Riley needs to keep his job until 2019-2020.

[DudznSudz]

I don't think letting him go at the end of the season is a great idea, and I haven't thus far. Here's why:

He's got a lot of talent he's developing. We're starting a LOT of younger players and he's finally able to run his system. His recruiting has actually been pretty alright, and it needs to stay that way/improve. He's also hired really good assistants, and he knows that Cav needs to go at the end of the year.

Second, most coaches should have 5 years to turn a program around. And in Riley's case, he had a monumental task of rebuilding a new system in a program that has not very well served by the last staff in that regard.

I know this year sucks, but we have to just power through it and see what kind of 2018 team he has next year. I also think Tanner Lee will be better with more receivers ready to play and more TE's who can go out there and catch rather than have to block.

I'm not saying things are great or there are a bunch of excuses, but there are some key reasons why things have looked so shaky so far. These things are reasons that should go away as the season rolls on and into 2018.

I would only support getting rid of Riley if the wheels completely come off, the team looks lost, and nobody seems to have any answers as the season rolls on. THAT would show incompetence, but I don't see that happening.

The future looks bright! The program is still trending up, despite these difficulties. One day, Scott Frost or some other coach will come in, and that's fine too.

It'll work out, guys. :-D

 

[jlb321]

I don't think letting him go at the end of the season is a great idea, and I haven't thus far. Here's why:

He's got a lot of talent he's developing. We're starting a LOT of younger players and he's finally able to run his system. His recruiting has actually been pretty alright, and it needs to stay that way/improve. He's also hired really good assistants, and he knows that Cav needs to go at the end of the year.

Second, most coaches should have 5 years to turn a program around. And in Riley's case, he had a monumental task of rebuilding a new system in a program that has not very well served by the last staff in that regard.

I know this year sucks, but we have to just power through it and see what kind of 2018 team he has next year. I also think Tanner Lee will be better with more receivers ready to play and more TE's who can go out there and catch rather than have to block.

I'm not saying things are great or there are a bunch of excuses, but there are some key reasons why things have looked so shaky so far. These things are reasons that should go away as the season rolls on and into 2018.

I would only support getting rid of Riley if the wheels completely come off, the team looks lost, and nobody seems to have any answers as the season rolls on. THAT would show incompetence, but I don't see that happening.

The future looks bright! The program is still trending up, despite these difficulties. One day, Scott Frost or some other coach will come in, and that's fine too.

It'll work out, guys. :-D

If he is going to succeed we should start to see results soon.
Kirk Ferentz who most on here consider a mediocre to poor coach took over an absolute disaster at Iowa. He won 1 game his first year.

Year 3 - 7 wins (12 total games)

In years 4-5-6 Iowa won 11-10 and 10 games with an Orange bowl birth in there

At some point the wins have to come. The debate centers on the time frame.

 

[DudznSudz]

We should start to see results soon.
Kirk Ferentz who most on here consider a mediocre to poor coach took over an absolute disaster at Iowa. He won 1 game his first year.

Year 3 - 7 wins (12 total games)

In years 4-5-6 Iowa won 11-10 and 10 games with an Orange bowl birth in there

At some point the wins have to come. The debate centers on the time frame.

Excellent point and I think that's exactly what I'm saying.

 

[jlb321]

Excellent point and I think that's exactly what I'm saying.

I think Riley is going to have an extremely tough time matching Ferentz even this year and the following 3

I think it is extremely unlikely he gets to 7 wins this year even with the benefit of an extra game.

We will see

 

[HudsonValleyHusker]

I think a lot will depend on how competitive we are against wisc., osu and Penn st. Woodshed beatings on Natl tv would probably mean Riley won't have enough runway to get this program airborne.

 

[JohnRossEwing]

It will be tough to match kirk when kirk is constantly beating the piss out of Riley

 

[DudznSudz]

I think a lot will depend on how competitive we are against wisc., osu and Penn st. Woodshed beatings on Natl tv would probably mean Riley won't have enough runway to get this program airborne.

Yeah, that was what I was trying to say; we need to look competitive, even if we post a poor record. If we get thrashed in all of those games and look incompetent, Riley may be done (even though I don't want him to be until at least the end of 2018).

