Is HuskerNation divided more than ever

[74Hunter]

i think there is significant consternation regarding the assistants and coordinators he is dragging with him........

As well as his questionable recruiting practices.

 

[beorach]

Here are some facts I thought might add something to the discussion of what Riley achieved at Oregon State. Considering just the past ten complete regular Pac-10/12 seasons, the Beavers averaged a fifth-place finish in terms of their W-L records (sometimes tied). Five of those seasons saw them finish in the top three but, of course, they never won the title. Their average recruiting class rank in the conference for that period was 9th, per Rivals.

2006-2009 was easily the best phase for Mike Riley's team as they finished 2nd or 3rd in each of those seasons. Since then, I think most of us can recognize that the Pac-# has improved overall. The conference can boast four teams with at least nine wins from the 2012 season on... The 2013 season featured six teams that reached that lofty precipice Bo's Nebraska teams treaded for seven years. Depending on how the bowls go, the Pac-12 may wind up with seven when the current season is in the books.

The way I see it, Nebraska wasn't going to be able to wrest a big name from a P5 program currently enjoying great success. I had hoped Dan Mullen might be receptive from the standpoint that his program's not likely to stay up top in the SEC, given historical recruiting rankings, but that was about as far as I could dream. Even then, I figured a team like Michigan could have a better shot at getting him. I'm a little pessimistic, I hope, but I figured Michigan's recruiting has traditionally beaten ours regardless of what's going on now.

That left me thinking of what FBS teams were doing outside the P5. The coaches at programs like Marshall, Memphis, and Louisiana Tech were on my list in a more realistic dream session. Not one of those guys had so long a history as Mike Riley, though, nor had any proven so much as our current HC (and I think it's fair to count player development in addition to W-L records here). I approve of the calculated risk, then, from a relative standpoint. My approval's hardly necessary for me to get on board with my favorite college football team anyway, though.

TL;DR - Imma let you finish, Barney, and just let fly with my usual on game day: GO BIG RED!

 

[Beemer13]

Hey! You got better than a C+ in biochemical engineering Hunter? Good for you! I would have never guessed that from your posts!

 

[JJ Husker]

The buyout is a bit less than it initially sounds like. I believe NU owes Bo $7.65 million, or $150k/month for 51 months. That works out to $1.8 million per year. But Riley is being paid $2.7 million per year, about $400k less than Bo. Plus if Pelini takes a job somewhere, I believe the buyout will be reduced by the amount of his new salary.

Let's say Bo takes a position coaching job for $600k per year. If my math is right his firing would cost us $800k per year for just over four years. ($1.8 - .4 - .6). For a total of $3.2 million.

But let's say Bo lands another HC gig (likely) at $2 million per year. His firing wouldn't cost us anything. In fact, we'd be $400k per year in the black. (Or the delta from Pelini's salary to Riley's salary--which will likely increase if he is successful.)

So, what you're saying is; If we convert Bo's buyout to Canadian dollars and pay Riley with Pesos, we could actually make money on the deal.

 

[Guy Chamberlin]

Whichever group you fall, this could be considered a bad hire simply b/c of the division created. SE could have united HuskerNation with a different hire:

1. A proven successful coach, Jon Gruden, Jim Harbaugh, even Jerry Kill, Lance Leipold. Everyone would see a history of success and have hopes for the program. Riley obviously does not have a history of success.

2. A Nebraska tie. Turner Gill or Scott Frost. Each would have questions; Gill success at Buffalo and Liberty but not at Kansas, Frost inexperience. But both hires would have the full fan base behind them, some would be unsure but all would be excited to see the future. Riley has no connection to NE.

3. Nebraska "style". Paul Johnson, Troy Calhoun, Jerry Kill would have a lot of Husker fans remembering the dominant option/power running years. Riley's west coast offense will not peak interest a significant group of Huskers.

I think an even larger group considers your entire premise flawed.

Subtract the coaches who are totally unavailable and the coaches whose only recommendation is sentimental, and you have maybe a couple guys no better than Mike Riley.

