Let's be realistic 7-5 would be a really good season

[SnohomishRed]

I think coach Frost is going to be great here and I am excited as I think this team is going to be better that we thought. However every time I get excited about the possibilities of this season I look at the schedule it is absolutely brutal

I expect to be a competitive team especially against our west foes. If we had Iowa's schedule then we could really make some noise but we do not.

I will be happy with getting better through the year and being competitive on the field

 

[TFrazier]

An 8-5 regular season record, winning the bowl game, and a successful biodegradable balloon launch at each home game...count me in!!!

 

[Solana Beach Husker]

The schedule isn't as killer as it could be because our non-con is against a weak opponent...imagine playing Clemson in the 2nd game, and we still get a lot of powder puff big 10 teams. We have above average talent, decent depth, and if we are healthy and have a positive turnover differential we should beat Akron, Colorado, Purdue, Troy, Northwestern, Minnesota, Illinois , Iowa...that is 8 wins that should be a given if we are maximizing our talent. If Urban is fired then anything can happen with Ohio State, Wisky is very beatable as is michigan state. Michigan, early in the season, is the most difficult to imagine winning. So we could conceivably win 9-10 if we beat Michigan state and Wisconsin and the last time Ohio State lost their head coach they finished 6-6 so that could be a possibility. I would say 7 wins would be a slight disappointment because we have more talent than 8 teams on our schedule...and we always give michigan state problems. Our schedule the last few years was SO soft that people are overestimating this one a bit...but road games against Ohio state, michigan, Wisky, would certainly make for a rough national championship run. We don't need to go undefeated but just need to beat teams that have less talent.

 

[inWV]

Just watch the Big Ten Network's hour on their NU visit. Those guys were really impressed. Said the practiced they watched was the second best of their visits and the fact that it was the day after a scrimmage was really something. Frost stated that he feels the team has gotten a little better with each practice and his goal for the season is the same. Getting better with each game.
So I the season's trajectory depends on the product that takes the field against Akron. Is the game over by half time? The second big yard stick in Michigan in the Big House. Does NU compete on the road against an upper echelon B1G team, win or lose?
I see the games against Michigan, Wisconsin and tOSU in a class by themselves in terms of win/loss (very likely losses). How the rest of the schedule plays out is very much determined by what kind of NU team starts the season. I think it's unlikely NU runs the table on the rest of the schedule, but it's not out of the realm of possibility if the team gets on a roll in the non-conference.

 

[cornhustler]

Erroneous! Multitudinous threads pontificate, ad nauseam, that the number of stars collected (recruiting ranking) on signing day is the best predictor of future success. Nebraska has collected more stars (higher recruiting ranking) than all but Michigan, Michigan St. and Ohio St. ipso facto we lose 3 games, 4 if really unlucky. #GBR

 

[SnohomishRed]

The schedule isn't as killer as it could be because our non-con is against a weak opponent...imagine playing Clemson in the 2nd game, and we still get a lot of powder puff big 10 teams. We have above average talent, decent depth, and if we are healthy and have a positive turnover differential we should beat Akron, Colorado, Purdue, Troy, Northwestern, Minnesota, Illinois , Iowa...that is 8 wins that should be a given if we are maximizing our talent. If Urban is fired then anything can happen with Ohio State, Wisky is very beatable as is michigan state. Michigan, early in the season, is the most difficult to imagine winning. So we could conceivably win 9-10 if we beat Michigan state and Wisconsin and the last time Ohio State lost their head coach they finished 6-6 so that could be a possibility. I would say 7 wins would be a slight disappointment because we have more talent than 8 teams on our schedule...and we always give michigan state problems. Our schedule the last few years was SO soft that people are overestimating this one a bit...but road games against Ohio state, michigan, Wisky, would certainly make for a rough national championship run. We don't need to go undefeated but just need to beat teams that have less talent.

Our road schedule is very tough add in that some teams will be better also like Purdue and yes it is difficult. We truly do not still know our talent level until we start playing. Add to that we are starting freshmen QB and there will be some growing pains this year. I know everyone is excited and I am also but there are a lot of question marks that need to fall our way

 

[LBremser]

Personally I don't really care about the final season record. If we see a coaching staff on the sidelines that looks like they have a clue and a team that plays to win start to finish that will be a huge upgrade from last season and the wins will follow, if not this year then next season and the seasons after that.

 

[scarletred]

The tight games we might happen to lose this season will be learning lessons for the 2019 season..

