What's the future for NU football? Forecasting five years down the road

"Five years from now, I see a coach with Big 10 ties leading the program. It's time we actually did embrace that idea. Most of the team's we play, even in the future of super conferences, will have a Big 10 flavor to the way they go about their business. Bo came in and tried Big 12 strategies in the Big 10. Didn't work. Mike came in and tried PAC strategies, didn't work. And Scott has tried Oregon/UCF strategies and it hasn't worked well, at least on the offensive side. Plus, our future in recruiting is in the Big 10 footprint."

During the years that Nebraska had the most success was running an offense that was counter to what the rest of the country was running. Eventually teams caught up with us and Osborne revamped the defense and tweaked the offense to stay ahead of the pack. As always the secret to any success begins with recruiting players who fit the system you want to run. We have to be cutting edge with the portal, NIL and nationwide recruiting. If major college football goes the route of two major 20-24 team conferences with a 16 team playoff at the end of the season will be the wild wild west all over again. 

 
tmfr15 said:
It's hard to believe that it has been seven years since ADSE dumped Bo in favor of Mike. It's equally hard to believe that, in those seven years, Nebraska has been bowling just twice and has finished with a winning record just once.

Even a pessimist would have given a better forecast for the Huskers seven years removed from Coach Pelini. 

And in all these years, we have re-lived and re-lived Bo and how it could have been different.

These days, I am thinking about the future. And hoping it's a bit better. Surely, we are all doing that. So, in the spirit of looking forward, and not just a few weeks to this season, but five years into the future, what are we thinking NU football will end up looking like?

I give Coach Frost and Trev credit for trying to make moves to put Nebraska in better position, but try as I might, I do not see it working out.

I thought it would end last year. Buy out expense might have changed that.

Five years from now, I see a coach with Big 10 ties leading the program. It's time we actually did embrace that idea. Most of the team's we play, even in the future of super conferences, will have a Big 10 flavor to the way they go about their business. Bo came in and tried Big 12 strategies in the Big 10. Didn't work. Mike came in and tried PAC strategies, didn't work. And Scott has tried Oregon/UCF strategies and it hasn't worked well, at least on the offensive side. Plus, our future in recruiting is in the Big 10 footprint.

If/when Scott leaves us, I don't see Nebraska breaking the bank to bring in a super exciting coach. That's just not our style.

I think we will get a solid but not flashy coach to lead us to solid seasons and back into regular bowls or to the playoffs assuming that the playoffs grow to be huge and the bowls go away.

Maybe I am wrong and Scott's offseason moves will put us in great position and we will be extremely relevant going forward. Then again, Mark is not young, so even that prediction might have a provision for replacing the OC.

Thoughts?
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My thought is let the season play out before you are firing Scott Frost.  I would have understood completely if Trev Alberts had fired Frost at the end of the season.  He chose a different path, which I am also fine with.   

You just have to let it go.  Unless Frost starts out something like 1-5 this year, he is not being fired at midseason.  He has this season to audition. He knows that his job is on the line. Lets not throw dirt on his corpse until it is one.  

 
Cdog923 said:
There's a better than decent chance that college football will be a vastly different enterprise in 5 years, and where Nebraska football fits into it is probably a more interesting question to discuss. 
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No doubt. If we turn this thing around it’s going to be with new CFB rules. Which means pay for play, one year portal players, and deemphasizing recruiting for the fix it now rental players. I’m not sure how this will fit into the fan culture. Most of us have stuck around through 20 years of inconsistent but mostly nondominate results, but we’re not attracting many new fans to offset the loss of the “die-hards” 
 

maybe winning will cure all and the new CFB will appeal to the younger fan base. I hope because fan support is the only way we can buy the players we will need every year. 

 
The elites will be the deepest pockets that can buy (rent) their rosters.  Idk how NU can keep up with the ultra wealthy schools with billions unless some big corp sponsors step forward to help.  Need a contract with a few Neb based companies to compete.  
 

We will, if we can find a way off the conference bottom tier, but gotta get to it.  The  market place / spaces will fill up fast.  Only room for so many (couple dozen ??) and there are schools like TX, A&M, OSU, MI, AB probably, and 4-5 more that are multi billion types that have deep pockets already.  
 

