tough (Fresno, Wyo). Out of those four categories, I could see us winning:

 

Best case scenario: 9 wins

0/2 wins for tOSU, Ducks

2/3 wins for Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota

5/5 wins for NW, Illinois, Indy, Purdue, Maryland

2/2 wins for Fresno, Wyo

 

Worst case scenario: 6 wins

0/2 wins for tOSU, Ducks

1/3 wins for Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota

3/5 wins for NW, Illinois, Indy, Purdue, Maryland

2/2 wins for Fresno, Wyo

 

OTOH, we could knock off a team like tOSU or Oregon--or lose to a team like NW or Purdue. :

 

Agree with this^^^^^^^

 

Do I really think we will do better? Duh. It would be hard to do worse.

 

I think the real question is how much improvement we will see.

 

6-6 would still be very disappointing. MR would probably be fired next year in that scenario, IMO. Going from (3 or 4 or 5) wins to just 6 wins is not a marked improvement, especially since we COULD have easily been at 7 or 8 wins this year.

 

I think "progress" should be measured next year on the assumption that we SHOULD have have had at least 7 wins in 2015. We can't lower the bar too much just because we were snake-bit in close losses.

 

6 wins is backpedaling (possibly fired)

7 wins is treading water (probably retained with fan unrest)

8 wins is slight improvement (retained with a little unrest)

9 or better shows significant progress (best case scenario - 95% of fans very happy)

 

Of course, success and progress is not just wins and losses. Competitiveness, Recruiting success/failure, offense/defense balance, pass/rush balance, special teams strength, professionalism/scandals, maintaining a good reputation, maintaining fan/booster/media/former players and coaches support, etc. are all factors in how we perceive the staff's success.

 

But wins/losses progress is really the most important standard, IMHO. Especially in year 2.

[NUinID]

Honestly, if the staff gets their sh#t together, I think we could be undefeated heading into Camp Randall.

 

That I would agree with. Right now it is very hard to say if Oregon will be better next year than this year. Defensively they most likely will be somewhat better but offensively without that great QB they may not be hitting on things that well. Wyoming should be better, but not that much. NW IMO will not be as good, their defense is pretty top heavy on seniors. FSU who knows. I don't see Illinois or Purdue being too much better. Right now it is an easier schedule than this year.

[GBRedneck]

This is exactly what I was afraid of. They tank their first season so that next year's 6-6 looks like improvement. smh

[Kiyoat Husker]

 

Honestly, if the staff gets their sh#t together, I think we could be undefeated heading into Camp Randall.

 

That I would agree with. Right now it is very hard to say if Oregon will be better next year than this year. Defensively they most likely will be somewhat better but offensively without that great QB they may not be hitting on things that well. Wyoming should be better, but not that much. NW IMO will not be as good, their defense is pretty top heavy on seniors. FSU who knows. I don't see Illinois or Purdue being too much better. Right now it is an easier schedule than this year.

 

Respectfully disagree with this. Even if I agree with what you are saying about a few teams regressing,....

 

- we start our 9-game conference schedule

- Fresno St/ Wyoming >> South Alabama/ Southern Miss

- Oregon >> Miami (with new coach)

- Ohio State/Maryland >> Mich St/Rutgers

 

although, BYU> Indiana

 

overall, I think the schedule gets tougher.

[teachercd]

This is exactly what I was afraid of. They tank their first season so that next year's 6-6 looks like improvement. smh

Now that would suck...but I do think they will be better next year because I can't imagine how they could be worse or as unlucky.

[NUinID]

This is exactly what I was afraid of. They tank their first season so that next year's 6-6 looks like improvement. smh

 

Man you really post some irrational stuff. You need to put your tin foil hat in the closet. If you truly think that MR would tank a season so he looks better the next you need to have a serious talk with yourself. Or quit talking to yourself. Which ever works.

[BoNeyard]

As 4-8 is likely this year. I say next year with this staff it is probably more like 5-7 or 6-7 (bowl game).

 

Not much better, but more wins next year by a game or two.

 

I live in Oregon and I can not stand the Oregon Ducks. Therefore; if this staff is retained and Riley beats the Ducks I will make a statue of him on my front yard. Really if Nebraska goes 1-11 next year with their sole win being Oregon I will call the season a success.

[Enhance]

The team should be better next season, and as disappointing as a 6-6 season would be in the grand scheme of things, it would at least mean a bowl game which likely won't happen this year.

 

This might be a koolaid spin on things, and so be it. I think this team started out the season with the ability to still make it to 7-8 wins, even after the BYU and Miami games.

 

I genuinely believe the gut punches against Illinois, Wisconsin and Northwestern have made this team regress. The team we were against BYU and early season is better than the team we see now. The biggest problem piece here is coaching not meshing with the talent and culture.

 

What I'm saying is I don't think this team is lightyears away from being good. They should be a lot better than they are but have been beaten down by their own mental mistakes and coaching mistakes. If you can rectify some of those by next year, with two full years in the system, getting to 8-9 wins is still possible for next year.

[beorach]

I definitely am expecting less than I did to start this season, of course, but I don't know what kind of expectations to have in light of how little we know. Will the kids be all "N" next season? If it was a coach's fault that some weren't this season, will he be retained? I notice some people (who may or may not be Husker fans - I don't know them) acting as if they've got everything figured out about what's going on and whose fault it is but it just seems like the usual message board fare to me.

 

I think I know the following, in no particular order:

 

1) players don't seem prepared to compete in games - i.e., practices aren't getting the kids where they need to be;

2) players don't seem to be enjoying games, at best, and seem void of passion at worst;

3) the Riley running game will probably never resemble Harbaugh's let alone Osborne's;

4) the coaches don't seem to be prioritizing the building of depth on the OL, at least;

5) Nebraska's talent level is sufficient to challenge for a division title most years;

6) Nebraska's talent level has not been sufficient to challenge for a national title since Frank's days on the sidelines;

7) discipline seems to be lacking on the field and in the locker room;

8) leadership from the players is seemingly non-existent;

9) it's too early to judge whether Riley's philosophy can work here (and part of this has to do with whatever ceiling exists for Husker recruiting); and

10) the "nice" factor seems to be hurting the team when nobody gets benched for not performing.

[NUinID]

 

 

Honestly, if the staff gets their sh#t together, I think we could be undefeated heading into Camp Randall.

 

That I would agree with. Right now it is very hard to say if Oregon will be better next year than this year. Defensively they most likely will be somewhat better but offensively without that great QB they may not be hitting on things that well. Wyoming should be better, but not that much. NW IMO will not be as good, their defense is pretty top heavy on seniors. FSU who knows. I don't see Illinois or Purdue being too much better. Right now it is an easier schedule than this year.

 

Respectfully disagree with this. Even if I agree with what you are saying about a few teams regressing,....

 

- we start our 9-game conference schedule

- Fresno St/ Wyoming >> South Alabama/ Southern Miss

- Oregon >> Miami (with new coach)

- Ohio State/Maryland >> Mich St/Rutgers

 

although, BYU> Indiana

 

overall, I think the schedule gets tougher.

 

 

When I look at next season'ts schedule I look at what every team will have coming back. Minnesota breaks in a New QB so will Oregon, Maryland breaks in a new coach, Indiana may get tired of Kevin Wilson though I think that is a mistake. I watch Oregon a lot I don't see this year as a one year blip for them. I an not saying the are going to suck but 8-4 is probably about right for them. I don't see this schedule as any tougher than this year. This year is actually tougher than I thought it would be. BYU, Iowa, NW, and Illinois are all better than I thought they would be this year. Doesn't mean we should lose to all of them though, it just means they are better.