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Nebraska Falls to #22
- Thread starter ladyhawke
- Start date
Between #20 and #30 is where, before the season started, I felt the Huskers would finish the season. It is where they have finished, generally, the past few years -- and, I suspect, most likely where they will finish next year and in the foreseeable future too.. Upper middle of the conference (#4 or #5 in the conference). This has been Husker football and remains Husker football. There is no year-to-year improvement, overall, for the program... at least not in the past several years --- and no indication of future improvement either.
Each year is pretty much the same... and this year is neither surprising nor is it unexpected. Many of us predicted either 3 or 4 conference losses and that is what has happened. The issue for the Huskers really is never an issue of "will we win the conference?" or "will we make a BCS bowl?" --- those are just the fanciful notions of enthusiastic fans (which is part of football and a fun part) and people trying to sell magazines and promote new conference alignments... but at the outset of this season (and last season --- and likely next season too) the more pertinent question is "will NU finish ranked or not?"
If we beat Iowa (by no means a certain thing by any stretch), then if we get a modest bowl and win, we finish ranked. If Iowa puts NU down then even a bowl victory is likely not enough to finish ranked. A bowl loss will likely end up with an un-ranked NU even if we beat Iowa. So... NU must win out to finish ranked.
Here's hoping that when all is said and done, NU is ranked.
Each year is pretty much the same... and this year is neither surprising nor is it unexpected. Many of us predicted either 3 or 4 conference losses and that is what has happened. The issue for the Huskers really is never an issue of "will we win the conference?" or "will we make a BCS bowl?" --- those are just the fanciful notions of enthusiastic fans (which is part of football and a fun part) and people trying to sell magazines and promote new conference alignments... but at the outset of this season (and last season --- and likely next season too) the more pertinent question is "will NU finish ranked or not?"
If we beat Iowa (by no means a certain thing by any stretch), then if we get a modest bowl and win, we finish ranked. If Iowa puts NU down then even a bowl victory is likely not enough to finish ranked. A bowl loss will likely end up with an un-ranked NU even if we beat Iowa. So... NU must win out to finish ranked.
Here's hoping that when all is said and done, NU is ranked.
ladyhawke
All-Conference
Do you think we need a new head coach? If so, who would you choose to come here? People need to know that Bo's name is one of the top 3 being considered for the Ohio State job. If he took the job, who would replace him?
I do think that Bo's performance has been below average and below acceptable in the following areas: a) motivating the team, b) instilling on-field discipline, c) instilling on-field sound fundamentals, d) roster management, e) the hiring of and the holding accountable his assistant coaches, f) his handling of the press, and g) his role as an ambassador for the program, the university, and the state. He has been acceptable to above average in his performance as an X's and O's coach. He has been, as far as we can tell, very good at maintaining the excellent academic standards of the players on the team, graduating players, and he has been excellent at keeping kids out of trouble and running, again, as far as we can tell, a clean program. Recruiting is hard to assess until well after the fact ... so...
Overall, as I see it --- and that is but one fans opinion and it could be that I am a tough grader, but... Bo is a D+ to a C- coach at this point. A generous, generous grade would be a C... and man, I a not that generous.
You state that Bo is a candidate for the OSU job... i really doubt that he would be a top 6 choice at all. Where have you heard that OSU is at all interested in Bo? I cannot imagine that they would give him even a cursory look unless they failed on their first 3 -4 candidates... and even then I'd see him as no more than a fall back even at that point.
Do I want Bo gone? Well.... I cannot see with his attitude and his demeanor that he is likely to improve much and I'd have to think that NU cannot afford much longer to stay stagnant as a program, as a program that is a fringe top 25 team, and no more. So... Bo does not seem to be the answer. It could be argued that it is too early to tell. And, if I thought that Bo would change much, I'd agree. But for me, sooner is better than later. So.... while I am not screaming from the rooftops and am not even really worked up about it... Bo seems to have given us enough in my mind to gauge where the program is headed... and the arrow is not pointing in the right direction. I'd be quietly looking if I were the NU admin. Sure, going to the well again is risky, but....