I want to see this team improve from the start of the season to the last games in November and that means being as physical as the team across from them..

Winning the last 3 games of the regular season would really be the cherry on top for this team..

 

[dand84]

My favorite soccer team just hired the coach of their dreams, bought 10 high quality players, spent roughly $150M on them, had mountains of pre-season hype and have lost their first two matches scoring 1 goal and shipping in 6.

I am sticking with my 6 wins and a bowl game come hell or high water! I hope to be proven wrong, but to be really honest, I am much more interested in the type of team we put on the field. How hard they play and fight. Their physical and mental toughness, etc. If the culture is right, the wins will eventually come over the next few seasons.

I want the right coach, the right culture, and the right kind of institutional backing that will make a successful program.

 

[SC_'sker]

Erroneous! Multitudinous threads pontificate, ad nauseam, that the number of stars collected (recruiting ranking) on signing day is the best predictor of future success. Nebraska has collected more stars (higher recruiting ranking) than all but Michigan, Michigan St. and Ohio St. ipso facto we lose 3 games, 4 if really unlucky. #GBR

Penn state has also recruited better. So I'd say around 5th in the B1G would be about right.

#starsmatter

 

[huskerfan66]

Just watch the Big Ten Network's hour on their NU visit. Those guys were really impressed. Said the practiced they watched was the second best of their visits and the fact that it was the day after a scrimmage was really something. Frost stated that he feels the team has gotten a little better with each practice and his goal for the season is the same. Getting better with each game.
So I the season's trajectory depends on the product that takes the field against Akron. Is the game over by half time? The second big yard stick in Michigan in the Big House. Does NU compete on the road against an upper echelon B1G team, win or lose?
I see the games against Michigan, Wisconsin and tOSU in a class by themselves in terms of win/loss (very likely losses). How the rest of the schedule plays out is very much determined by what kind of NU team starts the season. I think it's unlikely NU runs the table on the rest of the schedule, but it's not out of the realm of possibility if the team gets on a roll in the non-conference.

Just watching it on DVR now. Unbelievable how bad our defense was. Made me throw up in my mouth a little when they showed we were last in most d stats and 13 in 2.

 

[husker2612]

I am a believer the record this year isn't to important. As many have said it is more important this year to keep the games close, be competitive, don't quit. That being said, anything less than 6 wins will probably be considered a failure by many.

 

[RedSea]

I'd be fine with 7-5 this year if we are playing respectable ball in the losses. Want better the next year though.

 

[TruHusker]

The schedule isn't as killer as it could be because our non-con is against a weak opponent...imagine playing Clemson in the 2nd game, and we still get a lot of powder puff big 10 teams. We have above average talent, decent depth, and if we are healthy and have a positive turnover differential we should beat Akron, Colorado, Purdue, Troy, Northwestern, Minnesota, Illinois , Iowa...that is 8 wins that should be a given if we are maximizing our talent. If Urban is fired then anything can happen with Ohio State, Wisky is very beatable as is michigan state. Michigan, early in the season, is the most difficult to imagine winning. So we could conceivably win 9-10 if we beat Michigan state and Wisconsin and the last time Ohio State lost their head coach they finished 6-6 so that could be a possibility. I would say 7 wins would be a slight disappointment because we have more talent than 8 teams on our schedule...and we always give michigan state problems. Our schedule the last few years was SO soft that people are overestimating this one a bit...but road games against Ohio state, michigan, Wisky, would certainly make for a rough national championship run. We don't need to go undefeated but just need to beat teams that have less talent.

Just noting how many "ifs" you had tells it all. Could the schedule be harder? I suppose it is possible but many already are calling it The most difficult. How many teams on the sure win of 8 you listed are worse than last yesr?

 

[huskerfan66]

Agree with the above two posts of Red Sea and husker 2612. Win games. Play tough. Improve. No roll over games. If you lose to agood team and played well would be a huge improvement over last year.

 

[oldjar07]

I think coach Frost is going to be great here and I am excited as I think this team is going to be better that we thought. However every time I get excited about the possibilities of this season I look at the schedule it is absolutely brutal

I expect to be a competitive team especially against our west foes. If we had Iowa's schedule then we could really make some noise but we do not.

I will be happy with getting better through the year and being competitive on the field

Since when the hell is 7-5 a really good season? Pelini got fired for only winning 9 or 10 games a year. If we go less than 8 wins, I'll honestly be a little disappointed.

 

[husker2612]

Since when the hell is 7-5 a really good season? Pelini got fired for only winning 9 or 10 games a year. If we go less than 8 wins, I'll honestly be a little disappointed.

