A Perfect/One Loss Season

It'sNotAFakeID

It'sNotAFakeID

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I remember starting a thread like this after the Wisconsin game, and I feel it is applicable here now.

I get the feeling that a lot of people think 11-1, 12-1, 12-0, 13-0 seasons are way easy to achieve. Well they're not. To win all, or all but one game in a year means that you're going to travel into hostile environments, play ranked teams, and have to come out firing on all cylinders for a third of the year.

Teams are subjected to media pressure and are just supposed to be robots; turn the media hype switch off. We saw this with Oklahoma State last night. They were looking ahead to Oklahoma. Win that game, they're going to the national title game. Oops. They forgot about Iowa State and look what happened? They lost.

In the end, only one team is undefeated; that team is the best in college football [which we are not, yet.] In the end, a few teams will come out with one loss [which we are not, yet.]

Wisconsin, a team we were all sure would be one of those teams, is going to have at least 2 losses. Florida State, a team most experts were thinking was going to have a stellar year, is going to have at least 3 losses. The defending national champions, the team who was undefeated an elite last year, is going to have at least 4 losses. Texas A&M, a team most were saying could win the Big XII in their final year, will end the year with no less than 5 losses. Iowa, the sleeper of the Big Ten, will finish with at least 4 in the loss column. Arizona State, remember that hype? 4 losses. South Carolina, yeah they have two losses.

Nebraska, a team who was predicted to go something like 9-3, 10-2, is right at par for the course.

If that's mediocre, I'd hate to see what more losses would do to some people.

 
I don't think anyone is happy with third place in an average division. 8-3 is one thing if you're in a great conference and the losses are respectable. 8-3 in a middle-of-the-road conference, with two blowout losses and one loss to a mediocre team... even fans with lower standards aren't going to be too crazy about that.

 
I know this isn't the exact topic of the thread, but I had this thought earlier today. I get that the conference wanted us to play all of the big match ups, it is a ratings boost. But in 2 years our schedule will be a joke and we will be on the BTN a whole lot. Just seemed like short sighted scheduling to me.

 
Omaha-Husker said:
I know this isn't the exact topic of the thread, but I had this thought earlier today. I get that the conference wanted us to play all of the big match ups, it is a ratings boost. But in 2 years our schedule will be a joke and we will be on the BTN a whole lot. Just seemed like short sighted scheduling to me.
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I don't see how that schedule is any worse than a typical Big 12 schedule. You never played Oklahoma and Texas in the same season I don't think. You still have to play Michigan, Penn State, Michigan State and Iowa every year. That's no worse than a normal Big 12 schedule of Oklahoma, Missouri, Texas Tech and Oklahoma State.

 
Bye Bye Big XII said:
I remember starting a thread like this after the Wisconsin game, and I feel it is applicable here now.

I get the feeling that a lot of people think 11-1, 12-1, 12-0, 13-0 seasons are way easy to achieve. Well they're not. To win all, or all but one game in a year means that you're going to travel into hostile environments, play ranked teams, and have to come out firing on all cylinders for a third of the year.

Teams are subjected to media pressure and are just supposed to be robots; turn the media hype switch off. We saw this with Oklahoma State last night. They were looking ahead to Oklahoma. Win that game, they're going to the national title game. Oops. They forgot about Iowa State and look what happened? They lost.

In the end, only one team is undefeated; that team is the best in college football [which we are not, yet.] In the end, a few teams will come out with one loss [which we are not, yet.]

Wisconsin, a team we were all sure would be one of those teams, is going to have at least 2 losses. Florida State, a team most experts were thinking was going to have a stellar year, is going to have at least 3 losses. The defending national champions, the team who was undefeated an elite last year, is going to have at least 4 losses. Texas A&M, a team most were saying could win the Big XII in their final year, will end the year with no less than 5 losses. Iowa, the sleeper of the Big Ten, will finish with at least 4 in the loss column. Arizona State, remember that hype? 4 losses. South Carolina, yeah they have two losses.

