Why Nebraska is a dead program, and probably will still be under Scott Frost

[Bazza]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1270036966084657153

 

[cubzwin]

I think we are one the same page. If Frost can right the ship then he can rival Wisconsin and Iowa, which would make them a mid pack team instead of a bottom feeder. That seems to be their only two options.

Oregon has very little in state talent but has been a consistent top ten team in recent years by using a high speed offense, having cutting edge uniforms, state of the art locker rooms and training facilities. The school is in Eugene which is only a draw if you like rain and legal pot. They have been steadily improving their national recruiting--mainly poaching speed guys from California. So, schools like Nebraska can get it done even without the natural advantages of Alabama, Florida, Georgia and LSU--i.e. a ton of in state talent. It's just harder. Nike's founder pouring money in also helps.

 

[The Ols]

Oregon has very little in state talent but has been a consistent top ten team in recent years by using a high speed offense, having cutting edge uniforms, state of the art locker rooms and training facilities. The school is in Eugene which is only a draw if you like rain and legal pot. They have been steadily improving their national recruiting--mainly poaching speed guys from California. So, schools like Nebraska can get it done even without the natural advantages of Alabama, Florida, Georgia and LSU--i.e. a ton of in state talent. It's just harder. Nike's founder pouring money in also helps.

Oregon is Oregon because of Nike...you hit it at the end....

 

[81usaf92]

Oregon has very little in state talent but has been a consistent top ten team in recent years by using a high speed offense, having cutting edge uniforms, state of the art locker rooms and training facilities. The school is in Eugene which is only a draw if you like rain and legal pot. They have been steadily improving their national recruiting--mainly poaching speed guys from California. So, schools like Nebraska can get it done even without the natural advantages of Alabama, Florida, Georgia and LSU--i.e. a ton of in state talent. It's just harder. Nike's founder pouring money in also helps.

But Oregon also borders California and has Nike. California has too many prized athletes to fill its 4 major schools. The rise of Oregon under Belotti was largely due to him recruiting California players, and Chips explosion to national relevance was largely due to USC being under probation.

Nebraska’s problem is that they have lost the Texas and Missouri recruits. Nebraska for a long time since the Big 12 merger lived off those prized recruits. Now those extra recruits are going to the SEC instead of Nebraska.

Look at this way since the 4 years (2015-present) after going to the Big 10 they have had 2 bowl seasons, 3 losses to Purdue, 2 losses to a G5 team, and 0 wins over Wisconsin and Iowa. This isn’t an Oregon story, this is more of a Tennessee story.

Also for instate talent... it is all in Omaha. Once you hit Lincoln going west all cities until you hit Sidney are podunk towns. You would think you were looking at the Great Depression again.

Sure Nebraska could pull off a 3 year run but winning a string of national championships is a thing of the past.

 

[We_are_Bama]

Wow! Great post!

You guys have done a number on the Huskers since they arrived in the B1G nearly a decade ago. Which is fine by me, by the way. I never much cared for them

 

[Probius]

I grew up watching college football in the late 80's and early 90's. I remember watching great Nebraska teams for many years, especially those years from '93 to '97. Nebraska was always very good and then they became a juggernaut in the mid-90's. The '95 Nebraska team was one of the greatest teams I ever saw. The Omaha World-Herald did a great series on the downfall of Nebraska football and what needs to be done to bring it back. Here is the link to the series of articles: LINK

You have to be a subscriber to read the articles, so that's a bit annoying, but it's not much money. The gist of the articles is that Nebraska football was built by Tom Osborne by using a robust walk-on program and tight relationships with high school football coaches all over Nebraska. Osborne built a power house football program in a state that never excelled in in-state talent because he would find Nebraska kids who were tough, had a passion for football, but were undersized, and he would put these guys through a great strength and conditioning program for 2 to 3 years before they were ready to compete. Bill Calahan then came along and dismantled everything Osborne had built, including all of the important relationships with in-state high school football coaches. Calahan believed that Nebraska football needed to modernize, which meant going after talent from out of state.

The writer of this series believes that Nebraska needs to re-establish relationships with in-state high school football coaches and bring back the walk-on program to bring back Nebraska football. The writer also cautioned the readers on not expecting Nebraska to become what they were in the mid-90's again but that they can become competitive again. It's an interesting read for anyone who doesn't mind paying a few dollars for a subscription to the Omaha World-Herald. I felt like it gave me good insight into the Nebraska football program and what has happened to it in the last 20 years.

 

[We_are_Bama]

One thing that has killed Nebraska is their unwillingness to adapt to a B1G style of play. Of course, neither have Maryland and Rutgers, but that's pretty much par for the course for them. The Huskers are still playing like they are in the Big 12

 

[81usaf92]

One thing that has killed Nebraska is their unwillingness to adapt to a B1G style of play. Of course, neither have Maryland and Rutgers, but that's pretty much par for the course for them. The Huskers are still playing like they are in the Big 12

That’s not entirely true. Pelini brought a style very similar to a B1G style of play and even beat Ohio State, Michigan, and Wisconsin while owning Iowa. The problem is the Husker board and Husker fans generally hated him and were looking desperately to win a national championship. So they fired him and got duped by Bilema. So they took the approach “ anyone would love to have this job”. They landed Reily.

