Don't disagree that is a formula to more wins but not necessarily a formula to winning championships.
Last edited:
My husband says that the key to Husker wins can be found in Madison...
- Thread starter Toms Wife
- Start date
Don't disagree that is a formula to more wins but not necessarily a formula to winning championships.
iirc, using rivals rankings, BO's recruiting classes ranked 26.xx.
The fractional part escapes me.
So, I would disagree that Nebraska can pi$$ top 25 classes.
I don't know a lot about recruiting, but I can do some math. The details are not accurate. Bo's average classes were in the top 25...barely...but they were top 25.
He had a 15th and a 17th ranked class.
If you can pull out average top 20 classes it very well could lead to national championships. It's already lead to numerous conference and division championships.
How about we focus on ourselves and make our own brand? I think that is better than trying to copy someone that already has a head start on you.
I don't want to be Wisconsin, and I sure as hell do not want to be Iowa!
I don't want to be Wisconsin, and I sure as hell do not want to be Iowa!
OK, so I went back over rivals rankings and besides verifying that my memory sucks, this is what I found:
BO coached from 2007-14. I usually throw out the first & last classes because the first class would have been mainly recruited by predecessor and last class would have had defections due to coaching change rumors.
The average of his classes from 08 to 13 was 23.5.
(Including 1st & last classes, the avg is 23.375.)
So, BO's worst classes were ranked 30th(twice)
His best classes were 15th & 17th.
So yes, I stand corrected. BO did average in the top 25. 2011 was an exceptional year. If 2011 would have been "average", his overall average was 25.2, just outside of top 25.
But to say we can pi$$ top 25 classes makes it sound like it's easy and I'd bet, if you ask most Nebraska coaching staffs(past & present) about recruiting, they'd tell you it was anything but easy, and probably a little luck involved. Naturally, if you start winning, "they will come" - to quote Kevin Kostner.
Pelini Recruiting Rankings(Yr.-Team Ranking)
2007-14
2008-30
2009-30
2010-23
2011-15
2012-26
2013-17
2014-32
======
Here's "the dudes" from Pelini's best class:
Tyler Moore; transferred
Aaron Green; transferred
Jamal Turner; multi-year contributor
Ryan Klachko; transferred
Ryne Reeves; started 1 year, back-up
Todd Peat Jr; transferred
Charles Jackson; bust
Daimion Stafford; All B1G, 7th round NFL
David Santos; 2-year starter [frosh all B1G]
Bubba Starling; never made it to campus
Zach Sterup; 1.5-year starter
Yikes!
Tyler Moore; transferred
Aaron Green; transferred
Jamal Turner; multi-year contributor
Ryan Klachko; transferred
Ryne Reeves; started 1 year, back-up
Todd Peat Jr; transferred
Charles Jackson; bust
Daimion Stafford; All B1G, 7th round NFL
David Santos; 2-year starter [frosh all B1G]
Bubba Starling; never made it to campus
Zach Sterup; 1.5-year starter
Yikes!
It might be better to look at Wisconsin's best class since that should be the comparison in this thread. We can better than that misogynistic pile of garbage...Bo. With Riley's acumen at spotting talent, a top 20 class following the Wisconsin way would put us top ten each year.
Others brought up Pelini's classes, you joined them, I slammed the door shut. If you want to look at Wisconsin's best classes, go right ahead. I couldn't care less about Wisconsin.
This. I can understand why some on here have a hard on for Wisconsin. They have been more successful than we have been over the past five years or so and they play a brand of physical football that we used to be known for.
But come on.... they have hit the ceiling of how high they can go and everyone knows it. We can aspire to be much, much better than they are. Do I want to be a physical and punishing team again? Hell yes! But the model I would prefer to look at would be from our own past history (in terms of strength, not necessarily style of offense) and/or from physical teams playing today who have a much higher ceiling than Wisconsin.