Nebraska, a team who was predicted to go something like 9-3, 10-2, is right at par for the course.

If that's mediocre, I'd hate to see what more losses would do to some people.
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If the four teams you have four losses to are the top 4 teams in the country, then yeah, you're doing alright.

If the four teams are Wisconsin (I can accept that loss, Camp Randall at night is a venue nobody escapes unscathed, but Wisconsin's not as good as we thought they were at the time), Northwestern (say what you will about them being a so-called "giant killer", we laid an egg in that one), Michigan (again, a loss to Michigan isn't a huge deal, but a 45-17 loss is unacceptable), and Iowa (not saying we're definitely going to lose to them, but suddenly Iowa's not a gimme like we thought it was earlier), is it really that much of a stretch to call that mediocrity?

Yes, some people have unrealistic expectations, but plenty of others are content to have ridiculously low expectations just so they can pretend they're better fans than the people who are unhappy that Nebraska won't even finish as a runner-up in the division standings.

 
For me it is not the wins and losses, but how the wins and losses are attained. We are losing due to poor coaching. That does not mean we have a bad coach. We have a young coach that has problems motivating his players, preparing his players and a staff that is not that much more experienced than he is. We have AD that can help Bo I think, and I think it is time to ask for it if he hasn't.

I did not expect us to win the B1G this year. I never expect us to win CCG or MNC. But I expect and want a well prepared team that plays with their hair on fire, proud of the N on their helmets and living to be a Husker. I do not see those things all the time, actually less than most of the time it seems. I want coaches that make adjustments during the game and not driving a square peg in round hole over and over and over.

I want a team that represents the efforts and devotion its fan base gives it. We take losses hard, but setting with the wife after the game, she made a comment, You must be getting used to losing, your not out of control like you used to be after a loss. And I guess that is where I am at. I no longer expect the great game, I expect average effort and play, average to below coaching, and players playing out of control. Sad to say, but that is where I am at now.

 
skersfan said:
For me it is not the wins and losses, but how the wins and losses are attained. We are losing due to poor coaching. That does not mean we have a bad coach. We have a young coach that has problems motivating his players, preparing his players and a staff that is not that much more experienced than he is. We have AD that can help Bo I think, and I think it is time to ask for it if he hasn't.

I did not expect us to win the B1G this year. I never expect us to win CCG or MNC. But I expect and want a well prepared team that plays with their hair on fire, proud of the N on their helmets and living to be a Husker. I do not see those things all the time, actually less than most of the time it seems. I want coaches that make adjustments during the game and not driving a square peg in round hole over and over and over.

I want a team that represents the efforts and devotion its fan base gives it. We take losses hard, but setting with the wife after the game, she made a comment, You must be getting used to losing, your not out of control like you used to be after a loss. And I guess that is where I am at. I no longer expect the great game, I expect average effort and play, average to below coaching, and players playing out of control. Sad to say, but that is where I am at now.
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Believe me, I think you know as well as I do how much effort and devotion those players give to the team.

My point of this post has gotten taken out of context, like Marxism. What I was trying to say is how hard it is to muster up a perfect or even a one loss season. It takes a LOT. And even a lot may not be enough some years.

Everything must go right.

 
As stated I am really not concerned with the wins or losses. I never expect a perfect season nor do I expect us to win every game. I never have. I am disappointed in the effort, and I think that goes to coaching, possilby recruiting.

I never rag on the players, I know they are giving effort, be it top of the line, I have my doubts sometimes, But I do not feel our coaching staff is on the same page.

I do not understand why other teams can win games they are not supposed to and we can not win the games we should. Motivation, seems down in some games.

Either way I am done ragging on the team. They have to feel worse than we do, but something needs to change soon. Not asking for Bo's head, just a better effort.

I did not think we would win this game, but I did not think we would get embarassed on National TV.

 
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