Do we win the West next year?
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Whomever can vote no doubt or no chance in hell is feeling a little bold. There's no reason this team can't make a sizable leap with another year of experience on D and a QB that more than likely will fit what Langsdorf wants to do offensively.
On the other hand, Wisconsin returns a lot of talent from their team and should be the favorites (again) but Nebraska plays them at home and tends to match up pretty well with Wisconsin (sans a couple games with Pelini as coach).
On the other hand, Wisconsin returns a lot of talent from their team and should be the favorites (again) but Nebraska plays them at home and tends to match up pretty well with Wisconsin (sans a couple games with Pelini as coach).
Gonna be a very young squad at a lot of crucial spots next year. They will miss guys like Bando, Gerry, Westy, Reilly, Maurice and Newby. I think you get one of those young teams that flashes its talent and potential at times and then struggles to put it together at other times.
Iowa will be right where Iowa always is, the real question is whether Wisconsin continues to play way better than where you'd think they would be based on their recruiting rankings. We keep predicting their demise and they keep right on running the ball and playing good defense.
Iowa will be right where Iowa always is, the real question is whether Wisconsin continues to play way better than where you'd think they would be based on their recruiting rankings. We keep predicting their demise and they keep right on running the ball and playing good defense.
Where is Iowa always at?
Since 1999 when Ferentz took over
1-10
3-9
7-5
11-2
10-3
10-2
7-5
6-7
6-6
9-4
11-2
8-5
7-6
4-8
8-5
7-6
12-2
8-4
They are the poster children for mediocre football.
Just because they have won 2 in a row over Nebraska doesn't mean they are the program to emulate. If Riley has the same levels of inconsistency in wins and losses as Ferentz, he would be run out of town. Please stop with this ridiculousness.
Since 1999 when Ferentz took over
1-10
3-9
7-5
11-2
10-3
10-2
7-5
6-7
6-6
9-4
11-2
8-5
7-6
4-8
8-5
7-6
12-2
8-4
They are the poster children for mediocre football.
Just because they have won 2 in a row over Nebraska doesn't mean they are the program to emulate. If Riley has the same levels of inconsistency in wins and losses as Ferentz, he would be run out of town. Please stop with this ridiculousness.
The question is whether Lee or POB is a sufficient enough upgrade in the passing game to loosen the Badger and Hawkeye Ds off the line of scrimmage. They have a way of making even very good running attacks look ordinary. We are not now even very good. Obviously we will need better play from our Oline, or to be fair, a chance for an Oline to play healthy.
I do not know the answer to the Lee/POB question, although some on the board have been high on Tanner Lee. Coach Williams will earn his paycheck getting some young receivers ready to play significant snaps.
Defensively, we lose KM ad Dzuris. We have DavisX2/Stoltenberg in the middle, but do we have someone as reliable as Dzuris? The loss of Bando, MRI and Nate cannot be underestimated.
I am bold apparently. No doubt they will win the west!
The OL will be better with Gates, Foster, and Farmer all that much more experienced.
Good young receivers with a QB that can get them the ball. (You could say I read and believed the players and posters on here that said Lee was impressive in fall camp and on scout team).
Bryant, Ozigbo, Wilbon will all have experience and knowledge of the offense and they have good potential as a group.
Gerry will be missed, but the play of both Williams and our CBs has me feeling good about the back end of the D.
Last year's LB class was decent and had some speed. Hopefully Young and Newby can take the next step to improve their game and lead the defense.
The DTs will be better under year two of Parrella and a year older. Not sure about the DEs though.
Tougher schedule because of Penn st. Same schedule as this year otherwise, except some of the same teams will be better next year (NW and OSU).
Before the season, I had hopes of a at least a 10-2 record for this year at this point in the season.
Realistically, there is no way we beat OSU next year.
Riley better kick ass next year because 2018 will be tough.
The OL will be better with Gates, Foster, and Farmer all that much more experienced.