 

[CDMXHusker]

I don't think letting him go at the end of the season is a great idea, and I haven't thus far. Here's why:

He's got a lot of talent he's developing. We're starting a LOT of younger players and he's finally able to run his system. His recruiting has actually been pretty alright, and it needs to stay that way/improve. He's also hired really good assistants, and he knows that Cav needs to go at the end of the year.

Second, most coaches should have 5 years to turn a program around. And in Riley's case, he had a monumental task of rebuilding a new system in a program that has not very well served by the last staff in that regard.

I know this year sucks, but we have to just power through it and see what kind of 2018 team he has next year. I also think Tanner Lee will be better with more receivers ready to play and more TE's who can go out there and catch rather than have to block.

I'm not saying things are great or there are a bunch of excuses, but there are some key reasons why things have looked so shaky so far. These things are reasons that should go away as the season rolls on and into 2018.

I would only support getting rid of Riley if the wheels completely come off, the team looks lost, and nobody seems to have any answers as the season rolls on. THAT would show incompetence, but I don't see that happening.

The future looks bright! The program is still trending up, despite these difficulties. One day, Scott Frost or some other coach will come in, and that's fine too.

It'll work out, guys. :-D

Let's just wait and see how this season plays out. It's year 3 and NU should improve not slide backward.

 

[bshirt73]

It will be tough to match kirk when kirk is constantly beating the piss out of Riley

Exactly.

MR needs a biblical miracle......

 

[nebcountry]

I put on a value on continuity. But there has to be favorable results for Riley to EARN the opportunity to provide continuity. This isn't about playoffs or CC's, it's about winning seasons. If Riley doesn't make the most of his opportunity, he'll be the first coach in my lifetime with none of his teams finishing in the top 25.

There is no reason to tolerate 2 losing seasons in 3 years, it's bad for the program. I don't remember which game it was, but the commentators and the half-time crew were openly making fun of our program. We have played 3 of the 4 easiest games on our schedule. The tough games are just around the corner.

 

[RedMyMind]

It will be tough to match kirk when kirk is constantly beating the piss out of Riley

Iowa beat down a Riley led Nebraska team once. A team with no QBs available. Are we going to forget the beatdown in 2013 at home?

 

[RedMyMind]

I put on a value on continuity. But there has to be favorable results for Riley to EARN the opportunity to provide continuity. This isn't about playoffs or CC's, it's about winning seasons. If Riley doesn't make the most of his opportunity, he'll be the first coach in my lifetime with none of his teams finishing in the top 25.

There is no reason to tolerate 2 losing seasons in 3 years, it's bad for the program. I don't remember which game it was, but the commentators and the half-time crew were openly making fun of our program. We have played 3 of the 4 easiest games on our schedule. The tough games are just around the corner.

First year was an anomaly and this year is schematic change and youth infusion. There are no upperclassmen to lean on. DPE is the only recruited starter. The upperclassmen the last two years are pathetically small due to years of inept recruiting.

 

[JohnRossEwing]

Iowa beat down a Riley led Nebraska team once. A team with no QBs available. Are we going to forget the beatdown in 2013 at home?

I don't remember it.

 

[Hus]

With Bookie's help we need to get some of the very outstanding players for 2018 to commit. Two said they almost committed on their visit; Christian Tutt, and Isaiah Crocker. Others like Parsons and Griffiths are still very probable. One thing; we have to play Wisconsin tough or maybe even doable if we can keep the game on the defensive side and make a few key pass touchdowns and great running. If we stink Friday or get blown out by Wisconsin Tanner has to sit and I would love to see Tristan. He has all the tools.

 

[Harry Caray]

No. If a coach cannot show significant progress in 3-4 years, it's probably not going to happen (especially for a guy who's been coaching for 40 years).

How many great coaches have needed more than 3-4 years to turn a major program around? Maybe Bill Snyder, but you can't compare K-State in the 80s to Nebraska Football - they were the worst program in college football. We have all of the resources a coach could possibly want.

 

[Mack In Motion]

If he is going to succeed we should start to see results soon.
Kirk Ferentz who most on here consider a mediocre to poor coach took over an absolute disaster at Iowa. He won 1 game his first year.

Year 3 - 7 wins (12 total games)

In years 4-5-6 Iowa won 11-10 and 10 games with an Orange bowl birth in there

At some point the wins have to come. The debate centers on the time frame.

Ferentz took over a team that won 3 games the year prior. In no way is Riley's situation at Nebraska comparable to the situation Ferentz inherited at Iowa.

