How would things have gone if we had retained Solich as coach?

[Elf]

 

 

Who in the world can take a team with 3 titles in 4 years and go 9-4 in year 1? That is just astoundingly awful. Opponents of Solich mostly cite the 7-7 season but I want to cite the 98 season as well. If there ever has been a season where it was justified to fire a coach after 1 year this might have been it.

I had high high hopes when Osborne initially retired but the '98 season brought me back to reality. I knew then Nebraska football was headed for a down cycle.

 

 

Huh?

 

Pretty much any coach inheriting a team with 3 titles in 4 years has nowhere to go but down. Tom Osborne faced a similar situation taking over for Devaney, and responded with a string of seasons similar to Solich's.

 

Come on, guys. After that 9-4 transitional year, Solich went 12-1 in 1999 and ranked #2/3 in the nation. In 2000 he went 10-2, losing only to two ranked teams on the road and ended up #7/8 in the nation. In 2001 he coached a modest Nebraska squad to the NC game, which perhaps we would have been better off missing. After our first meltdown year in decades in 2002, Solich rebounded with a 10-3 season and Top 20 ranking.

 

95% of college football programs would remember this "down cycle" as the "glory years." We would take them right now in a heartbeat.

 

I do think recruiting and talent were starting to show decline, but words like "astoundingly awful" and "justified to fire after one year" do not remotely jibe with Frank Solich's coaching ability.

 

Solich is no HoF coach. That much was evident to me during the 98 season and I saw the writing on the wall. I was not incorrect either.

[RunMickeyRun02]

What would have happened if Frank Solich had been retained as coach?

 

I have no idea.

 

Could have gone any number of ways.

 

Let's just be honest enough to admit that, and move on.

Yep, he was done the second they hired a new AD, same as Pelini.

[cm husker]

 

 

 

Who in the world can take a team with 3 titles in 4 years and go 9-4 in year 1? That is just astoundingly awful. Opponents of Solich mostly cite the 7-7 season but I want to cite the 98 season as well. If there ever has been a season where it was justified to fire a coach after 1 year this might have been it.

I had high high hopes when Osborne initially retired but the '98 season brought me back to reality. I knew then Nebraska football was headed for a down cycle.

 

Huh?

 

Pretty much any coach inheriting a team with 3 titles in 4 years has nowhere to go but down. Tom Osborne faced a similar situation taking over for Devaney, and responded with a string of seasons similar to Solich's.

 

Come on, guys. After that 9-4 transitional year, Solich went 12-1 in 1999 and ranked #2/3 in the nation. In 2000 he went 10-2, losing only to two ranked teams on the road and ended up #7/8 in the nation. In 2001 he coached a modest Nebraska squad to the NC game, which perhaps we would have been better off missing. After our first meltdown year in decades in 2002, Solich rebounded with a 10-3 season and Top 20 ranking.

 

95% of college football programs would remember this "down cycle" as the "glory years." We would take them right now in a heartbeat.

 

I do think recruiting and talent were starting to show decline, but words like "astoundingly awful" and "justified to fire after one year" do not remotely jibe with Frank Solich's coaching ability.

Solich is no HoF coach. That much was evident to me during the 98 season and I saw the writing on the wall. I was not incorrect either.

Solich is already a HOF coach (and player).

 

We've talked about '98 ad nausem and maybe you will never reevaluate that, but it's hard to ignore the level of competition and competitiveness in those losses. And it's hard to ignore the fact NU lost 5 of the 6 OL it had played the year before, as well as all Americans and all time Nebraska players at RB and on defense (green, wistrom and peter, for example).

 

A side note for example, only 2 OL on that '98 roster were drafted, and they were a true sophomore and true freshman that year.

[Enhance]

 

 

 

 

Who in the world can take a team with 3 titles in 4 years and go 9-4 in year 1? That is just astoundingly awful. Opponents of Solich mostly cite the 7-7 season but I want to cite the 98 season as well. If there ever has been a season where it was justified to fire a coach after 1 year this might have been it.

I had high high hopes when Osborne initially retired but the '98 season brought me back to reality. I knew then Nebraska football was headed for a down cycle.

 

Huh?

 

Pretty much any coach inheriting a team with 3 titles in 4 years has nowhere to go but down. Tom Osborne faced a similar situation taking over for Devaney, and responded with a string of seasons similar to Solich's.

 

Come on, guys. After that 9-4 transitional year, Solich went 12-1 in 1999 and ranked #2/3 in the nation. In 2000 he went 10-2, losing only to two ranked teams on the road and ended up #7/8 in the nation. In 2001 he coached a modest Nebraska squad to the NC game, which perhaps we would have been better off missing. After our first meltdown year in decades in 2002, Solich rebounded with a 10-3 season and Top 20 ranking.