Not sure facilities we are building will really mean a whole lot.  And, all that Big Ten money from media rights won’t go toward NIL since it’s only an equal share with a bunch of others.    Trev is gonna have to cut expense anyway he can I’d say.  To compete in a few sports, the non revenue sports will need more self sufficiency.  

I still believe, absent Congress getting involved which would be a political and regulatory nightmare, the big time cfb will be down to around 64 schools.  I don’t see room for more.  Many teams will be left out.  I hope DONU isn’t one of them.  To stay ‘in’, need to win and get relevant now. 3-4 more years of struggle probably be too late.  

 
84HuskerLaw said:
The elites will be the deepest pockets that can buy (rent) their rosters.  Idk how NU can keep up with the ultra wealthy schools with billions unless some big corp sponsors step forward to help.  Need a contract with a few Neb based companies to compete.  
 

We will, if we can find a way off the conference bottom tier, but gotta get to it.  The  market place / spaces will fill up fast.  Only room for so many (couple dozen ??) and there are schools like TX, A&M, OSU, MI, AB probably, and 4-5 more that are multi billion types that have deep pockets already.  
 

Not sure facilities we are building will really mean a whole lot.  And, all that Big Ten money from media rights won’t go toward NIL since it’s only an equal share with a bunch of others.    Trev is gonna have to cut expense anyway he can I’d say.  To compete in a few sports, the non revenue sports will need more self sufficiency.  

I still believe, absent Congress getting involved which would be a political and regulatory nightmare, the big time cfb will be down to around 64 schools.  I don’t see room for more.  Many teams will be left out.  I hope DONU isn’t one of them.  To stay ‘in’, need to win and get relevant now. 3-4 more years of struggle probably be too late.  
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Paging Warren Buffet. 

 
NUinID said:
My thought is let the season play out before you are firing Scott Frost.  I would have understood completely if Trev Alberts had fired Frost at the end of the season.  He chose a different path, which I am also fine with.   

You just have to let it go.  Unless Frost starts out something like 1-5 this year, he is not being fired at midseason.  He has this season to audition. He knows that his job is on the line. Lets not throw dirt on his corpse until it is one.  
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Ya, I agree.  But sadly, the folks who know with the easy schedule that we should go 8-4 or better will come out like roaches to roast Frost for any slips.  Rather than wait for him to lay his egg they will stir and muddy the water like a shark circling the prey.   

Scott needs the whole year and 100% trust to give his best and all.

I will be rooting for him.  Even though my personal prediction is 5-7, I will listen or watch each game and be elated for anything better.

Go Big Red!

 
84HuskerLaw said:
The elites will be the deepest pockets that can buy (rent) their rosters.  Idk how NU can keep up with the ultra wealthy schools with billions unless some big corp sponsors step forward to help.  Need a contract with a few Neb based companies to compete.  
 

We will, if we can find a way off the conference bottom tier, but gotta get to it.  The  market place / spaces will fill up fast.  Only room for so many (couple dozen ??) and there are schools like TX, A&M, OSU, MI, AB probably, and 4-5 more that are multi billion types that have deep pockets already.  
 

Not sure facilities we are building will really mean a whole lot.  And, all that Big Ten money from media rights won’t go toward NIL since it’s only an equal share with a bunch of others.    Trev is gonna have to cut expense anyway he can I’d say.  To compete in a few sports, the non revenue sports will need more self sufficiency.  

I still believe, absent Congress getting involved which would be a political and regulatory nightmare, the big time cfb will be down to around 64 schools.  I don’t see room for more.  Many teams will be left out.  I hope DONU isn’t one of them.  To stay ‘in’, need to win and get relevant now. 3-4 more years of struggle probably be too late.  
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Can you outline who some of these schools are?  Not sure if this is your intent but you make it sound like were a smaller university without pocket books to match any other school in the country... We're one of 15-20 that actually is a profitable operation.  We're one of the few major programs without another major program within our state.  We're one of the few major programs without a pro entity in our state.

Our problem isnt the lack of money, backing and resources, its piss poor execution for probably 20 going on 25 years now. 

