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Much time has passed since our move from "Mediocrity"

Bill was actually a great AD. His greatest criticism from Osborne and that crowd was that he spent too much time building up other sports which were seriously lagging at the time. I wouldn't blame any of Nebraska's eventual football decline on Bill. But he eventually had had enough and got out. It's too bad really because his family had really set down some roots in SE Nebraska.
I tend to agree. Met him a couple times at games when he was wandering around in the stadium shortly after the gates opened. Seemed quite genuine and was willing to take the time to visit with a complete nobody average fan like myself
 
Did anyone expect when Mike Riley was fired that the next coaches to follow him would end up doing worse?
No. I really thought Frost would get it done. There is just something about this program and what surrounds it that isn't quite right.

Bo mentioned the "Fish Bowl" thing, and I believe that he was probably on to something there.

I think our fan base, and in particular some of the boosters can be a lot to deal with. I know other fan bases have their issues, but there is something about this place....and the fact that NU Football is really the only show in town.... it can at times be burdensome.
 
Yeah, I don't mean to slight Nebraskans. This state is full of really good people. And that's its best attribute. Im glad I raised my family here. But I know that I have missed out on a lot of the worlds beauty and all it has to offer by choosing to live here. Hard to move once roots run deep.
The people here suck. Starting a national job search to move out of this shithole with crappy weather and low pay/opportunity.
 
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The people here suck. Starting a national job search to move out of this shithole with crappy weather and low pay/opportunity.
LOL... I see where you are going with that. Touche

However to my point about Nebraska....There's just not much to do so NU Football and sports in general seems to be in hyperfocus.
 
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Rhule would have to go 43-13 in his next 56 games to match Sumlin’s career W-L mark

He is 52-50 to date.
What does Rhule have to do on whether Sumlin is considered a good coach or not?

Not comparing Sumlin to Rhule, do you think Kevin Sumlin was a good head football coach?
 
Rhule could go 42-14 the next 56 games and @king_kong_ would still claim that Rhule isn't as good of a coach compared to Sumlin.
wouldn't be me saying it

Ws and Ls are recorded for a reason

it's probably the best metric to use when evaluating success/failure of a coach

maybe you prefer others?
 
What was Frost’s record before starting here?
But back to my question at the point Riley was fired did you expect the guys following him to be worse? I sure didn’t.
believe he was 12-12 as a head coach before coming here.

riley was .500. rhule also .500.

I didn't expect frost to fail so spectacularly, but that was more feelings over logic.
 
wouldn't be me saying it

Ws and Ls are recorded for a reason

it's probably the best metric to use when evaluating success/failure of a coach

maybe you prefer others?
The only problem with looking at sheer W/L is that your not taking into consideration the dumpster fires that he had to takeover and rebuild.
 
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wouldn't be me saying it

Ws and Ls are recorded for a reason

it's probably the best metric to use when evaluating success/failure of a coach

maybe you prefer others?
I don't know anyone who uses 1 sole metric. You especially don't ignore the context that goes with each coach's situation.
 
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Typically you don't use 1 sole metric. You especially don't ignore the context that goes with each coach's situation.
like sumlin taking over a program that had won 7 or less games in the big 12 3 of 4 years prior to his arrival and then moved to the SEC before he coached his first game there?
 
well, sumlin went on to win 8+ his first 5 seasons at A&M despite that

I found your wording to be hilarious. we would all kill for Sumlin's results from Rhule here.
So, in your opinion, Kevin Sumlin was a good head football coach?
 
So, in your opinion, Kevin Sumlin was a good head football coach?
Yes.

Is there any single metric by which Rhule (a unanimously though of good football coach here) has outperformed Sumlin?

It’s easy to deduce your belief that Rhule >> Sumlin. I’m curious how you would objectively and tangibly defend this position.
 
Yes.

Is there any single metric by which Rhule (a unanimously though of good football coach here) has outperformed Sumlin?

It’s easy to deduce your belief that Rhule >> Sumlin. I’m curious how you would objectively and tangibly defend this position.
Hooboy. Going 9-20 in your final years of being a head coach, much worse than your predecessor....