The future is always uncertain. Hope is free. Some pretty smart people consider the Riley hire a coup.

Husker Nation can be united simply by keeping an open mind.

What's the risk in that?

 

[74Hunter]

Hey! You got better than a C+ in biochemical engineering Hunter? Good for you! I would have never guessed that from your posts!

Touche'

 

[hskrfan4life]

I was scratching my head at first, but I need to at least what happens before I make a judgement. We have the talent to win the West next year.

 

[AFhusker]

We are positive in the same way you were 100% sure that Bo was never going to win anything at nebraska Hedley. For the last two years the Bo haters have been on here bashing every loss, coach and playcall. Now it's our turn to question everything your coach does. Sounds like he is already off to a good start with the hiring of Banker and Read. It's not a good sign when the Oregon state play by play guy says they suck.

I hope your post is meant to be sarcastic. It perfectly illustrates the "us versus them" attitutude that defined the Bo Pelini era and created the toxicity around the program that led to everyones' misery and Pelini's dismissal. Pelini wasn't fired for only winning 9 games, he was fired for fostering this divide in the program.

If Pelini had spent more time managing the team and less time worrying that officials, administrators, media, conference officials and bad fans were out to get him, he probably would have had more success on the field and would likely still be the coach

he was fired because Perlman didn't "like" him plain and simple- if TO were still AD does anyone think Pellini would have been fired? take all your emotions about Pellini out of it, the answer is very pellucid- and it is no

The main reason he was fired was because Tom finally saw the light after the Wisconsin game and said that Bo had to go. Just because he isn't the AD, doesn't mean that he doesn't have pull when it comes to these things. A lot of the big $$$$ boosters still listen to him and if he wasn't on board, then you would have heard more grumbling from them than you do.

 

[commando]

this divide in husker nation is Bos legacy

 

[AFhusker]

I was scratching my head at first, but I need to at least what happens before I make a judgement. We have the talent to win the West next year.

IDK about that, but we do have a harder schedule than we have had in the last two years. Hopefully MR can get the most out of these guys and have a great season. What I am scared of is that we lose 4 games (BYU, Miami, Wisky, and MSU) and then the Bo lovers start to think that Bo would have done better, when it is likely that if Bo had stayed, we would have won 6-8 games next year.

 

[Hunter94]

I was scratching my head at first, but I need to at least what happens before I make a judgement. We have the talent to win the West next year.

IDK about that, but we do have a harder schedule than we have had in the last two years. Hopefully MR can get the most out of these guys and have a great season. What I am scared of is that we lose 4 games (BYU, Miami, Wisky, and MSU) and then the Bo lovers start to think that Bo would have done better, when it is likely that if Bo had stayed, we would have won 6-8 games next year.

+1

 

[BigRedPowerWagon]

Guys...as an OSU alum and long time follower of Riley here's something you should think about:

OSU is not even in the same stratosphere as Nebraska when it comes to resources and talent but if OSU (under RIley) and Nebraska (Under Pelini) played I would have felt pretty good OSU could pull off the upset or, at the very least, make it a very very close game. All of the entirely due to Riley. If Nebraska were to play Oregon you would feel good about Nebraska having a decent chance to pull out the win...Purely based on Nebraska HISTORY and not because of Pelini.

OSU has no real history (post 1960s) beyond Riley (and a lucky Dennis Erickson).

Nebraska has tons of history...very little of it to do with Pelini beyond a hilarious twitter feed and questionable sideline video clips.

All of OSU is now going to be watching Riley very very closely simply so it can finally be known if it was a lack of ability on his part (and those of his assistants) or he was the gem that most of football 'experts' believe him to be. Unfortunately for Nebraska, that's going to be revealed while he's the coach for Nebraska. You are the petrie dish.