 

95% of college football programs would remember this "down cycle" as the "glory years." We would take them right now in a heartbeat.

 

I do think recruiting and talent were starting to show decline, but words like "astoundingly awful" and "justified to fire after one year" do not remotely jibe with Frank Solich's coaching ability.

Solich is no HoF coach. That much was evident to me during the 98 season and I saw the writing on the wall. I was not incorrect either.

Solich is already a HOF coach.

 

Do you think so? FS has a 63 percent winning percentage (which is actually pretty good compared to some of the inducted coaches), has one BCS bowl victory and one conference title. He has also been the head coach for a total of 218 games. I'm guessing he was also an assistant coach for those three national title winning teams.

 

It's certainly a good career but I'm wondering how it compares to other coaches on the current list of inductees, because I'll admit, Frank Solich doesn't immediately jump out as a HOF inductee to me, at least not as a head coach. Perhaps if they look at the bigger picture?

 

This is a pure shot in the dark on my behalf because most of the coaches I know in the HOF (like Bowden, Osborne) are some of the best coaches of all time. I don't know much about the lesser known inductees.

[cm husker]

 

 

 

 

 

Who in the world can take a team with 3 titles in 4 years and go 9-4 in year 1? That is just astoundingly awful. Opponents of Solich mostly cite the 7-7 season but I want to cite the 98 season as well. If there ever has been a season where it was justified to fire a coach after 1 year this might have been it.

I had high high hopes when Osborne initially retired but the '98 season brought me back to reality. I knew then Nebraska football was headed for a down cycle.

 

Huh?

 

Pretty much any coach inheriting a team with 3 titles in 4 years has nowhere to go but down. Tom Osborne faced a similar situation taking over for Devaney, and responded with a string of seasons similar to Solich's.

 

Come on, guys. After that 9-4 transitional year, Solich went 12-1 in 1999 and ranked #2/3 in the nation. In 2000 he went 10-2, losing only to two ranked teams on the road and ended up #7/8 in the nation. In 2001 he coached a modest Nebraska squad to the NC game, which perhaps we would have been better off missing. After our first meltdown year in decades in 2002, Solich rebounded with a 10-3 season and Top 20 ranking.

 

95% of college football programs would remember this "down cycle" as the "glory years." We would take them right now in a heartbeat.

 

I do think recruiting and talent were starting to show decline, but words like "astoundingly awful" and "justified to fire after one year" do not remotely jibe with Frank Solich's coaching ability.

Solich is no HoF coach. That much was evident to me during the 98 season and I saw the writing on the wall. I was not incorrect either.

 

Solich is already a HOF coach.

 

Do you think so? FS has a 63 percent winning percentage (which is actually pretty good compared to some of the inducted coaches), has one BCS bowl victory and one conference title. He also been the head coach for a total of 218 games. I'm guessing he was also an assistant coach for those three national title winning teams.

 

It's certainly a good career but I'm wondering how it compares to other coaches on the current list of inductees, because I'll admit, Frank Solich doesn't immediatley jump out as a HOF inductee to me.

 

 

I meant that he's literally an HOFer (as a player and coach)... think he's the first in NE HOF history to be admitted as both.

 

In terms of an overall HOF, I think he's not at this point, but if he pulled off a MAC championship or finished his remaining seasons there with a win % north of .700, he'd have a chance. To do that, assuming he coaches four more seasons, he'd have to go 35-15 (which would include to MAC CCG games during that period). He had a stretch between '09 and '12 that almost met that criteria (he was 36-18 during that stretch), so it's not outside the realm of possibility. Honestly, though, I've not been following that program, so I have no idea who well positioned they are for the next couple of years.

 

I think that Frank would stack up well against current members such as Grant Teaff, Don Nehlen, Terry Donahue, DeBerry, Welsh, Bellotti, Ault and even Hayden Fry and Earl Bruce and that would give Frank hope if he finished on a strong closing run. That kind of run at the end would put Frank squarely among the the current members of the HOF in terms of win % and total wins.

 

Would be a lot of fun if he made that run and was inducted. Would mean NU would have had 7 HOF coaches at one point or another (and 3 since 1970), which I have to think would lead the nation... maybe Notre Dame and Oklahoma edging us out.

[Redux]

I don't see Frank as a HOF coach, what accolade of his tipped the scale in that way?

[cm husker]

I don't see Frank as a HOF coach, what accolade of his tipped the scale in that way?

 

If he's able to win another conference championship or two, he'll have bolstered his resume significantly. He's by no means a "shoe in" but he's not out of the running either.

