Football program in precarious position?...

[nebcountry]

At least that's what Sipple is posing in this LJS article.

"Yes, it all feels somewhat precarious. Having covered Nebraska football since the early 1990s, I can't remember a time when such a substantial number of fans entered a season willing to let a seven- or eight-win season slide. That's a prevalent vibe. That's certainly the vibe among local media who adore Riley."

Sipple preaches patience while pointing to recruiting rankings, Diaco's defense, Riley-style qb's (Sipple specifies Lee, but I think it appropriate to include the other qb's), and that the OLine will perform with Cavanaugh.

What I find interesting is that Sipple is choosing to ignore '17 and '18. 2019 is his "bread and butter" year. So we've transitioned from being a "next year" team into a "3 years out" team?

 

[redwine65]

vegas says Nebraska win not win more than 6 games, should I bet the house on this? qb's that can hit a 10 yard pass seem to be my ace in the hole.

 

[litespeedhuskerfan]

vegas says Nebraska win not win more than 6 games, should I bet the house on this? qb's that can hit a 10 yard pass seem to be my ace in the hole.

If we win 6 games or less, all the hoopla we've heard about Lee will have been complete bullshit. If Lee has so much as a pulse, we'll win more than 6 games.

 

[Tuco Salamanca]

It's already up to 7.5 wins.

 

[litespeedhuskerfan]

It's already up to 7.5 wins.

That's more reasonable. Still hate that we're talking about 7 or 8 wins, but 6 was really hard to comprehend.

 

[Tuco Salamanca]

That's more reasonable. Still hate that we're talking about 7 or 8 wins, but 6 was really hard to comprehend.

I hear you. I'm not really a fan of win total bets. So many things change over the course of the season.

With that said, I gladly placed a unit on the over when it was 6. I strongly believe Nebraska will be favored in more than 6 games this season, maybe as many as 8.

 

[anon_umk0ifu6vj6zi]

Sipple changes his mind daily. Most likely inbetween trips to the nearest rest area for lonely truckers.

 

[inWV]

Other than the tOSU game and the road trip to Ped St, we will be favored or in tossup-ish games. If we get better productivity out of our Oline along with better luck on injuries, we will see if Tanner Lee really has the goods.

 

[Pennsyhusker]

Everything depends on the offensive line. If it looks the same as last year, expect 9-4 or 8-5. If the young talent matures and develops as they should, we could easily go 10-2.

Count me among the optimistic, yet impatient, crowd. I like Riley and I think we have a good season this year. But if we do go 8-5 or 9-4, with blowout losses to our biggest opponents, then I will be a grumbler. This is year 3 and, despite some roster holes, I expect to see us be competitive in every game. I expect to see improvement across the board. Absent that, I think many will start to doubt that Riley is the guy. Right or wrong, his seat will be warm.

Recruiting is one thing. Coaching is another. And I have big doubts about Cav and Davis. I want them to prove me wrong in the worst way. Husker nation is ready for a break out season. Shit, if Iowa can win 10 games with their roster of two and three stars, so should we.

 

[bigboxes]

Sipple is correct. We're trending toward Oregon State levels and that's not good. I don't know how I can put up with Mr. Smiley for another day, let alone another year.

Did I do that right?

 

[Tuco Salamanca]

Other than the tOSU game and the road trip to Ped St, we will be favored or in tossup-ish games. If we get better productivity out of our Oline along with better luck on injuries, we will see if Tanner Lee really has the goods.

Wisconsin opened as 9 point favorite if I remember correctly.