We will have to build to that slowly and if we have to do that with three star guys so be it. Stick with Riley and we will get to where we want to go. Start the "dump Riley" talk and we will never get back to where we want to be
Hit their ceiling? They will be ranked in the top 6 this year, even in their losses could have easily won every game, and had way more injuries than Nebraska. Plus, they were in the 2nd year of their coaches tenure.
After 3 Big Ten Championships, multiple other division championships, Rose Bowl wins, and the like, I am highly doubtful that people are saying, "Forget Wisconsin...they have hit their ceiling."
After 3 Big Ten Championships, multiple other division championships, Rose Bowl wins, and the like, I am highly doubtful that people are saying, "Forget Wisconsin...they have hit their ceiling."
They haven't won a Rose Bowl in 17 years. When they play teams with better talent they lose a vast majority of the time because they play a style of football that is more designed to not to lose big than it is to win.
When talented teams don't make mistakes, they usually beat Wisconsin.
It is the epitome of being the underdog, from recruiting a bunch of local under-recruited players to running conservative plays on offense in order to reduce the amount of mistakes.
No thanks. It's a loser mentality. It's being satisfied with almost.
Remember when Nebraska played USC with Callahan as the coach and he played like a loser to try and keep it close? And lost 28-10. That's Wisconsin. Then the next year they came to Lincoln and the game plan was much different. Result was the same 49-31 Trojans but Nebraska didn't play to keep it close. I would rather be that than play not to lose.
Absolutely.
People saying we don't want to be Wisconsin are delusional. I'll take a Cotton Bowl win and their ranking along with being competitive against all opponents, thank you.
Add in that we can piss top 25 classes, as evidenced by even Bo being able to do it, we would have great results with their style.
But all of that is simply opinion.... we'll try Rileys style, he's gonna be here at least 2-3 more years, so we'll see if it can work here. Since we hear Riley can do it better than anybody, we should be able to settle it since we'll get the best crack at it.
Since you continue to ignore the fact that we will be able to attract more and better talent here than Wisconsin, how about Stanford? They've won Rose Bowls and beat teams like USC with superior recruiting, and they play a like-minded style to Wisconsin, and we'll always recruit better than them, too.
And if we win, we'll get even more talent, as others have said.
Evidenced by what?
Stanford hasn't won national titles, USC has. Why is that? Because in the end they lose games to more athletic teams.
Oregon doesn't run a smashmouth, play not to lose style and they have played in and won a Rose Bowl and played a couple of national title games, in the same league as Stanford.
It's about comfort for you. It's because Tom Osborne said a pro style offense can't be done here so by golly, it can't be done here.
Secondly, you run conservative offenses to mask or cover up inefficiencies in other areas. If you have superior talent, why play conservatively? Why wouldn't you create matchups that favor your superior athletes?
What it sounds like to me is that you don't really think Nebraska will get those superior athletes and that the only way they can really be successful is to play like Wisconsin.
It sounds to me like you severely underestimate the success of Stanford and Wisconsin, and you still avoid the fact that we will recruit better than both of them because we can now even though we win less. Also, like I said, Stanford has beaten higher-ranked and more talented USC and done more than them the last ten years. That's fact. USC won big under Pete Caroll, I'll give you that. You know, the Super Bowl Winning coach. Get me Pete Carroll and I'm all in brother.
We have gotten some superior athletes. We just won't rank top 5 recruiting every year. No way. But we don't need to.
But as I said in another post, Riley will get at least 2-3 more years to prove this system can work here, so it's mere opinion at this point.
A state that produces the players that Wisconsin produces is number one. That's where they get most of theirs from.
I don't underestimate their success. I just know it has limitations. Just because I don't think they are Hall of Famers doesn't mean I don't respect that they hit 300 on ocassion. But sadly, that level of success gets people fired at Nebraska. That's all I am saying.
Pete Carroll was the last guy the interviewed and the first to say yes. Why? Unrealistic expectations keep coaches away? Commitment from the AD office? Something caused it. Helton? Again why? Sanctions?