He will struggle the coming year based on all of his experience at OSU. He runs a difficult offense to pick up. You will see flashes of brilliance just before the QB throws another interception. By season's end you'll be thinking "we can be great next year if....." and that's the same question OSU fans have had: Will the resources and talent at Nebraska, the qualities OSU could not offer, allow Riley to turn the corner and produce the "IF" and take the team to the top level. For those who have said Riley has done nothing...He took a team that hadn't won more than 5 games a year for 28 years and made them the 3rd most successful PAC12 team over a decade. That would be harder to do than to turn Kansas into a top team in the Big12 for a decade or Indiana in the Big10 mentioned in the same breath as tOSU, Nebraska or Michigan (lloyd carr era) for 10 years. Most of you don't follow the PAC12 but there wasn't a program who ever took OSU lightly during the Riley era when, prior to his arrival, they feared playing Montana more than OSU.

I get the angst but he will win at least 9 games a year and not embarrass you. You'll find yourself thinking "man, we looked good the last month of the season. Withour starters returning we just might be conference champs next year". Will Nebraska's advantages over OSU be the difference? Trust me, everyone at OSU will be watching too.

I like your posts. Please do more of it. Not all of us are brain damaged Riley doubters- actually very few of us are but sadly they seem to be the outspoken minority so far.

One correction to your post however- there is no chance in hell that Nebraska with Pelini would ever come close to staying with Oregon. None.

Oh please, get over yourself. You cant have a conversation with two different points without throwing out a gradeschool comeback.

 

[Kernal]

Whichever group you fall, this could be considered a bad hire simply b/c of the division created. SE could have united HuskerNation with a different hire:

1. A proven successful coach, Jon Gruden, Jim Harbaugh, even Jerry Kill, Lance Leipold. Everyone would see a history of success and have hopes for the program. Riley obviously does not have a history of success.

2. A Nebraska tie. Turner Gill or Scott Frost. Each would have questions; Gill success at Buffalo and Liberty but not at Kansas, Frost inexperience. But both hires would have the full fan base behind them, some would be unsure but all would be excited to see the future. Riley has no connection to NE.

3. Nebraska "style". Paul Johnson, Troy Calhoun, Jerry Kill would have a lot of Husker fans remembering the dominant option/power running years. Riley's west coast offense will not peak interest a significant group of Huskers.

I think an even larger group considers your entire premise flawed.

Subtract the coaches who are totally unavailable and the coaches whose only recommendation is sentimental, and you have maybe a couple guys no better than Mike Riley.

The future is always uncertain. Hope is free. Some pretty smart people consider the Riley hire a coup.

Husker Nation can be united simply by keeping an open mind.

What's the risk in that?

Couldn't have said it better myself.

 

[dvdcrr]

With all due respect to the OP, I believe the last time Husker Nation wasn't divided was 1997.

Good Point. Maybe just less hope now than ever?

If you have less hope going into this season than the last one, you only have your loyalties to the former coach to blame. Move on

Wrong. Many of us have less hope because Riley has never won a conference championship or proven he can recruit effectively with the challenges that Nebraska has. These are very reasonable apprehensions. I thought we definitely needed a change, but your "move on" statement further displays your disdain for the former coach and nothing more. It looks like we could not get our hands on a big time coach with the timing of Pelini's firing. If I were in charge, I would have timed the firing with the ability to get our hands on a big time PROVEN/YOUNGER/HUNGRIER coach. With the Riley hiring, this did not happen. We probably fired Pelini a year too late OR too early... So quit telling people to move on while you flapped your gums tirelessly about your disproval of the former staff.

Agree with some of this but younger and hungry does not often come with "proven". There was a young guy named Tom Osborne who was young and hungry and had never been a major college head coach either. Different time yadda yadda but youve either done it or you haven't.

 

[Hayseed]

I'm gonna stay optimistic until I have reason to think otherwise. From what little I know I like the guy and think he might be the guy who has the sense to do it right. My biggest concern is the same I have for most Husker coaches;....can he recruit the talent needed to compete with the many Texas sized teams in the frozen tundra league. I don't want this to be another Collier or Sadler show....nice guys and good coaches who couldn't bring in the level of talent needed to compete. Heck, that was Bo's biggest problem....many of the stars he recruited had been injured in high school and he stood by them. I'm sticking with my preference for the Big 12 for recruiting reasons alone.

Should we need another AD, I'm going with Karen Jennings.