As to who as a replacement? Well, fans cannot know even who is available, who is looking, or ... in other words, you go to the market and get the best that you can get. Now, as others have pointed out, NU is no longer a major coaching destination as it is has long ago ceased to be a national power. But... the fan base is excellent. The facilities very, very good. The History of the program is extraordinary. And the school, the state, and its people are quite special. It is, while not perhaps a top destination by some metrics, still a nice job. We'd get somebody good, I'd think. At least I'd hope. But hire experience. NU should have never went with an untested first-time coach last time. Lets not repeat that one again.
ladyhawke
All-Conference
Thank you for sharing. I appreciate it. My thoughts are in bold:
I do think that Bo's performance has been below average and below acceptable in the following areas:
a) motivating the team: How does a coach motivate his team? I hear that alot and am curious as to how it's done. It seems interesting to me that many have said that Bo doesn't motivate his team, yet those boys adore him. Am I not seeing something here?
b) instilling on-field discipline: I guess I'm of the opinion that our team is so young that this may be growing. What would you hope to see if you felt that a team was growing in the area of on-field discipline? I wonder if there is on-field discipline but it's inconsistent at this point because our team is so young?
c) instilling on-field sound fundamentals: Same thoughts as 'b'
d) roster management: Deciding who plays and who doesn't? What would it look like if he was a good roster manager?
e) the hiring of and the holding accountable his assistant coaches: This puzzles me. It's obvious to me that Barney needs to retire. I know he's a beloved Husker but he isn't getting the job done. OR again, is it just that we have such a young team? Blah!
f) his handling of the press, and g) his role as an ambassador for the program, the university, and the state: I have seen some growth here but I also feel like he's almost a robot now. However, that Penn State post game interview was really good. Sometimes, I'm there with Bo. The questions that area asked at some of those press conferences are just down right dumb. But when you hear Bo on other programs where he's allowed to talk about football he's pretty sharp.
He has been acceptable to above average in his performance as an X's and O's coach. He has been, as far as we can tell, very good at maintaining the excellent academic standards of the players on the team, graduating players, and he has been excellent at keeping kids out of trouble and running, again, as far as we can tell, a clean program: As an educator the above is more important to me than football. If those kids leave here with a good education and can make an impact on society in a positive way then the football playing is just gravy. However, being a die-hard Husker fan, I want to win.
Recruiting is hard to assess until well after the fact ... so...
Overall, as I see it --- and that is but one fans opinion and it could be that I am a tough grader, but... Bo is a D+ to a C- coach at this point. A generous, generous grade would be a C... and man, I a not that generous: Not to be personal but do you have coaching experience? You sound like you do. My husband has coaching experience too and he says that we need to give Bo another couple of years. He thinks that next year will be a really good indicator of what is to come. I hope he's right.
You state that Bo is a candidate for the OSU job... i really doubt that he would be a top 6 choice at all. Where have you heard that OSU is at all interested in Bo? I cannot imagine that they would give him even a cursory look unless they failed on their first 3 -4 candidates... and even then I'd see him as no more than a fall back even at that point: Actually, I said that his name was being thrown around as one of the top 3. Here's my link. It's all hearsay at this point. His name will always come up because he's an Ohio State grad. I think they have their sights on Urban Meyer.
http://www.cleveland...io_state_h.html
Do I want Bo gone? I'd be quietly looking if I were the NU admin. Sure, going to the well again is risky, but....
As to who as a replacement? But hire experience. NU should have never went with an untested first-time coach last time.
It just makes me kind of sick to my stomach to think that we have to go through the hiring process all over again. I guess I'm just not sold on the fact that Bo isn't changing things enough. We're so much better than we were when Callahan was here, Bo is winning at least 9 games a season, but I see your frustration in that he isn't winning the 'Big Ones'-that is frustrating.
Thank you again for this discussion.