 

[BroskiRed]

So Sipple thinks that somehow high recruiting rankings and "stars" won't equate to high expectations in the coming years?
This recruiting is the best thing to happen to NU football in a long time. And I think that most fans understand that.
It puts the onus on the coaches to develop this talent and put it on the field. This is Riley's fourth recruiting class and it's dialed in better than previous years.
The coaching needs to match the recruiting, no doubt.
This is the same Sipple that probably cried about how Solich was let go, I'm sure I could find articles about that about how he wasn't given time for his teams to reach their full potential. It's come full circle again, only this time the ceiling appears much higher. A few fans here or there will split hairs over eight or nine wins. Others already realize that Nebraska can potentially elevate itself back to national relevance and playing for Conference Championships on a regular basis. We can and should be beasts in our division. You think that Alabama cares if they have two losses but get to go to the college playoff every year? I am not getting hung up on one win if Nebraska is trending toward the top of the league by this season's end. If we are still struggling with Minnesota and Northwestern and Iowa and losing those games, Husker Nation will be heard. Not sure what Sip is worried about
If anything Bo lowered the standard while he was here, I never heard so much talk about "9" wins. The standard at Nebraska should always be hardware, not wins. Sheesh, Sip, that's what everyone wants is for NU to make some real noise by winning those championship games.

 

[DudznSudz]

I thought it made sense; who knows how many wins we'll have this year, and the really impressive recruiting that has been going on won't pay dividends until at least 2018, but more likely 2019 anyway.

I agree with Tuco, too, about win total bets. They're stupid. I just read them as an early indicator of general confidence in a program. We started at 6 and are now up to 7.5? Good. That means a 7 or 8 win season is what is probably the most likely outcome given the level of talent we have and assuming a fairly normal amount of injuries. If we do better than that (especially once we see what we look like on the field in game 1 and, especially, game 2), awesome. If not, the way Riley is rebuilding our program is good enough to keep him around for a few more years.

Basically, I don't see a downside right now. Nebraska Football hasn't been trending up like this in quite some time.

 

[redfanusa]

Riley was ordered to unleash the beast, and from everything I have heard from people in North Stadium, that is exactly what is happening.

 

[anon_umk0ifu6vj6zi]

Sipple is correct. We're trending toward Oregon State levels and that's not good. I don't know how I can put up with Mr. Smiley for another day, let alone another year.

Did I do that right?

Don't dare get behind the current staff. Benning gave them props a couple times, and now some of the hph bloners have him on their hit list.

 

[Husker.Wed.]

Riley was ordered to unleash the beast, and from everything I have heard from people in North Stadium, that is exactly what is happening.

Can you elaborate on what unleashing the beast is?

 

[phoenix4nu]

Can you elaborate on what unleashing the beast is?

Hopefully it's not what Avery Moss was accused of doing.

 

[Lincoln100]

If we win 6 games or less, all the hoopla we've heard about Lee will have been complete bullshit. If Lee has so much as a pulse, we'll win more than 6 games.

I agree with this, assuming the O Line performs.

 

[Cornicator]

Other than the tOSU game and the road trip to Ped St, we will be favored or in tossup-ish games. If we get better productivity out of our Oline along with better luck on injuries, we will see if Tanner Lee really has the goods.

Vegas released more preseason lines today. The Huskers are 4 point dogs at Oregon and 8 point dogs to Wisconsin.

 

[Cornicator]

So Sipple thinks that somehow high recruiting rankings and "stars" won't equate to high expectations in the coming years?
This recruiting is the best thing to happen to NU football in a long time. And I think that most fans understand that.
It puts the onus on the coaches to develop this talent and put it on the field. This is Riley's fourth recruiting class and it's dialed in better than previous years.
The coaching needs to match the recruiting, no doubt.
This is the same Sipple that probably cried about how Solich was let go, I'm sure I could find articles about that about how he wasn't given time for his teams to reach their full potential. It's come full circle again, only this time the ceiling appears much higher. A few fans here or there will split hairs over eight or nine wins. Others already realize that Nebraska can potentially elevate itself back to national relevance and playing for Conference Championships on a regular basis. We can and should be beasts in our division. You think that Alabama cares if they have two losses but get to go to the college playoff every year? I am not getting hung up on one win if Nebraska is trending toward the top of the league by this season's end. If we are still struggling with Minnesota and Northwestern and Iowa and losing those games, Husker Nation will be heard. Not sure what Sip is worried about
If anything Bo lowered the standard while he was here, I never heard so much talk about "9" wins. The standard at Nebraska should always be hardware, not wins. Sheesh, Sip, that's what everyone wants is for NU to make some real noise by winning those championship games.