Why would I use any single metric when I think that process in comparing coaches is stupid? Not just for Rhule, but for any coach.

I've never claimed that Rhule >> Sumlin.
 
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So you don’t believe this?
I don't know.

I believe Rhule took over tougher situations at Temple, most definitely Baylor, and Nebraska than Sumlin did at Houston, Texas A&M and Arizona.

Rhule practically inherited nothing at Baylor and what he inherited at Nebraska was bad. I also believe Sumlin hit lightening in a bottle by inheriting Johnny Menzel (Heisman Winner / 1st rounder), Mike Evans (1st rounder), Luke Joeckel (1st rounder), Jarvis Harrison (drafted), Cedric Ogbuehi (1st rounder) and Jake Matthews (1st rounder) his first year at Texas A&M. All of the hype from that first year and all of those top recruiting classes were wasted as he just maintained being average by Texas A&M standards. He did an amazing job taking a chance on Kliff Kingsbury as his OC (something Rhule did mess up on at Nebraska, but hopefully corrected) and he coached in a tough SEC West.

Sumlin showed to be a dud at Arizona / very weak Pac-12. We'll see how Rhule does these next 2-3 years for me to be able to answer your question. Shoot, I may be able to answer it next year if Rhule completely flops. And if Rhule makes the CFP next year as a 10-12 seed, I'll still have troubles answering that question as I like to see if he's able to sustain success at a high level (something Sumlin wasn't able to do).
 
I don't know.

I believe Rhule took over tougher situations at Temple, most definitely Baylor, and Nebraska than Sumlin did at Houston, Texas A&M and Arizona.

Rhule practically inherited nothing at Baylor and what he inherited at Nebraska was bad. I also believe Sumlin hit lightening in a bottle by inheriting Johnny Menzel (Heisman Winner / 1st rounder), Mike Evans (1st rounder), Luke Joeckel (1st rounder), Jarvis Harrison (drafted), Cedric Ogbuehi (1st rounder) and Jake Matthews (1st rounder) his first year at Texas A&M. All of the hype from that first year and all of those top recruiting classes were wasted as he just maintained being average by Texas A&M standards. He did an amazing job taking a chance on Kliff Kingsbury as his OC (something Rhule did mess up on at Nebraska, but hopefully corrected) and he coached in a tough SEC West.

Sumlin showed to be a dud at Arizona / very weak Pac-12. We'll see how Rhule does these next 2-3 years for me to be able to answer your question. Shoot, I may be able to answer it next year if Rhule completely flops. And if Rhule makes the CFP next year as a 10-12 seed, I'll still have troubles answering that question as I like to see if he's able to sustain success at a high level (something Sumlin wasn't able to do).
Fair answer

Appreciate your opinion.
 
Should have never fired Bo Pelini.

Should have never fired Frank Solich either.

That said, let's look at the data (edited)

  • Bill Callahan (2004-2007):
    • Record: 27-22
    • Winning Percentage: 55.1% (Average coach)
  • Bo Pelini (2008-2014):
    • Record: 67-27
    • Winning Percentage: 71.3% (High performer)
  • Mike Riley (2015-2017):
    • Record: 19-19
    • Winning Percentage: 50% (Average coach)
  • Scott Frost (2018-2022):
    • Record: 16-31
    • Winning Percentage: 34% (Loser)
  • Mickey Joeseph (2022):
    • Record: 2-3 (too little data, but 40% is Loser category)
  • Matt Rhule (2023-Present):
    • Record: 12-13 (as of 2023)
    • Winning Percentage: 48% (Loser-Average)
This is what the data says, maybe Rhule climbs up into 55% or something next year, but he's alway been a 50% ish guy, so I don't expect anything better than that.

So Riley is average despite taking a 9 win every season team and turning it into a .500 team.

Meanwhile the guy that just took over for a team that won 3-4 games per season and put them in their first bowl game in over a decade and first win in even longer is “loser-average”.

Hahahaha

Shouldn’t have fired Bo - despite 4 (3 of them blowout) losses every season and a complete embarrassment of a human. Okay.

Shouldn’t have fired Frank despite awful recruiting classes and running the titanic into an iceberg. In 3 seasons he took a Ferrari and turned it into a Ford. Sorry but he needed to go.