I do think that Bo's performance has been below average and below acceptable in the following areas:
a) motivating the team: How does a coach motivate his team? I hear that alot and am curious as to how it's done. It seems interesting to me that many have said that Bo doesn't motivate his team, yet those boys adore him. Am I not seeing something here?
b) instilling on-field discipline: I guess I'm of the opinion that our team is so young that this may be growing. What would you hope to see if you felt that a team was growing in the area of on-field discipline? I wonder if there is on-field discipline but it's inconsistent at this point because our team is so young?
c) instilling on-field sound fundamentals: Same thoughts as 'b'
d) roster management: Deciding who plays and who doesn't? What would it look like if he was a good roster manager?
e) the hiring of and the holding accountable his assistant coaches: This puzzles me. It's obvious to me that Barney needs to retire. I know he's a beloved Husker but he isn't getting the job done. OR again, is it just that we have such a young team? Blah!
f) his handling of the press, and g) his role as an ambassador for the program, the university, and the state: I have seen some growth here but I also feel like he's almost a robot now. However, that Penn State post game interview was really good. Sometimes, I'm there with Bo. The questions that area asked at some of those press conferences are just down right dumb. But when you hear Bo on other programs where he's allowed to talk about football he's pretty sharp.
He has been acceptable to above average in his performance as an X's and O's coach. He has been, as far as we can tell, very good at maintaining the excellent academic standards of the players on the team, graduating players, and he has been excellent at keeping kids out of trouble and running, again, as far as we can tell, a clean program: As an educator the above is more important to me than football. If those kids leave here with a good education and can make an impact on society in a positive way then the football playing is just gravy. However, being a die-hard Husker fan, I want to win.
Recruiting is hard to assess until well after the fact ... so...
Overall, as I see it --- and that is but one fans opinion and it could be that I am a tough grader, but... Bo is a D+ to a C- coach at this point. A generous, generous grade would be a C... and man, I a not that generous: Not to be personal but do you have coaching experience? You sound like you do. My husband has coaching experience too and he says that we need to give Bo another couple of years. He thinks that next year will be a really good indicator of what is to come. I hope he's right.
You state that Bo is a candidate for the OSU job... i really doubt that he would be a top 6 choice at all. Where have you heard that OSU is at all interested in Bo? I cannot imagine that they would give him even a cursory look unless they failed on their first 3 -4 candidates... and even then I'd see him as no more than a fall back even at that point: Actually, I said that his name was being thrown around as one of the top 3. Here's my link. It's all hearsay at this point. His name will always come up because he's an Ohio State grad. I think they have their sights on Urban Meyer.
http://www.cleveland...io_state_h.html
Do I want Bo gone? I'd be quietly looking if I were the NU admin. Sure, going to the well again is risky, but....
As to who as a replacement? But hire experience. NU should have never went with an untested first-time coach last time.
It just makes me kind of sick to my stomach to think that we have to go through the hiring process all over again. I guess I'm just not sold on the fact that Bo isn't changing things enough. We're so much better than we were when Callahan was here, Bo is winning at least 9 games a season, but I see your frustration in that he isn't winning the 'Big Ones'-that is frustrating.
Thank you again for this discussion.
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Ladyhawke:
You seem like a great fan and are a wonderful poster. i appreciate the dialog.
I have had modest coaching experience.. not much. But the principles of leadership are pretty universal and I have been in management of groups for years. Your husbands perspective that a few more years is warranted is perhaps quite reasonable. I would agree as a general principle, but, if my assessment of Bo's attitude is at all correct (and, admittedly, it might not be) then I would predict that nothing will change. And, if that is the case, sooner is better than later. But once more, I could be wrong, and it might turn around.
You ask how a coach motivates the team. One way, perhaps the most natural way, is to overwhelm the team with enthusiasm. If the coach loves the game, loves the school he or she represents, loves the fans, is having a blast doing what they are doing and then just exudes that enthusiasm, well the team will be stoked too. I do not mean here superficial rah-rah --- but if you love the people, the school, the fans and are just having a blast as a coach, well the kids will catch on. For teachers in the classroom it is the same thing. Ever had a teacher who clearly did not want to be there? Yeah. me too... horrible class (even if you actually like the subject). Ever have that teacher who was so enthused about you, about their subject and about the class? You get swept up and are enthusiastic too (even if, intrinsically, you are not so inclined toward the subject).
I get the sense that Bo does not like the fans, does not like NU, the media and his job (again, i could be wrong, but these are the impressions at least I get in watching Bo). It is tough to be motivated when your leader is like that. That is, for what it is worth, my two cents worth. I do not see this changing --- though I could be wrong.