Good young receivers with a QB that can get them the ball. (You could say I read and believed the players and posters on here that said Lee was impressive in fall camp and on scout team).
Bryant, Ozigbo, Wilbon will all have experience and knowledge of the offense and they have good potential as a group.
Gerry will be missed, but the play of both Williams and our CBs has me feeling good about the back end of the D.
Last year's LB class was decent and had some speed. Hopefully Young and Newby can take the next step to improve their game and lead the defense.
The DTs will be better under year two of Parrella and a year older. Not sure about the DEs though.
Tougher schedule because of Penn st. Same schedule as this year otherwise, except some of the same teams will be better next year (NW and OSU).
Before the season, I had hopes of a at least a 10-2 record for this year at this point in the season.
Realistically, there is no way we beat OSU next year.
Riley better kick ass next year because 2018 will be tough.
Well said Twins. I agree with most all of that. I'm hopeful Daishon Neal and Sed King can step up more at DE (perhaps wishful thinking...I dunno). Also agree that our schedule gets really challenging after next yr. Very excited to see what our QB play looks like going forward.
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GBR
The team's 3rd year in the system...these players will have more time with Riley than they had with Bo..so the culture excuse is out the door.
We return 4 of 5 OL
3 of 4 starters on the DL and 7 to 8 starters on defense
A QB in his 4th year in college and a year in the system.
A great kicker and return man
Yes we should win the division or we are not progressing.
We return 4 of 5 OL
3 of 4 starters on the DL and 7 to 8 starters on defense
A QB in his 4th year in college and a year in the system.
A great kicker and return man
Yes we should win the division or we are not progressing.
Hopefully, as 2018 looks pretty iffy with our schedule. If not, the pressure will certainly be on.
And yet we can't objectively expect to pencil in a W against them. That's your answer to where Iowa always is. Nothing sexy about them, you know exactly what they're going to do and they'll do it with so-so talent, and yet we can't guarantee we'll beat them.
Nobody is saying Iowa is great. They're not. Point is, neither is Nebraska. And until they can put Iowa in the rear-view mirror, NU is just in the race for the top of the 2nd tier in the B1G. Looking up at UM, OSU and to a lesser extent UW.
Bunch of 2 loss seasons on that list. Where's Nebraska's most recent 2 loss or better season? 15 years ago. Meaning there are kids in high school who weren't born yet when it happened.
4 over 18 seasons. Last one before last year was 2008. There are more 6 loss seasons on that list(5) even if you take out the first two years. Not sure that's really a record we want to emulate.
I think they will be the most talented team in the west next year.
Defense
Call me crazy, but I like the look of the dline starters. Stoltenberg and the Davis twins make a solid front in the middle. Maybe slide Daishon down?
Freedom has a chance to break out in his junior year. The other end spot has a lot of compentition and will be filled by someone who can play.
Linebackers look like a strong point, building really good depth. Young, Newby, Gifford and Weber have played a lot of good football. TFerg comes off redshirt and looks like a player. Barry flashed on special teams. And there are a number of red shirts and true freshman that may play (Avery Roberts).
DB is loaded despite losing Gerry. 4 staters back, Reed is a playmaker, Jackson played pretty well as a true freshman. Maybe the best position group. Good depth behind those 6.
Offense
Not sure what to make of the O Line. I want to think they could be great. Left side is solid, Gates and Foster. Right side is questionable and I think both jobs are open. Farmer and Conrad probably start there in the spring, Rairdon, Barnett, Wilson all push Farmer. Right tackle will be a good battle, Knevel is still there, Gaylord, and Farniok will get looks. Wild card is if they pulled in a recruiting coup with Foster Sarrell. Then they have to find a center. Decker seems like the guy who will get the first shot, Rairdon and Wilson probably get looks too. Regardless of how that all shakes out, I like that they seem to have options and that there should be some competition.