I am sure we are are secretly thinking we will win the BIG10 this year, maybe shock the world and win a NC. Admit it, it has crossed your mind. Odds are very very small. Just because we want something to happen or think it should happen, doesn't mean the odds are in the favor of it happening. I am a big odds, statistics and numbers guy, they are all heavily against us this year. So yes we could very will 8 games or a BIG10 title or NC. It isn't likely. We need to keep thing in perspective.

 

[scarletred]

Since when the hell is 7-5 a really good season? Pelini got fired for only winning 9 or 10 games a year. If we go less than 8 wins, I'll honestly be a little disappointed.

No one is saying that 7-5 is a good season... Considering the away games and the culture change from the Riley era to the Frost era getting better day by day and game by game is the message moving forward.

 

[jsanders33]

Feels like most of you have extraordinary expectations for a team that went 4-8 last year and is learning an entirely new system with all new coaches. As many have said, I just want to see us be competitive, not quit, play hard and hopefully not get blown out (maybe OSU game aside). Also, it will be refreshing to see our HC interact with the players and not stand on the sideline 20 feet away looking at the ground. If we go :500 or better and make a bowl game, I will be a happy Husker!

 

[Husker4real]

I would not describe 7-5 as "a really good season". I think it is realistic to expect NU to win 6 or 7 games this year, so 7-5 would amount to meeting tempered expectations.

 

[Tuco Salamanca]

I love how people say “no one knows how good our talent is” when someone says this team will win 8 or 9 games. Then those same people predict a lesser win total. Ha ha based on what? If you don’t know how good the talent will be under Frost, then how can you accurately guess on wins at all?

Obviously these are guesses.

 

[SnohomishRed]

The schedule isn't as killer as it could be because our non-con is against a weak opponent...imagine playing Clemson in the 2nd game, and we still get a lot of powder puff big 10 teams. We have above average talent, decent depth, and if we are healthy and have a positive turnover differential we should beat Akron, Colorado, Purdue, Troy, Northwestern, Minnesota, Illinois , Iowa...that is 8 wins that should be a given if we are maximizing our talent. If Urban is fired then anything can happen with Ohio State, Wisky is very beatable as

Since when the hell is 7-5 a really good season? Pelini got fired for only winning 9 or 10 games a year. If we go less than 8 wins, I'll honestly be a little disappointed.

i should have said a good season this year. From 4 wins to 7 with the schedule we play is very much improved

 

[Husker.Wed.]

If we see a coaching staff on the sidelines that looks like they have a clue

You mean if this staff has a first down on Northwestern's 20 with a 7-point lead, five minutes left and a proven FG kicker you don't expect them to throw passes out to the flat? You think Frost might run it 3 times to burn clock and/or NW timeouts and if the chains don't move attempt the FG to hopefully go up 10?

 

[husker2612]

I love how people say “no one knows how good our talent is” when someone says this team will win 8 or 9 games. Then those same people predict a lesser win total. Ha ha based on what? If you don’t know how good the talent will be under Frost, then how can you accurately guess on wins at all?

Obviously these are guesses.

This is very true, we really have no clue what to expect this year. Frost could get the offense and D clicking, the kids could pick things up way faster. Or it could take awhile to get things going. The biggest factor I believe is the talent level. Riley and staff were so horrible it is hard to know what these kids can really do. Realistically we could be anywhere from 5-7 to 9-3

 

[Husker Sledge]

8-4 baby!

 

[Husker.Wed.]

Agree with the above two posts of Red Sea and husker 2612. Win games. Play tough. Improve. No roll over games. If you lose to agood team and played well would be a huge improvement over last year.

My biggest bugaboo with the last two staffs is the teams seemed to get worse during the season, not better. More penalties, more turnovers, more break downs leading to big plays against our D, etc. I chalk that up to injuries, compounded by little depth, because of disorganized recruiting, and exacerbated by pig headed refusal to let backups get meaningful snaps. There was also the issue of fragile psyche (us against them with Pelini and a loss being no big deal for Riley). If NU can truly "get better each day" AND (a big AND) win the games they should, I will keep my torch and pitchfork in the barn.

 

[cornhustler]

Penn state has also recruited better. So I'd say around 5th in the B1G would be about right.

#starsmatter

Are you insinuating we lose to Penn State in the B1G Ten Championship game? Bold prediction sir, I love it! Otherwise we don't play Penn State this season, so they cannot be counted as a loss. My point being we out recruit every team on our schedule save UM, MSU and OSU. So we should only lose 3 games in the regular season.