I wanted Riley to succeed but the excuses (can't hire good assistants, doesn't have a good QB, team has injuries, needs more time to develop the offense) are tired.

I thought a coach hired in large part because of his connections and experience would be able to identify and hire a competent staff. I was wrong.

 

[WuTang_Husker]

No. If a coach cannot show significant progress in 3-4 years, it's probably not going to happen (especially for a guy who's been coaching for 40 years).

How many great coaches have needed more than 3-4 years to turn a major program around? Maybe Bill Snyder, but you can't compare K-State in the 80s to Nebraska Football - they were the worst program in college football. We have all of the resources a coach could possibly want.

If a coach can't match the win total in year 3 that he had in year 1 then something is wrong. That's not progress in any phase of anything and no excuse in the world can refute that.

I think 6-7 wins and a bowl game saves Riley and there will be changes he will be expected to make in order to remain. A scenario I would be fine with. Anything less than a bowl game and I think he's gone. A scenario I would also be fine with.

 

[yunginsNU2]

It will be tough to match kirk when kirk is constantly beating the piss out of Riley

Bo beat the piss out of kirk.. look how far that got him. Believe me i cant stand pelini but your agenda seems to get in the way of being a true fan sometimes. Can you just for the sake of the Husker team just pull for this team to get it together? Or have you just flat out given up?

 

[coachDubs]

4 years is my preference. Same timeline I had for the previous 2 coaches.

 

[studed]

you can tell 3 years in if something is working or not. charlie strong at texas 3 years at texas. rich rodriquez 3 years at michigan. brady hoke 4 years. it was obvious after 3 years that the program was going in wrong direction he went 7-6. year 4 dumpster fire 5-7. a lot of similarities with hoke. hoke had a duel threat qb in denard robinson. everybody was waiting to see the offense with a pro style qb. robinson gone things got worse . the oline got exposed and the qb got killed which lead to turnovers.

 

[MegaTronsBro]

If he is going to succeed we should start to see results soon.
Kirk Ferentz who most on here consider a mediocre to poor coach took over an absolute disaster at Iowa. He won 1 game his first year.

Year 3 - 7 wins (12 total games)

In years 4-5-6 Iowa won 11-10 and 10 games with an Orange bowl birth in there

At some point the wins have to come. The debate centers on the time frame.

Yeah, the rest of CFB disagrees with you on that honey cakes. You wish you had someone like KF at your helm. Your own post just negated that stupid, stupid statement.

Not exactly surprising from the dumb kids of the conference.

 

[BigBL87]

"His recruiting has actually been pretty alright, and it needs to stay that way/improve."

"Second, most coaches should have 5 years to turn a program around. And in Riley's case, he had a monumental task of rebuilding a new system in a program that has not very well served by the last staff in that regard."

I'm not on the "Riley MUST go" bandwagon, but I would not be surprised and not be incredibly upset to see him go at the end of the year. That being said, I want to address the two things in the OP I quoted above.

First, I'm not sure where the perception comes from that his recruiting has somehow been a significant improvement over Pelini. The OP didn't state this specifically, but it is a common refrain and one of the big criticisms after Bo's abrasiveness was his recruiting. If you drop each coach's transitional class, here's what the rankings look like from earliest to latest.

Riley - 24, 20, 51 (current year, probably will end up in the 25-35 range at best)
Pelini - 28, 22, 15, 25, 17, 32

At best for Riley, recruiting between the the two is probably a push, and Bo actually had higher ranked classes than Riley has so far, his best being in his 3rd year. I'm happy with the recruits that Riley has brought in for the most part, but people need to get past their distaste for Pelini and realize that it's not that recruiting has been some massive improvement.

Second, to the point of "rebuilding," Riley took over a team that went 9-4 the previous year and had recruiting classes ranked 25,17, and 32 on the team. We can argue about attrition from those classes and so forth, but the reality is that Riley did not walk into some bare cupboard situation and have to rebuild a team from the ground up. We weren't Alabama, but we also weren't Kansas. When you inherit a perennial 9-4/10-4 program, and go 6-7 (would have been 5-7 if we hadn't lucked into a bowl), 9-4, and having the real possibility of another losing record this year, you can't blame that on a rebuild. I hate to bring Scott Frost into this, but what he had at UCF is the definition of a rebuild. He inherited 0-12 team, and has actually rebuilt them into a respectable team in year 3. I'm not championing him as a HC candidate, only bring him up as an example of an actual rebuild.