Callahan is one I could be talked into the “shouldn’t have fired” category. Would have been nice to see what he could have done with that recruiting class including the future NFL QB he had in the fold.
 
So Riley is average despite taking a 9 win every season team and turning it into a .500 team.

Meanwhile the guy that just took over for a team that won 3-4 games per season and put them in their first bowl game in over a decade and first win in even longer is “loser-average”.

Hahahaha

Shouldn’t have fired Bo - despite 4 (3 of them blowout) losses every season and a complete embarrassment of a human. Okay.

Shouldn’t have fired Frank despite awful recruiting classes and running the titanic into an iceberg. In 3 seasons he took a Ferrari and turned it into a Ford. Sorry but he needed to go.

Callahan is one I could be talked into the “shouldn’t have fired” category. Would have been nice to see what he could have done with that recruiting class including the future NFL QB he had in the fold.
Riley was always a .500 guy.. that's like a coin flip, so I call that average. The head coach went from high performer down to average, but yet you still think Pelini had to go.

Rhule currently has a winning % of .48, so that is less than 50.. which is net losing, but it's still close to .50, so I called it loser-average.. more average than losing for sure.

You know, it's not rocket science to folllow what I'm posting, but you sure seem like a Rhule apologist..

Bo was a high performer.. all these other clowns have done a lot worse in the win loss column. Bo was a good guy, but it was Nebraska's fragile heart fan base that ruined it, for Bo, and for everyone else.

Callahan was an alright coach, especially on offense, but he is like Rhule.. won't hold his buddies accountable.. I guess at least Rhule capitulated once the outrage reached such high levels in the fan base, but not before that. Had the fans not said anything, I'm sure Foley and Satt would still be doing what they were doing.

The whole bowl game bs you can blame on SF.. he declined to go to a bowl, removing us from more than likely getting to go to one.
 
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So Riley is average despite taking a 9 win every season team and turning it into a .500 team.

Meanwhile the guy that just took over for a team that won 3-4 games per season and put them in their first bowl game in over a decade and first win in even longer is “loser-average”.

Hahahaha

Shouldn’t have fired Bo - despite 4 (3 of them blowout) losses every season and a complete embarrassment of a human. Okay.

Shouldn’t have fired Frank despite awful recruiting classes and running the titanic into an iceberg. In 3 seasons he took a Ferrari and turned it into a Ford. Sorry but he needed to go.

Callahan is one I could be talked into the “shouldn’t have fired” category. Would have been nice to see what he could have done with that recruiting class including the future NFL QB he had in the fold.
Frank definitely inherited a ferrari. But instead of driving it through a beautiful paved road in a meadow of goldenrods and daisies. He had to drive it through sage brush and thorns on a minimum maintenance road.

When Tom retired the writing was on the wall that the BIG 12 was no longer filled with patsies and sure wins.

With that said. Recruiting had fallen off from Tom's 90's recruiting classes which were mostly in the top 10. Ill give you that.

Reminder that Tom Osborne took over a championship level program and did what? Not win a NC for 20 years? Where would we have been had people jumped ship after year 5 and called for his job. Oh wait they did, and the powers that be (Devaney) told them to pound sand.




 
Riley was always a .500 guy.. that's like a coin flip, so I call that average. The head coach went from high performer down to average, but yet you still think Pelini had to go.

Rhule currently has a winning % of .48, so that is less than 50.. which is net losing, but it's still close to .50, so I called it loser-average.. more average than losing for sure.

You know, it's not rocket science to folllow what I'm posting, but you sure seem like a Rhule apologist..

Bo was a high performer.. all these other clowns have done a lot worse in the win loss column. Bo was a good guy, but it was Nebraska's fragile heart fan base that ruined it, for Bo, and for everyone else.

Callahan was an alright coach, especially on offense, but he is like Rhule.. won't hold his buddies accountable.. I guess at least Rhule capitulated once the outrage reached such high levels in the fan base, but not before that. Had the fans not said anything, I'm sure Foley and Satt would still be doing what they were doing.