I'm not sure what exactly you read, but Sipple made the same argument you're making. I'm confused.

 

[dinglefritz]

Vegas released more preseason lines today. The Huskers are 4 point dogs at Oregon and 8 point dogs to Wisconsin.

Which given the fact that we'll be breaking in a new QB on the road isn't really all that surprising. Home field alone has to be worth 3 points I would think and maybe more given the atmosphere in those 2 stadiums. Should be fun to watch.

 

[Tuco Salamanca]

Wisconsin is in Lincoln

 

[dinglefritz]

Wisconsin is in Lincoln

I thought that after I had posted it but knew somebody would happily correct it if it was wrong.

 

[Tuco Salamanca]

I thought that after I had posted it but knew somebody would happily correct it if it was wrong.

Happy to oblige

 

[inWV]

I doubt the line against the cheese heads will be -9 by game week.

 

[nebcountry]

If we can win at least 7 regular season games this year, and weak links are replaced, then I won't complain too much. So, I'm in that portion of the fanbase to let a 7 or 8 win year slide.

I am disturbed by the 3 years out shift though. If we're gettin' better, are teams like Iowa and N'western getting better at the same pace? At some point, all this gettin' better HAS to result in wins, and it's not 3 years out.

 

[jedihusker]

Vegas released more preseason lines today. The Huskers are 4 point dogs at Oregon and 8 point dogs to Wisconsin.

The line against Oregon is at least understandable, second game of the season, first road game. Being that Oregon is breaking in a new coach and we beat them last year, I think it should be a little lower, and it might be by the time the game rolls around, but I can understand that line.

The line for the Wisconsin game, on the other hand, is ridiculous. First of all, even putting a line on the sixth game of the season, and third conference game, this early seems stupid. I understand it will probably change between now and then, but putting a line like that, this far out, seems stupid. Plus, it's Wisconsin's first conference road game.

I just can't come up with any logical reason, rose colored glasses or not, they would be favored by that much. They beat Nebraska, at home, by six points in Overtime last year. They didn't make any sort of drastic improvement anywhere that would make you think they would be significantly better than last year. On the other hand, if Nebraska had a decent passing QB in the game last year, they could have very likely won that game, and there is an improvement in that area.

I'm not guaranteeing Nebraska wins the game; I'm not even guaranteeing Nebraska doesn't lose by 8 or more points, it's way too far out to even begin to make statements like that. However, I personally don't see how anyone could look at that game and logically conclude that Wisconsin will win by 8 or more points, based on what is known right now.

 

[bigboxes]

If we can win at least 7 regular season games this year, and weak links are replaced, then I won't complain too much. So, I'm in that portion of the fanbase to let a 7 or 8 win year slide.

I am disturbed by the 3 years out shift though. If we're gettin' better, are teams like Iowa and N'western getting better at the same pace? At some point, all this gettin' better HAS to result in wins, and it's not 3 years out.

I think we had to shift to move to the next level. Banker just wasn't going to get it done. Diaco was a definite upgrade and well worth the shift after 3-years. D-Will, Parrella, Bray, Elliott... what's not to like? If we can show some patience here the future looks bright.

I think we are 8 wins at worst. Honestly, this team better show improvement from week to week. It's gonna be fun!

 

[Pennsyhusker]

Riley was ordered to unleash the beast, and from everything I have heard from people in North Stadium, that is exactly what is happening.

This is way to cryptic. What does this even mean?

 

[chicolby]

I think Sipple is right on. The talent being brought in is a definite upgrade, in both talent and character. But that talent is YOUNG. If we assume the talent is too young to make much of an impact this season, then they start to jibe next season, great - but the 2018 season has a monster road schedule and it is very possible with young talent and some tough losses for a record to look less than stellar. I believe 2019 is the year to bring everything together. Unfortunately, the previous coaching staff was able to string together 9 win seasons, but if you look behind the curtains, there was no strategy in place to move beyond that threshold. The team needed to be rebuilt, and like it or not, it takes time.