I WANT Riley to win out and have a good year this year. I want to see Nebraska football turn this around and be able to look at me and say "Oh ye of little faith," but I just have a hard time seeing that happening. If we end the year with a losing record, I have NO qualms with Riley being let go. Him being a nice guy makes it much more difficult than it was with Pelini, in fact if Pelini wasn't as abrasive as he is he'd probably still be coaching here, but sometimes you have to can the nice guy because he isn't getting the job done.

 

[jlb321]

Yeah, the rest of CFB disagrees with you on that honey cakes. You wish you had someone like KF at your helm. Your own post just negated that stupid, stupid statement.

Not exactly surprising from the dumb kids of the conference.

Meh

Ferentz at Iowa winning % 0.597
Riley at Oregon state - 0.538

Pretty similar - Riley had a tougher strength of schedule by almost double when comparing the 2


https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/coaches/kirk-ferentz-1.html



https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/coaches/mike-riley-1.html

 

[MegaTronsBro]

Meh

Ferentz at Iowa winning % 0.597
Riley at Oregon state - 0.538

Pretty similar - Riley had a tougher strength of schedule by almost double when comparing the 2


https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/coaches/kirk-ferentz-1.html



https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/coaches/mike-riley-1.html

Thanks, what's Riley's' win loss record at Nebraska shaping up to look like?

 

[coachDubs]

you can tell 3 years in if something is working or not. charlie strong at texas 3 years at texas. rich rodriquez 3 years at michigan. brady hoke 4 years. it was obvious after 3 years that the program was going in wrong direction he went 7-6. year 4 dumpster fire 5-7. a lot of similarities with hoke. hoke had a duel threat qb in denard robinson. everybody was waiting to see the offense with a pro style qb. robinson gone things got worse . the oline got exposed and the qb got killed which lead to turnovers.

You're leaving off coaches who turned it around after year 3, but I'm not surprised based on your previous half ass posting history here.

You can start with Mike Gundy at Oklahoma State. And there's more after that...

 

[headcard]

You're leaving off coaches who turned it around after year 3, but I'm not surprised based on your previous half ass posting history here.

You can start with Mike Gundy at Oklahoma State. And there's more after that...

Dabo

 

[CDMXHusker]

First year was an anomaly and this year is schematic change and youth infusion. There are no upperclassmen to lean on. DPE is the only recruited starter. The upperclassmen the last two years are pathetically small due to years of inept recruiting.

excuses...excuses....the results are evident on the field.

 

[JohnRossEwing]

Bo beat the piss out of kirk.. look how far that got him. Believe me i cant stand pelini but your agenda seems to get in the way of being a true fan sometimes. Can you just for the sake of the Husker team just pull for this team to get it together? Or have you just flat out given up?

What are you talking about?
I don't have an agenda. I think Mike is mediocre. I think his record at OSU and so far here show that to be true.

 

[RedMyMind]

excuses...excuses....the results are evident on the field.

reasons are not excuses. I'm sorry that reality hurts you so. Riley had a massive undertaking when he took the job. A complete rebuild project and people expect it to be done in less than 3 years.

Pelini put this program on a downward spiral and Riley got caught in the crosshairs.

 

[Harry Caray]

Dabo

Dabo won the ACC in this 3rd full season.

Gundy improved every single year for his first 7 years at Okie St.

Riley did not have a complete rebuild here. I'm glad Pelini is gone but this is the Big Ten West we're talking about - Pelini still out-recruited every other team in the division and left enough talent to beat the likes of Purdue and Northern Illinois. Even Callahan won his division in Year 3.

 

[headcard]

Dabo won the ACC in this 3rd full season.

Gundy improved every single year for his first 7 years at Okie St.

Riley did not have a complete rebuild here. I'm glad Pelini is gone but this is the Big Ten West we're talking about - Pelini still out-recruited every other team in the division and left enough talent to beat the likes of Purdue and Northern Illinois. Even Callahan won his division in Year 3.

Dabo was 19-15 after three seasons, yes I am counting the 7 games he coached his first year, and there was serious talk of firing him after he went 6-7 in 2010.

Gundy was 18-19 after three seasons, I doubt OSU fans were thinking 4 wins, 7 wins, 7 wins was some great improvement after going 24-19 the three years prior to his arrival.