The whole bowl game bs you can blame on SF.. he declined to go to a bowl, removing us from more than likely getting to go to one.
The thing about Rhule that we aren't considering in this W/L record is the poor teams that he came in to rebuild. What does it look like if we erase the first building seasons during his college tenures.

Temple: First season 2-10. Seasons 2-4 ...... 26-14 with back to back 10 win seasons to close out.

Baylor: First season 1-11. Seasons 2-3 .......18-9 with his final season 11 wins.

Nebraska: First Season 6-7. Season 2 ......7-6

So taking out the rebuild seasons Rhule has a record of 51 - 29 or a 64% winning record....This is again at rebuilds.

Temple and Baylor both experienced similar improvement in year 3 both jumping from 6-7 wins to double digit wins. Can we expect the same? Maybe. A lot depends on the climate I think.

Maybe we should wait this out before we become overly judgemental.
 
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The thing about Rhule that we aren't considering in this W/L record is the poor teams that he came in to rebuild. What does it look like if we erase the first building seasons during his college tenures.

Temple: First season 2-10. Seasons 2-4 ...... 26-14 with back to back 10 win seasons to close out.

Baylor: First season 1-11. Seasons 2-3 .......18-9 with his final season 11 wins.

Nebraska: First Season 6-7. Season 2 ......7-6

So taking out the rebuild seasons Rhule has a record of 51 - 29 or a 64% winning record....This is again at rebuilds.

Temple and Baylor both experienced similar improvement in year 3 both jumping from 6-7 wins to double digit wins. Can we expect the same? Maybe. A lot depends on the climate I think.

Maybe we should wait this out before we become overly judgemental.
nah... I'm not buying the rebuild season logic but IF Rhule gets us to 9 or 10 wins, 100% he is outta here.. I guarantee it. He will claim rebuild victory and be outta here so fast.. it'd be like getting your pants off on prom night fast.
 
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Riley was always a .500 guy.. that's like a coin flip, so I call that average. The head coach went from high performer down to average, but yet you still think Pelini had to go.

Rhule currently has a winning % of .48, so that is less than 50.. which is net losing, but it's still close to .50, so I called it loser-average.. more average than losing for sure.

You know, it's not rocket science to folllow what I'm posting, but you sure seem like a Rhule apologist..

Bo was a high performer.. all these other clowns have done a lot worse in the win loss column. Bo was a good guy, but it was Nebraska's fragile heart fan base that ruined it, for Bo, and for everyone else.

Callahan was an alright coach, especially on offense, but he is like Rhule.. won't hold his buddies accountable.. I guess at least Rhule capitulated once the outrage reached such high levels in the fan base, but not before that. Had the fans not said anything, I'm sure Foley and Satt would still be doing what they were doing.

The whole bowl game bs you can blame on SF.. he declined to go to a bowl, removing us from more than likely getting to go to one.
If we had a competent AD instead of lawyer who knew how to hire a head coach without asking Barry Alvarez our history could have been very different the next 3 years and SF would still have been coaching UCF a few more years.
 
The thing about Rhule that we aren't considering in this W/L record is the poor teams that he came in to rebuild. What does it look like if we erase the first building seasons during his college tenures.

Temple: First season 2-10. Seasons 2-4 ...... 26-14 with back to back 10 win seasons to close out.

Baylor: First season 1-11. Seasons 2-3 .......18-9 with his final season 11 wins.

Nebraska: First Season 6-7. Season 2 ......7-6

So taking out the rebuild seasons Rhule has a record of 51 - 29 or a 64% winning record....This is again at rebuilds.

Temple and Baylor both experienced similar improvement in year 3 both jumping from 6-7 wins to double digit wins. Can we expect the same? Maybe. A lot depends on the climate I think.

Maybe we should wait this out before we become overly judgemental.
“Rebuilds”

Temple won more games in the 4 years prior to Rhule arriving than he won in his 4 years there

Baylor won more games in the 3 years prior to Rhule arriving than he won in his 3 years there

Those weren’t the dumpster fires many would like to believe they were when Rhule took over, even at Baylor where sanctions came down

The only preceding tenure he’s outperformed is Scott Frost’s
 
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