#coaching-IS-king

 

[Solana Beach Husker]

Feels like most of you have extraordinary expectations for a team that went 4-8 last year and is learning an entirely new system with all new coaches. As many have said, I just want to see us be competitive, not quit, play hard and hopefully not get blown out (maybe OSU game aside). Also, it will be refreshing to see our HC interact with the players and not stand on the sideline 20 feet away looking at the ground. If we go :500 or better and make a bowl game, I will be a happy Husker!

That was a really bad team but their staff was an absolute mess. Recruiting wise we are a top 25 team...the team also pretty much gave up after Northwestern, and you can't factor in the quit factor in a team for the next year. They won't quit this year regardless of schedule. I think people underestimate how bad Riley was, how disorganized the staff was, how lazy the culture was, and how this impacted relatively talented players. If we are healthy we finish 8-4, if we have normal injuries 7-5, and injury ridden 6-6 or 5-7. We do not have the players of a 4-8 team and it will show. And the most important factor...the mediocre teams we play won't be able to prepare for our offense properly. It is something they rarely see. This is why Oregon rarely lost to bad teams...a week is not enough time for the average team to prepare. This will feel like the huskers of old where bad teams just can't compete because they can't prepare. Beating the bad teams gets us to 7-8 wins pretty much automatically.

 

[Redondo]

Since when the hell is 7-5 a really good season? Pelini got fired for only winning 9 or 10 games a year. If we go less than 8 wins, I'll honestly be a little disappointed.

Perhaps because they had a 4-8 record last year--the worst in 56 years? I always heard Rome wasn't built in a day. Can we be placated simply to see a great, great deal of improvement? I can and will be.

 

[Truehuskerfan]

I get tired of people saying "the record doesn't matter this year". Bullcrap. The record always matters. An 8 or 9 win season(which I don't think is out of the realm of possibility) looks a heck of a lot better than a 6 win season. And heaven forbid we'd go 4-8 again, because it's be pretty hard to argue progress was being made if that was the case(I highly doubt it will be), I don't care how difficult the schedule is. I have predicted 7-5, but I fully admit I'm being cautious and would not be surprised to see more. I get that we need to give Frost some leeway considering what he took over, but some people are going way overboard on it and being way too cautious. Show a little bit of confidence in this staff and this team, and stop underplaying what they can do.

 

[jlb321]

The season will hinge on 3 games

Purdue
@NW
@iowa

Unless we get an upset W against MSU-Michigan- tOSU-wisconsin we have to go 3-0 in those games to get to 8 wins.

I don’t think we beat Iowa.

 

[Redondo]

I get tired of people saying "the record doesn't matter this year". Bullcrap. The record always matters. An 8 or 9 win season(which I don't think is out of the realm of possibility) looks a heck of a lot better than a 6 win season. And heaven forbid we'd go 4-8 again, because it's be pretty hard to argue progress was being made if that was the case(I highly doubt it will be), I don't care how difficult the schedule is. I have predicted 7-5, but I fully admit I'm being cautious and would not be surprised to see more. I get that we need to give Frost some leeway considering what he took over, but some people are going way overboard on it and being way too cautious. Show a little bit of confidence in this staff and this team, and stop underplaying what they can do.

I don't see it as lack of confidence. I see it as hedging people's emotional investments.

Realistically, looking at what the situation has been--the physical condition of the entire team had to be revamped, a new system on both O and D, and the DC has stated it is taking time, new and young qb's and SF has stated, who don't seem to be developing as quickly as he had hoped, a defensive backfield in limbo, and offensive and defensive lines that needed development, drastically on the O side.

You can hope for and think what should happen, but that doesn't mean it will in the short number of practices, in reality, that the NCAA allows.

SF, himself, has stated that this team will be dangerous in year 2, not year 1.

 

[oldjar07]

I am sure we are are secretly thinking we will win the BIG10 this year, maybe shock the world and win a NC. Admit it, it has crossed your mind. Odds are very very small. Just because we want something to happen or think it should happen, doesn't mean the odds are in the favor of it happening. I am a big odds, statistics and numbers guy, they are all heavily against us this year. So yes we could very will 8 games or a BIG10 title or NC. It isn't likely. We need to keep thing in perspective.

No I'm not talking about a national title. It's a lot easier to go from 4-8 to 8-4 than it is to go from 8-4 to national championship. 8-4 should be about the minimum expectations for a season for this program.