The problem I have with most Nebraska fans is that they are now begging for basically what they had under Solich and Pelini. You can argue that Pelini never got us the title, and maybe even that he was trending down, but if he is still the coach, Nebraska doesn't go 5-7 in 2015 and maybe VV and MC stick around in 2016 and the defense is better. The problem is you never really know.
I just feel the majority of you run the ball guys and are having regrets because you and SE overvalued Nebraska's appeal on the coaching front. Eichorst fired a guy for being subordinate and being an a-hole. Some of you think because Riley was the choice that Eichorst only went after Riley. I can promise you other overtures were made. No one bit. It was just quieter and quicker than Peterson.
Again typical run the ball Nebraska fan clamors to win titles but wants to run an offense that makes it almost impossible.
You forgot to mention the 4th thing. Never have officials call a holding call on you during the game.
You want titles? The most dominant team in America was 138th in passing offense...and 25th in rushing offense. I'm not sure why you think "run the ball fans" aren't interested in winning titles.
The problem is that some of those kids never made it to campus and then some more of them washed out of the program. Ranking doesn't mean squat if you don't recruit kids that end up contributing. Signing top ranked kids that play baseball looks really good on your list but don't do much for the roster.
Can't fire Riley now because you will never get a decent coach to take the job. Unfortunately if you want Riley gone he is going to have to go full Callahan and have another losing season. No one wants that. So I think we are stuck for now. I will support Riley because I do believe his offense can be successful at Nebraska. The one thing I believe that needs to be addressed is defensive team speed. If I am Riley, upon taking the job, I address that side of the ball first. I have to have confidence in myself and my coaches on the offensive side of the ball, that I can design enough offense to win 9 games. I also think Banker can be successful just not with the physical talent left from Pelini. Those players were better suited for what he ran.
Hindsight is too easy. But I think the slide started in 1998 when Osborne pushed for Solich to keep older assistants as some sort of loyalty pledge. Guys didn't want to recruit and it put pressure on a few guys to produce. I truly believe if Solich is allowed from the jump to get his own assistants, he doesn't have a 7-7 season, the pressure to fire him doesn't present itself and history is rewritten. I don't know that Solich was ever going to get Nebraska to Osborne (94-97) level success but who knows. Maybe a guy like Gdowski sticks around or another guy Solich would have hired becomes the heir apparent.
But all that is just, as I said, hindsight.
Alabama has won with this style in the past, although i agree their recruiting and coaching is elite.
I simply think we can do better than wisky and stanford at it with proper coaching because its easier to bring talent to lincoln.
I never wanted solich fired, and i have no idea how you can even come close to equating that we had what wisky and stanford had under pelini. No chance. Thats a major stretch. And he didnt have the same system or scheme and philosophy as those schools, either.
As far as the riley eichotst thing, ive never dommented on any of that and frankly have no idea nor do i even care. Riley is N and as Ive said he can be the guy to prove my hypothesis about this place wrong. I hope he does because hes a great face of the program and frankly i dont know how many more coaching misses we can deal with, plus when he retires the job would look much more attractive.
And that most dominant team also has repeatedly been in the top 5 in recruiting every year in recent history. Their defense is loaded with NFL draft picks. In fact, I read a story the other day that they had 6 starters come back for their senior year that would have been 1st or 2nd round draft picks this past year most of them on defense. You could run a full bore pass happy offense or you could run the single wing and it wouldn't probably matter with their talent. It isn't their coordinators. They're good but their talent is outstanding.
Youre right but they also have a xcelent coaches to be able to use the talent to play fast and confident.
You beat me to it. I wanted to do post that the pass happy team that couldn't run the ball really broke the mold there. To be fair Clemson also has a great defense and man they did a nice job on Bama's run game. The defense first can't pass when they had to unbeatable greatest team of all time Bama .......lost to a team that couldn't run the ball. Well at least not consistently. Wish we had their QB. Clemson won't be the same without him and that wideout and Bama's defense loses a ton this year.
Similar threads