 

One of the things that seems common among HOFers is "coach of the year" accolades. Frank has three such awards (2xB12 and 1xMAC). Another one in the MAC and his resume on paper would be comparable to other inductees. He would be seen as having resurrected Ohio U football, that's for sure.

 

But in any event, that's a very tall order (i.e., .700+ and two conf. championships) to close out a career.

 

Ultimately, I don't think he quite gets there, but he's certainly had an outstanding head coaching career.

[huskerfan2000]

haha, seen this argument on so many husker sites.

 

how many knew Frank was the head coach of the nations best Freshman team? Frank tanked because his assistants got lazy after TO left, once he replaced some of them things turned around.

 

We have no way of knowing but I feel safe saying things would have been better than that idiot coach that came after him.

[Mavric]

haha, seen this argument on so many husker sites.

 

how many knew Frank was the head coach of the nations best Freshman team? Frank tanked because his assistants got lazy after TO left, once he replaced some of them things turned around.

 

We have no way of knowing but I feel safe saying things would have been better than that idiot coach that came after him.

 

Frank may - MAY - have been OK as a head coach. He tanked as HC at DONU in no small part because he was not a very good OC. Had he not tried to be TO and call his own plays, that could have helped. But he didn't have a feel for it.

[chainsaw]

frank had lots of weakness's. but was a nice guy who shoulda stayed in an assistants role.

[cm husker]

 

 

haha, seen this argument on so many husker sites.

 

how many knew Frank was the head coach of the nations best Freshman team? Frank tanked because his assistants got lazy after TO left, once he replaced some of them things turned around.

 

We have no way of knowing but I feel safe saying things would have been better than that idiot coach that came after him.

Frank may - MAY - have been OK as a head coach. He tanked as HC at DONU in no small part because he was not a very good OC. Had he not tried to be TO and call his own plays, that could have helped. But he didn't have a feel for it.

I don't think it's fair to say he "tanked" and I definitely disagree wjth the notion that he wasn't a good OC. Was he as good in years 1-6 as TO was in years 20+? No. But there are too many stories from TO, players and other coaches talking about the role frank had in calling plays as an assistant and in developing offensive schemes to argue he wasn't a good OC. Plus, statistically, his offenses excelled even as the B12 entered is heyday, short lived as it was.

[Redux]

Ultimately, would Frank have delivered us a couple National titles by now?

 

Meh, I dont know, maybe 1 at best. After his staff reshuffling, maybe things get better and the inner workings become more fluent. I would guess we have roughly handful of conference titles to show for it but not much more.

 

New question, if Frank were still here today, would we be any more relevant than we are now?

 

I doubt it.

[KazLong]

A fair and balanced answer - a national championship every year.

[Mavric]

 

 

haha, seen this argument on so many husker sites.

 

how many knew Frank was the head coach of the nations best Freshman team? Frank tanked because his assistants got lazy after TO left, once he replaced some of them things turned around.

 

We have no way of knowing but I feel safe saying things would have been better than that idiot coach that came after him.

Frank may - MAY - have been OK as a head coach. He tanked as HC at DONU in no small part because he was not a very good OC. Had he not tried to be TO and call his own plays, that could have helped. But he didn't have a feel for it.

I don't think it's fair to say he "tanked" and I definitely disagree wjth the notion that he wasn't a good OC. Was he as good in years 1-6 as TO was in years 20+? No. But there are too many stories from TO, players and other coaches talking about the role frank had in calling plays as an assistant and in developing offensive schemes to argue he wasn't a good OC. Plus, statistically, his offenses excelled even as the B12 entered is heyday, short lived as it was.

 

 

I don't know how what he did can be described as anything other than tanked. He had a season with the worst record we'd had in 40+ years. And the supposed bounce back in 2003 was mostly smoke and mirrors. We only beat two teams with winning records during the regular season. A decent Okie Lite team and a Southern Miss team that was 1-4 against non-Conference USA opponents. The three games we lost - to actual good teams - we were not even competitive in.

 

And some nice anecdotes where people are saying nice things about him doesn't really amount to much. I can't find a lot of team stats going back that far but in 2003 - against that fairly weak schedule - we were #83 in the country in total offense. #83. Yeah, that's not good, let alone "excelling."

[cm husker]

Frank wasn't the OC in 2003, but that's neither here not there.

 

I don't feel like getting into this debate with you because I doubt either of us would change our minds. I don't view a season or two of 6 as being indicative of overall performance. Kind of like I don't consider Devaney's 6-4 seasons as "tanking."

 

Anyway, I thought the okie st and southern miss stat was that they were the only 9+ win teams, not winning record teams. Because at least in addition to those two NU won its bowl game against a team with a winning record (or are you discounting that because Frank had been fired by then?).