You mention that the players adore Bo. Well, neither of us really know whether that is the case. Have some of them defended him publicly? yes. Have they gathered behind him at times in an "us against the world" sort of manner? Again, yes. But how well he is viewed by the players, in general, is an unknown. Also, and you may be able through your own experience to relate to this --- it is possible to like a person, to root for a person, but to recognize as well that they are not the proper leader that the group needs. It is as well possible to like but not necessarily respect a person. Once again, the inner workings of the team we know little or nothing of. That said, what is quite typical of organizations is this --- if the group admires and is totally behind their leaders, then they will perform with their utmost effort (they still may not be performing well, per se, but the effort will be there). When you see a group routinely not give total effort, that often is associated with a disconnect between leaders and those on the field. Looking at NU on the field, I do not get the sense of a unified team that has bought into the system --- in fact, I get just the opposite.
Forgot to mention this... I am not in any way frustrated that NU does not win the "big one". Winning and losing really is not so much the point for me. When NU wins on a Saturday or if the lose... my day pretty much is unchanged. What i do not like, however, is a flat, uninspired team playing w/o passion. For decades I followed Husker football when they never (or rarely) won the big one --- this was the case in most of the 80's and, actually a subset of the 90's too --- save that 5 year period of awesomeness. But then, even when we lost, often times because we were over-matched by superior talent, NU played like their hair was on fire and went down kicking and screaming. That is the NU passion I love. And that is what I miss.
The record under Bo is not the point... at least for me. Nor the losses in big games. But the lack of fire and passion.
agreed. The teams immediately below, in and around Nu in the rankings seem.. pretty much to be about NU caliber. So, yes, #22 is not unreasonable.
ladyhawke
All-Conference
Good points. For my part, I will wait at least two more years but I have to tell you I'm nervous at this point. Bo just seems 'whipped' Like someone is holding something over his head so he is going through the motions. It's so different than what we saw after we won against MSU. He was exuberant, smiling, LOOKING LIKE HE WAS HAVING FUN! Since you've coached you can probably imagine how he's feeling but I can't imagine the incredible pressure he must be under. Being a head coach in a new conference plus all the day to day things that go along with his job. Blah! Plus, how healthy is Bo? The flu is going around, he may be run down too. Who knows. But I do know what you mean.
ladyhawke
All-Conference
I miss it too. I started rooting for the Huskers in the 80's after I married a native Nebraskan! I am proud to say that I have lived in Nebraska now longer than I did in my homestate of Missouri. I may not be Nebraska born or bred but when I die I WILL BE Nebraska dead! lol
I long for those days when we played physical smashmouth football. When we played earlier in the season and Stafford got that BAM! tackle, I loved it! I remember when Christian Peters, Grant Wistrom and the boys used to come out and just blast people all over the place. It was so much fun to watch. You don't see that much anymore. I'm with you on that aspect 100%. I miss that fire and passion too!
junior4949
All-American
The ranking at this point means very little to me. What I'd like to discuss a bit is the amount of nonparity we're starting to see all over again. For all of this talk about parity and such, there is a glaring difference between the top two ranked teams and even those ranked in the teens. The SEC has won numerous NC's in a row, and it appears that the NC game this year will feature SEC only teams. The SEC teams make up one third of the top fifteen in the BCS ranking. The BCS bowls for the most part are going to be a joke because the best teams won't even be in them because the SEC will more than likely only get two teams into those bowls.
The other thing I'd like to note is what these wins and losses actually mean to those who cry against a playoff. It definitely appears that two of these three teams will play for the NC: LSU, Arkansas, Alabama. The regular season game will mean absolutely zero unless LSU wins it all. If they play Bama again and lose, they will not be awarded co-champion, and their regular season win in Bama's backyard will mean absolutely zero. Same goes if Arkansas beats LSU in the regular season and then goes on to beat Bama in the title game.
The other thing I'd like to note is what these wins and losses actually mean to those who cry against a playoff. It definitely appears that two of these three teams will play for the NC: LSU, Arkansas, Alabama. The regular season game will mean absolutely zero unless LSU wins it all. If they play Bama again and lose, they will not be awarded co-champion, and their regular season win in Bama's backyard will mean absolutely zero. Same goes if Arkansas beats LSU in the regular season and then goes on to beat Bama in the title game.