 

[Truehuskerfan]

I don't see it as lack of confidence. I see it as hedging people's emotional investments.

Realistically, looking at what the situation has been--the physical condition of the entire team had to be revamped, a new system on both O and D, and the DC has stated it is taking time, new and young qb's and SF has stated, who don't seem to be developing as quickly as he had hoped, a defensive backfield in limbo, and offensive and defensive lines that needed development, drastically on the O side.

You can hope for and think what should happen, but that doesn't mean it will in the short number of practices, in reality, that the NCAA allows.

SF, himself, has stated that this team will be dangerous in year 2, not year 1.

First of all, I'd hardly call a team that goes 7-5 dangerous. Second of all, I don't need to hedge my emotional investments. If I predict good and it doesn't happen, I don't get devastated emotionally. I predict what I think can be accomplished and if they fall short, sure it's disappointing but it doesn't devastate me or destroy my enthusiasm for the team. I just move on and hope and expect better next year. I don't need to artificially hold my expectations down just to lessen the chance of being hurt by the result.

 

[Sinomatic]

8 and 4 possible 9 wins.

This team has some talent for goodness sake.

One year removed from a 9 win season.

Banker actually had the scoring defense improving. Diaco was a bad bad move imo.

Riley should have fired himself and promoted Banker.

 

[oldjar07]

No one is saying that 7-5 is a good season... Considering the away games and the culture change from the Riley era to the Frost era getting better day by day and game by game is the message moving forward.

Just look at the thread title... People are clearly saying 7-5 is a good season. I agree you can like things about a season like that like the team showed progress throughout the year with a first year coach. However I will never be satisfied with a 7 win season.

 

[TruHusker]

Since when the hell is 7-5 a really good season? Pelini got fired for only winning 9 or 10 games a year. If we go less than 8 wins, I'll honestly be a little disappointed.

OK, let's put it this way - what kind of record would we have with Bo or Mike as head coaches with this schedule? Would you take 7-5? I don't think anyone said 7-5 was good, just look at the schedule, there are good teams up and down the list, then a group of potential great teams. No experienced QB, new O and D and you want Scott to overcome it all the first year. He might and that would be great, they will create enough expectations on the team.

I am in the improvement camp.

 

[Redondo]

First of all, I'd hardly call a team that goes 7-5 dangerous. Second of all, I don't need to hedge my emotional investments. If I predict good and it doesn't happen, I don't get devastated emotionally. I predict what I think can be accomplished and if they fall short, sure it's disappointing but it doesn't devastate me or destroy my enthusiasm for the team. I just move on and hope and expect better next year. I don't need to artificially hold my expectations down just to lessen the chance of being hurt by the result.

I am truly sorry that you thought I was picking on you. I was not

Go back and read the stuff on this board and other NU boards and tell me that a lot of people don't get devastated. I am sorry if you felt I was picking on you, but re-read the very first line in my post. It says "people" are hedging their emotional bets. Your previous posts were somewhat criticizing other people's comments and that is what I was addressing and giving an explanation about.

I did't say you got devastated, I was explaining what I had observed in others. I, though, actually was at a watch site and saw a couple of guys literally throwing napkins they were so distraught.

Second of all, that was SF's quote, not mine. If you want to argue, send him a letter about his comments. He, after all, is the one who said it. I said nothing about 7 and 5, or anything else about record except last year' s 4 and 8.

By the way, I knew a sales distributor in Nebraska several years ago that told me the gross state product goes down after NU losses. Gross consumer sales are significantly down the weeks after losses, and one can presume it is because people's emotional investments are not met and they, according to this sales guy, are depressed at the losses.

I have heard these types of things from other people in Nebraska businesses since then.

I didn't say these things, they did

 

[scarletred]

The season will hinge on 3 games

Purdue
@NW
@iowa

Unless we get an upset W against MSU-Michigan- tOSU-wisconsin we have to go 3-0 in those games to get to 8 wins.

I don’t think we beat Iowa.

Agreed that those 3 games are most important games , but the Iowa game is the most difficult and most important of the three that we need to win...

 

[husker2612]

8 and 4 possible 9 wins.

This team has some talent for goodness sake.

One year removed from a 9 win season.

Banker actually had the scoring defense improving. Diaco was a bad bad move imo.

Riley should have fired himself and promoted Banker.

True, but I am just guessing that we have less than 10% of the players who started that year, this year. It is a completely different team, player and staff wise.