What BYU fans need to know about Nebraska football

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What a Big Ten writer thinks BYU fans need to know about Nebraska football
By Matt Brown  @MattSBN on Aug 31, 2015, 6:04a

Okay, just who is Nebraska?

Only one of the most stories programs of all time, even if that shine has fallen off a little bit since the 1990s. Nebraska boasts more wins over "Power Five" programs than any other school, is fourth all time in total wins, claims five national titles, three Heisman winners, and claims perhaps the most dominant team in college football history, with their 1995 squad. Seriously, look at those box scores. You probably couldn't do better on your Xbox. At least, not if you played against a real difficulty level. I see you playin' on Varsity, and yes, I am judging you.

Granted, we're a little ways away from the fully weaponized Death Star Nebraska programs, but the team has still been plenty good in recent memory. Nebraska finished in the AP Poll four of the last six seasons, and will probably contend for a spot on that list for this season as well. This is a bit of a touchy subject for Nebraska fans, so BYU fans going to the game should bring it up as much as possible.

Coaching change? Who is coaching Nebraska now?

Bo Pelini, the foulmouthed and occasionally abrasive coach who was unable to do anything other than go 9-4, is off to Youngstown State, and Mike Riley, formerly of Oregon State, is now in charge, in a curious move. Riley's teams weren't consistent winners at Oregon State, but he was able to coax several very successful individual seasons, despite nearly always being at a talent disadvantage to his peers. That will rarely be the case at Nebraska, or at least, for this season.

Riley's season should be fascinating to watch. His temperament could not be more different from Pelini, as Riley is hailed as one of biggest nice guys in college football. Not in the sense that he wears fedoras and complains about women not dating him on the internet, but in actually being a kind, functional human being, something we perhaps take for granted. That doesn't mean he isn't a competitor or anything, but how his new approach plays in Lincoln, a fanbase that prides themselves as being the 'nicest in college football' (and they'll tell you about this too), it could be a good match. As long as he wins, of course.

The changes on the field could be significant too. Nebraska had been running a more spread-based power run attack, and has the personnel to fit that, but Riley's offensive system is much more pro style-focused, with an emphasis on a short and intermediate passing game. New defensive coordinator Mark Baker will try to shore up a unit that returns exciting talent on the defensive line and in the secondary, but struggled badly in run defense and in preventing big plays. Sometimes they did this at Oregon State. Sometimes they didn't.

It'll be a season of change at Nebraska, and their first game will be a stiff test.
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Pretty funny stuff in there. And there's actually quite a bit of info in it too.
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I think the writer puts too much emphasis on how NU's run defense looked last year when projecting this year. But no one really knows what this Husker team will look like, so it's probably as good an analysis as the next.

 
Tomhusker64 said:
Landlord of Memorial Stadium said:
In the Deed the Glory said:
Landlord of Memorial Stadium said:
We're actually 3rd all time in wins now. We passed Texas two years ago.
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Nope, not true.
Michigan 915

Norte Dame 882

Texas 881

Nebraska 874

Ohio State 863

Alabama/Oklahoma 850
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Weird. I swear I just saw a list that had us ahead of Texas like last week.
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That was a list from next October.
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Ha ha! I just hope we catch the Whorns and Neuter Dame before tOSU catches us. I think Texas is gonna suck for a few more years before they turn it around. Might not catch ND for a while. They seem more likely to win 9 or 10 games going forward. Meanwhile tOSU appears to be closing in on us at a rate of a game or two per year. GBR!

 
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Apparently they also need to know that Nebraska isn't Texas. They throw down the result of a couple Texas games like it's some sort of trump card that means something. Okay, so you played with some big boy programs, BFD. You're coming into Lincoln this week bitches. Better bring your A game.

 
I don't think you're giving BYU fans enough credit. BYU is arguably one of the most successful of the non power-5 programs. I think they've been wanting this game for DECADES, they KNOW who Nebraska is. It's unfortunate that we're a program in transition when it has to happen though.

 
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stargazer said:
I don't think you're giving BYU fans enough credit. BYU is arguably one of the most successful of the non power-5 programs. I think they've been wanting this game for DECADES, they KNOW who Nebraska is. It's unfortunate that we're a program in transition when it has to happen though.
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So what makes a "P5" aside from conference affiliations and geography? Wake Forest, Duke, Indiana, Purdue, Iowa State, Syracuse, Pitt, Utah, Washington State, Orgon State, NC State...all supposedly P5's. Why? Well most simple because of long ago history and geography. Most have stadiums that would have to stretch by 30 to 90% to equal BYU's LES. 65,000 seems small in Lincoln, but in states of similar size, Nebraska has corn and, well, Nebraska. Utah has three FBS programs. Before LES was expanded in 1982, the Cougars averaged 45,000 fans a game for over a decade before. The first time Utah's RES even reached a 45k capacity was when Utah Taxpayers forked over $80 million in 1998 be for the 2002 Winter Olympics. The never sold it out an entire season until 2008. Duke, Wake Forest, both P5, both small time.

There is this tendency to rely on this definition of big time based on conference affiliation. Well of the major FBS programs only 19 have ever won National titles. BYU is one of them. 18 are P5. 47 P5's have not. Is Big Time defined by profitibility? BYU has operated in the black for decades Other Athletic Department high points. Attendence, basketball arena of 20k, top ranked men and women's Olympic programs. Is BYU Ohio State? No, but with 18 national top 25 finishes in the last 37 seasons, the Cougars are in top 15 program territory.

My Pont is, the deleniation of P5 vs Non P5 is based on discrimination and possibly religious bigotry, not finances or program success. If BYU is not a major program, neither are probably half of those called P5. BYU is not alone. There are probably another 8-12 MAJOR programs among G5's that are better than half of your precious P5 in crowd. Cincinnati, Houston, East Carolina, CSU, Boise State, UCF, SDSU and maybe Utah State, South Florida and the service academies for sure. All are better than many P5's. That's the point! Using P5 as a title that supposedly sets any such program in a superior position than all other FBS programs is just nonsense.

 
LouieInNv said:
with 18 national top 25 finishes in the last 37 seasons, the Cougars are in top 15 program territory.
the deleniation of P5 vs Non P5 is based on discrimination and possibly religious bigotry
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lol.

 
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