Tight end looks like Hoopes and a bunch of young guys. Flipping Englehaup from WYO last year, may turn out to be a big deal. Lots of questions here.
Morgan, DPE, Rahm and Reimers all flashed. Will Lavan Alston develop? Hear a lot of good stuff about spielman. Hello true freshmen receivers. Think we're fine here.
Running back is fine. Bryant is going to be really good. 22 and 21 are solid. Would really like to add a true freshman to the mix here.
That leaves quarterback. The entire season hinges on the qbs ability to complete passes. Next year, if the QB is a 55% passer, the team probably only wins 6-8 games. If they get to 65%, 10-2 and a west championship will happen. That's a big if.
Defense
Call me crazy, but I like the look of the dline starters. Stoltenberg and the Davis twins make a solid front in the middle. Maybe slide Daishon down?
Freedom has a chance to break out in his junior year. The other end spot has a lot of compentition and will be filled by someone who can play.
Linebackers look like a strong point, building really good depth. Young, Newby, Gifford and Weber have played a lot of good football. TFerg comes off redshirt and looks like a player. Barry flashed on special teams. And there are a number of red shirts and true freshman that may play (Avery Roberts).
DB is loaded despite losing Gerry. 4 staters back, Reed is a playmaker, Jackson played pretty well as a true freshman. Maybe the best position group. Good depth behind those 6.
Offense
Not sure what to make of the O Line. I want to think they could be great. Left side is solid, Gates and Foster. Right side is questionable and I think both jobs are open. Farmer and Conrad probably start there in the spring, Rairdon, Barnett, Wilson all push Farmer. Right tackle will be a good battle, Knevel is still there, Gaylord, and Farniok will get looks. Wild card is if they pulled in a recruiting coup with Foster Sarrell. Then they have to find a center. Decker seems like the guy who will get the first shot, Rairdon and Wilson probably get looks too. Regardless of how that all shakes out, I like that they seem to have options and that there should be some competition.
Tight end looks like Hoopes and a bunch of young guys. Flipping Englehaup from WYO last year, may turn out to be a big deal. Lots of questions here.
Morgan, DPE, Rahm and Reimers all flashed. Will Lavan Alston develop? Hear a lot of good stuff about spielman. Hello true freshmen receivers. Think we're fine here.
Running back is fine. Bryant is going to be really good. 22 and 21 are solid. Would really like to add a true freshman to the mix here.
That leaves quarterback. The entire season hinges on the qbs ability to complete passes. Next year, if the QB is a 55% passer, the team probably only wins 6-8 games. If they get to 65%, 10-2 and a west championship will happen. That's a big if.
Correct
And if Shatel wrote that same article after the 2014 whet Iowa was coming off 4-8, 8-5, 7-6 season he would have been laughed out of town by the same folks saying he nailed it in his article.
Chris jones tweeted this morning that he is coming back next year. That most definitely helps!
I am less optimistic about the D. Freedom could not consistently anchor the end and D's picked on him constantly. Many thought he would be a sack machine and it has not worked out that way. Who takes over the other side? There are candidates but no one with experience. Our D line play was spotty - Stoltenberg is a converted O lineman and got blasted off the line at times. We should be a little better there just based on experience but not substantially. I am really concerned about LBers. Where is the speed, quickness and overall instincts for the LB position. Are we going to find that guy who can come off the edge? Likely this will be someone we haven't seen play yet. We have had the same MLB for three years without much back up there. The secondary is good and solid with question marks. I had actually hoped they would dominate and it was apparent that Banker wasn't going to take a chance on that. I think the D has a long ways to go.
The O will be OK up front - not great but better. Right tackle and center will be the challenges. Finding a good center will be key as they have a lot of responsibilities. We are good at RB but not great. Wilbon couldn't find the field even with injuries and OZ, while solid, is not a premier back - Tre will shoulder the load. Some depends on how Langs uses everyone next year. Receivers will be serviceable. A lot of unknowns in that mix. We have talked about QB, who knows what will look like. I think the O improves some but not drastically.