There's no way in hell we're getting left out of the top 64 schools lol

 
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After watching the MJ interview I am optimistic that we have found the salty-dog leadership that we need to be consistently competitive. 

 
gossamorharpy said:
Can you outline who some of these schools are?  Not sure if this is your intent but you make it sound like were a smaller university without pocket books to match any other school in the country... We're one of 15-20 that actually is a profitable operation.  We're one of the few major programs without another major program within our state.  We're one of the few major programs without a pro entity in our state.

Our problem isnt the lack of money, backing and resources, its piss poor execution for probably 20 going on 25 years now. 

There's no way in hell we're getting left out of the top 64 schools lol
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I listed a few.  Google the top 20 major college foundation $$.  It’s not the athletic Dept budgets, it’s the billionaire boosters and alumni and trust funds and corporate supporters AVAILABLE to the NIL funding orgs.  I believe Oregon Ducks have Nike behind them, for example.  Nike can find and fund via NIL all the players Oregon wants. 
 

Maybe NU can get Elon Musk to sponsor the team full?    Lol.  UT and A&M have hundreds/thousands of ultra wealthy boosters as well as huge advertising markets.  
 

Nebraska does not (Buffet could but he’s not a UNL sports supporter from all reports).  You need a bunch of very deep pockets.  It’s not Ath Dept funds but outside bucks at stake.  
 

As I say, NU is a ‘national brand’ although it’s not a top 5 brand as it was in the 1990s.  But it’s brand is fading fast.  There are still a lot of fans that will, imo, jump back on the Husker wagon, but it’s gotta happen quick.  This is my sense.  You can probably get a good list of the favorite/popular brands by searching the annual retail sales of sports team apparel/gear.   NU still pulls top 20 TV #s for most games and, I believe the #s would nearly double, if NEB wins 10 games and Big Ten west, this fall.  
 

Just my sense from visiting with fans around the country, at bowl games, etc.   But one needs to consider that recent numbers reflect the NU TV games have disproportionately included other big brand schools due to our scheduling by Big Ten so audience draw is a combined figure.
 

 The Big ten has milked NU branding to the max.  

I suspect the Big Ten knows NU needs a good season or two just to refresh the fan base before it’s lost indefinitely.  This might just help us this fall.  We could be the best Big Ten brand to put in the championship vs OSU/MI this fall.  This would be wonderful and probably mostly wishful thinking but it makes Big Ten sense. Especially with all the media and merger talks going behind the scenes right now.  

 
TGHusker said:
The Way we  Were!

5 years from now:   NATIONAL CHAMPIONS BABY  chuckleshuffle :koolaid2:
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I remember sitting in the stadium for pregame in college, early 2000s, and they would play "Glory Days" by Bruce Springsteen.  I remember thinking why in the hell do you play that at Nebraska when we are trending downwards?!  Here we are.  Thanks stadium music guy, you utter moron. 

 
tmfr15 said:
I think we will get a solid but not flashy coach to lead us to solid seasons and back into regular bowls or to the playoffs assuming that the playoffs grow to be huge and the bowls go away.
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NU is going to hire Kirk Ferentz?

Hooked on Huskers said:
We need to change Tunnel Walk song from Sirius to Barbra Streisand  ;)
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"There's not a thing that I would change

'Cause you're amazing

Just the way you are"

 
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BigRedN said:
Scott needs the whole year and 100% trust to give his best and all.

my personal prediction is 5-7
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These two statements seem at odds to me. 

I get it. These four years have been tough. That's why I worry that it won't work.

Do I want it to work? YES!

Do I think Scott and Trev had a great offseason in working towards that? YES!

Can I say I am 100 percent confident? No

Five years down the road, I am hoping that we will be able to say Scott found his way through this hardship and that we are now winning a decent number of games and blah, blah, blah.

I honestly don't know who we would hire if it doesn't pan out. I am still in shock that it hasn't to this point. When Scott came on, I thought, THIS IS IT. WE FINALLY GOT IT RIGHT.

Hoping that if the bad happens, there will be somebody who can just grind us back to getting the job done more than we don't.

 
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