** 2024 Opponent Preview : Wisconsin (Game 11) **

Husker in WI said:
Doesn't reflect super well on their strength staff, or if there are dedicated recovery staff. Shutting it down to recover for a few weeks makes sense, but you'd expect that recovery to be done with the team if he's truly open to playing down the line. 

I think the plan is to still ride with Longo until the end of the year and part ways there, but if they struggle bad against Purdue we are likely facing an interim OC when they come to town in November. To make a bowl they need to beat Purdue, Northwestern, and Minnesota (they have not lost to Purdue since 2003, they have struggled against NW, and Minny is a rivalry) and then one of us or Rutgers. 
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Interesting to see Fickell's approach vs Rhule's approach to their respective situations.  With both available at the time, many considered it a toss up on who Nebraska should hire.

We got it right.

 
The similarities are pretty striking (even down to the fans wanting to hire the DC when the old coach was fired), but I think there are some differences. And I think Callahan and Fickell made a similar mistake in hiring the wrong coordinator.

But Fickell's mistake was both dumber and easier to correct. I know fans worry when coaches only bring in "their guys," but hiring an OC you've never worked with that has a radically different offensive philosophy and reportedly forcing him to adapt his style after the fact is dumb. However, that's an easier guy to fire than a guy you'd worked with for a long time who just flopped in year 4. So Fickell will get a chance to course correct, but now he has to either double down on an offensive style that he doesn't like or cave to fan/alumni pressure and walk back 2 years of recruiting and scheme focus. Which is easier to do in the portal era, but still not easy. 

I think their biggest problem will honestly be NIL - they have zero buy-in, and that's going to make it hard for anyone to succeed. They can get guys looking for some more exposure or playing time, but a good chunk of the portal players just aren't possible for them.

 
It all comes down to QB where Fickell has whiffed 2 years in a row.  If he had a Desmond Ridder at UW like he had at Cincy then people would be singing a different tune.

 
Red Five said:
It all comes down to QB where Fickell has whiffed 2 years in a row.  If he had a Desmond Ridder at UW like he had at Cincy then people would be singing a different tune.
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And if Scott Frost had a Mckenzie Milton....

 
Red Five said:
It all comes down to QB where Fickell has whiffed 2 years in a row.  If he had a Desmond Ridder at UW like he had at Cincy then people would be singing a different tune.
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Nebfanatic said:
And if Scott Frost had a Mckenzie Milton....
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Better to be lucky than good?  Fickell is going to get fired for going the route of needing that quality of QB to run a foreign system to that program, and thinking he'd get one at Wisconsin. Just plain ill advised.

 
Glad we got “old school “ Rhule. Fickell was a hot commodity when we were looking   This is one thing Trev got right 

 
I don't think a lot of fans realize how bad Wisconsin was before about the last 90's.  They were horrible and a total joke.

NU has been great since the last 60's...Wisky had about 25 seasons of being better than average. 

They are going to end up looking like they did before.  A joke.

They have no NIL, they don't have a fan base that cares, they don't have administration that cares.

 
Wisconsin is looking very pedestrian vs. Purdue. This game is more about what Purdue is or isn't doing than what Wisconsin is doing. Wiscy could lose this if Purdue's O Line can block a bit.

 
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