I think the talent coming in and the culture upgrade is definitely on the right path and I'm patient.

 

[Nebraska Fan]

far out

 

[meo1960]

I thought it made sense; who knows how many wins we'll have this year, and the really impressive recruiting that has been going on won't pay dividends until at least 2018, but more likely 2019 anyway.

I agree with Tuco, too, about win total bets. They're stupid. I just read them as an early indicator of general confidence in a program. We started at 6 and are now up to 7.5? Good. That means a 7 or 8 win season is what is probably the most likely outcome given the level of talent we have and assuming a fairly normal amount of injuries. If we do better than that (especially once we see what we look like on the field in game 1 and, especially, game 2), awesome. If not, the way Riley is rebuilding our program is good enough to keep him around for a few more years.

Basically, I don't see a downside right now. Nebraska Football hasn't been trending up like this in quite some time.

iirc, I was reading the same thing about recruiting last year at this time, and by signing day, we ended up right about where Bo n staff had been. iirc, BO averaged about 23rd for his tenure and I thought Riley was at 26 avg. ranked class for his 2 classes. In any case, recruiting is something to help pass the time in the off season. Only thing that really matters happens on Saturdays, in the fall.

 

[SnohomishRed]

I think Sipple is right on. The talent being brought in is a definite upgrade, in both talent and character. But that talent is YOUNG. If we assume the talent is too young to make much of an impact this season, then they start to jibe next season, great - but the 2018 season has a monster road schedule and it is very possible with young talent and some tough losses for a record to look less than stellar. I believe 2019 is the year to bring everything together. Unfortunately, the previous coaching staff was able to string together 9 win seasons, but if you look behind the curtains, there was no strategy in place to move beyond that threshold. The team needed to be rebuilt, and like it or not, it takes time.

I think the talent coming in and the culture upgrade is definitely on the right path and I'm patient.

If the moves and recruits Riley has made in three years is working we see marked improvement this year - record is one way to look at it but Husker fans know a good play when they see it. If we play sound and are in every game I am satisfied progress is being made. If we see the same old mistakes/penalties and get blown out a few times I do not see that as progress of any kind- I really cant see the thinking we need to wait until 2019 to see some good football

 

[Toms Wife]

How upgraded is our talent? I see lots of talk but it's not like we are pulling Top Ten classes. In terms of rankings we probably are just a few spots ahead of Pelini...and not close to the top ten classes of Frank or Cally.

 

[c2o]

How upgraded is our talent? I see lots of talk but it's not like we are pulling Top Ten classes. In terms of rankings we probably are just a few spots ahead of Pelini...and not close to the top ten classes of Frank or Cally.

wow
I'm just gonna

no

 

[timnsun]

How upgraded is our talent? I see lots of talk but it's not like we are pulling Top Ten classes. In terms of rankings we probably are just a few spots ahead of Pelini...and not close to the top ten classes of Frank or Cally.

Well said... similar to my thoughts of Tulsa Tom - errr, Tom's Wife... I see lots of talk but no upgrades as a poster.

Same flame throwing, different name.

 

[hddude55]

I would be more concerned if we had the 2018 schedule with a new qb. Obviously we'd better hope he is as good as advertised.

 

[jackie_moon33]

How upgraded is our talent? I see lots of talk but it's not like we are pulling Top Ten classes. In terms of rankings we probably are just a few spots ahead of Pelini...and not close to the top ten classes of Frank or Cally.

 

[BroskiRed]

I'm not sure what exactly you read, but Sipple made the same argument you're making. I'm confused.

Spot on. Thanks Corn. I skimmed the article mostly the first part about the South Carolina fan.
My sentiments were the exact same, after I re-read. My bad fellas, carry on.
Maybe an old dog like Sipple can still learn a thing or two. As can I, thanks Cornicator

 

[Hoosker Du]

This is way to cryptic. What does this even mean?

There is a large beast roaming around north stadium. It's smell is repugnant, it's demeanor, vile, and its appearance, disgusting..