Overall, the team gets better with lots of holes to fill but to me the biggest thing is this team could easily be 20% better only to find many of their opponents are 30% better. It could be a rough year - certainly it will be a challenge each and every week. If we win the west, we certainly will have earned it. I am taking a wait and see attitude.
Stoltenberg started this year.and I consider Carlos Davis a starter.....cheating a Lil bit..lol
No one wants to emulate their program.
What they have done, however, is more with less talent. Ferentz is terribly inconsistent, and Nebraska will always be able to out-recruit them. Their program is not what needs to be emulated....but that style you saw last Friday DOES.
Whether people like it or not we are their little brother right now. It's reality.
Tommy's freshman year when RKII started at QB, Iowa came into Memorial and knocked us around. IIRC, Ameer received a serious bell ringing. If we play in the B1G, we need to play B1G type of football.
It's not, and yet their peaks have been better than Nebraska's peaks lately while both teams have had some ugly valleys. Step one is NU needs to be consistently better than Wisconsin and Iowa. The facts tell us right now they haven't been.
When you say Wiscy should be favorites "again", I am not sure what that means? I believe this weekends Big 10 final includes the team picked 3rd in the West(wiscy) and 4th in the east(PSU). We had likely best get er done next year, because 2018 has us playing at wiscy/osu/mich and includes an up-n-coming Colorado team, yikes.
Oh no...the Puffaloes!! Run for your lives (I know they're better but let's not go to far just yet here)....
GBR
GBR
Sorry that I confused you. "Again" was meant to reflect repeating.
Right. In the end, is a bunch of 9 win seasons (team A) really any better than a 7 or 8 win team (B) if said team (B) wins some top 10-20 games sprinkled into those seasons? The bowl games these types of teams play in are pretty interchangeable.
Then you have that same 7 or 8 win team (B) that will occasionally play for a B1G title while the other team still wins 9 (A) & plays in the same bowl game they have always known.
I think most would prefer team B & that resume. Obviously, both want more but one is achieving slightly more than the other.
Possibly, maybe not. It will depend, at least in part, on which QB takes the reigns. Breaking in a new QB is not a smooth process, expect a bumpy ride early. There are a few question marks with all the contenders. Its premature to confidently proclaim that the next QB will be an upgrade.
CU has a lot of seniors this year and most likely will take a step back.. At least by then we should be more competitive.
It won't matter which qb starts. Major upgrade is coming at the qb position. It honestly couldn't get worse, even though some on here think TA was great....
Winning 9 games a year means you are in the running more than likely to win your division....so yes winning 9 games is very important.......I can't believe our fans haven't realized that already.
Really? How many top 10 finishes has Iowa had since Ferentz has been at Iowa?
Really? How many top 10 finishes has Iowa had since Ferentz has been the coach at Iowa? Please compare that to Nebraska during the same period of time. Included are a Rose and two Orange bowl appearances. How many has Nebraska had during the same period of time?
Who cares about an occasional top 10 finish. I mean besides teams that don't have anything else to brag about. Iowa fans were seen chanting WE'RE NUMBER 8!!!! WERE NUMBER 8!!!!
How many national championship games has Ferentz led Iowa to? Nebraska has at least one of those since Ferentz was named head coach at Iowa.
As far as major bowl games in that time frame there is a Fiesta and a Rose and 2 top 5 finishes and a third top 10.
So please come stronger. Other than your schedule aided anomaly of a season last year, Iowa is a mediocre football team.
I voted "maybe", call it the optimist in me. No dominating teams in our division, so it could be up for grabs.
I doubt anyone in Husker nation wants to be known for winning 9 games.
I doubt anyone in Husker nation wants to be known for winning 9 games.
Which year since 99 did Nebraska play in the national championship game? I dont remember.