 

[Pennsyhusker]

I want Riley to be successful. I want him to stay. I have zero desire to see yet another restart under a new coach.

And yet... if he has a losing season, and we suffer ugly losses to the big boys left on our schedule, then I will conclude, with regret, that he has to go.

But I am torn about what his fate should be if we have a losing season but are very competitive against the big boys.

 

[headcard]

I want Riley to be successful. I want him to stay. I have zero desire to see yet another restart under a new coach.

And yet... if he has a losing season, and we suffer ugly losses to the big boys left on our schedule, then I will conclude, with regret, that he has to go.

But I am torn about what his fate should be if we have a losing season but are very competitive against the big boys.

+1

 

[Pennsyhusker]

And to follow up on my earlier post... I am torn, as I said, about what his fate should be if he has a losing season but is competitive in his losses. However, I would lean towards firing him even then. Primarily because it is just damn hard to justify two losing seasons out of three, when he inherited a program that had at least nine wins a year for seven straight years. You don't fire a nine win coach, no matter how big a douche bag he was, only to hire someone who has losing seasons in two out of three, with blowout losses as well.

 

[Hoosker Du]

I don't think letting him go at the end of the season is a great idea, and I haven't thus far. Here's why:

He's got a lot of talent he's developing. We're starting a LOT of younger players and he's finally able to run his system. His recruiting has actually been pretty alright, and it needs to stay that way/improve. He's also hired really good assistants, and he knows that Cav needs to go at the end of the year.

Second, most coaches should have 5 years to turn a program around. And in Riley's case, he had a monumental task of rebuilding a new system in a program that has not very well served by the last staff in that regard.

I know this year sucks, but we have to just power through it and see what kind of 2018 team he has next year. I also think Tanner Lee will be better with more receivers ready to play and more TE's who can go out there and catch rather than have to block.

I'm not saying things are great or there are a bunch of excuses, but there are some key reasons why things have looked so shaky so far. These things are reasons that should go away as the season rolls on and into 2018.

I would only support getting rid of Riley if the wheels completely come off, the team looks lost, and nobody seems to have any answers as the season rolls on. THAT would show incompetence, but I don't see that happening.

The future looks bright! The program is still trending up, despite these difficulties. One day, Scott Frost or some other coach will come in, and that's fine too.

It'll work out, guys. :-D

I'll just say that you must have the patience of Job. If Riley doesn't win 7 games, logic would say he is gone. Especially when there may be a pretty good opportunity to get Scott Frost.

 

[nu2u]

If we stink Friday or get blown out by Wisconsin Tanner has to sit and I would love to see Tristan. He has all the tools.

I don't care how skilled, sending out a true freshman to start at QB almost halfway through the season going into the toughest stretch of the B10 schedule, is a recipe for disaster. Basically, you're throwing in the towel at that point.

 

[coachDubs]

Dabo was 19-15 after three seasons, yes I am counting the 7 games he coached his first year, and there was serious talk of firing him after he went 6-7 in 2010.

Gundy was 18-19 after three seasons, I doubt OSU fans were thinking 4 wins, 7 wins, 7 wins was some great improvement after going 24-19 the three years prior to his arrival.

And the tradition coalition goes silent, that was quick.

 

[jlb321]

Not a tradition coalition but to be fair if you are going to count the partial season for Sweeney - the last 7 games of 2008 - then we can also look at the 1st 6 games of 2011 in which he was 6-0

that looks at his first 40 games as a head coach (a 3 years sample of games)

that gives him a record of 25-15 or an average of > 8 wins per year - plus a divisional title in his 1st full season

 

[headcard]

Not a tradition coalition but to be fair if you are going to count the partial season for Sweeney - the last 7 games of 2008 - then we can also look at the 1st 6 games of 2011 in which he was 6-0

that looks at his first 40 games as a head coach (a 3 years sample of games)

that gives him a record of 25-15 or an average of > 8 wins per year - plus a divisional title in his 1st full season

You can choose to manipulate however you want. I think my point about Dabo stands. After his 6-7 season they seriously considered firing him and since then he has been terrific.

 

[jlb321]

You can choose to manipulate however you want. I think my point about Dabo stands. After his 6-7 season they seriously considered firing him and since then he has been terrific.

ya - I don't think Riley should be let go if he goes 6-6 and qualifies for a bowl game this year