Wisconsin and Iowa are established programs that gritted their teeth for decades of bad seasons to get where they are now. Nebraska needs to do the same, but the problem is that they are living in lala land thinking they still can win national championships. More or less they think they are Alabama but they really are Tennessee.

 

[DogPatch]

The gist of the articles is that Nebraska football was built by Tom Osborne by using a robust walk-on program and tight relationships with high school football coaches all over Nebraska. Osborne built a power house football program in a state that never excelled in in-state talent because he would find Nebraska kids who were tough

Doesn't seem to give enough credit to Devaney.

 

[Probius]

Doesn't seem to give enough credit to Devaney.

The articles mention Devaney and how important he was to the program. He was the first great coach in Nebraska history. He brought them the first bowl win and the first national championship.

 

[81usaf92]

Doesn't seem to give enough credit to Devaney.

I still maintain that Devaney was the better coach. Osbourne only started becoming a great coach when Switzer left and Miami got slapped with probation. @selmaborntidefan does a better job at breaking it down than I can, but Osbourne is one of the more overrated “great” coaches that people constantly rank. Devaney is probably one of the most underrated.

 

[TRU]

What made Nebraska great under Osborne was having 93 more scholarships than anyone else and steroids. Now they have neither.

 

[Probius]

I still maintain that Devaney was the better coach. Osbourne only started becoming a great coach when Switzer left and Miami got slapped with probation. @selmaborntidefan does a better job at breaking it down than I can, but Osbourne is one of the more overrated “great” coaches that people constantly rank. Devaney is probably one of the most underrated.

Tom Osborne showed amazing consistency during his entire tenor at Nebraska. From his first season in 1973 to 1988, Osborne's Huskers finished in the top 10 according to one poll or the other every year (AP & Coaches). They then had top 5 finishes in '93, '94, '95, and '97 with a 6th place ranking in both polls in '96. In 25 seasons at Nebraska, Osborne's Huskers went to 21 major bowl games, including his first season. By major bowl games, I'm referring to the Cotton, Sugar, Fiesta, and Orange Bowls. The one major bowl he never went to was the Rose Bowl.

 

[81usaf92]

Tom Osborne showed amazing consistency during his entire tenor at Nebraska. From his first season in 1973 to 1988, Osborne's Huskers finished in the top 10 according to one poll or the other every year (AP & Coaches). They then had top 5 finishes in '93, '94, '95, and '97 with a 6th place ranking in both polls in '96. In 25 seasons at Nebraska, Osborne's Huskers went to 21 major bowl games, including his first season. By major bowl games, I'm referring to the Cotton, Sugar, Fiesta, and Orange Bowls. The one major bowl he never went to was the Rose Bowl.

It’s pretty easy to be consistent when you are playing essentially one game seasons. But the fact still remains that he didn’t start winning national championships until Barry Switzer left Oklahoma and the Miami reign of terror was on the decline.

Sure you can throw that 1983 Miami game in there for an argument for another title, but I still say that bogus 97 championship more than makes up for it.

 

[B1GTide]

It’s pretty easy to be consistent when you are playing essentially one game seasons. But the fact still remains that he didn’t start winning national championships until Barry Switzer left Oklahoma and the Miami reign of terror was on the decline.

Sure you can throw that 1983 Miami game in there for an argument for another title, but I still say that bogus 97 championship more than makes up for it.

Yep - their schedule made Clemson's ACC schedule look hard.

 

[GrayTide]

If you look back at NU's glory years you would find that their skilled players (read black players) were mostly from Texas, California, Florida and they always had a few from New Jersey and New York. Then there was I. M. Hipp a running back from Birmingham. With such a negligible black population, they have to rely on out of state black player recruitment.

 

[Moro Creek]

Just looked to see the amount of Texas players on the NU team. Total of seven. When they changed to the Big, they lost their main recruiting base. As long as they remain in the Big, they will be middle of the pack at best.

 

[selmaborntidefan]

I just don't know why you'd say that. Guys from New Jersey, Texas, California end up at less desirable locations all the time.

In 1975, a guy wound up at Nebraska because it was his NFL chance because they played on TV.
Nowadays, a kid from Florida doesn't have to go to Nebraska to be seen on TV. He can stay at USF or UCF or even (maybe) go to South Carolina, and he'll still be on television and scouted by the pros if he plays well. And he can have (mostly) warm weather.

Nebraska is in the middle of the country, in the middle of nowhere. What used to be the draw is long gone.

If all anybody cared about was going to the coolest city USC would win the national title every year. If guys love the coach and believe in his message he can get talent.

The point is NOT that Scott Frost can't recruit a decent team; the point is that the calculus has changed DRASTICALLY in the last 25 years since their 1995 team.

Nebraska used to get every single good player (well nearly) in the states of Nebraska AND the Dakotas AND Minnesota AND Wyoming, etc. And they drew in talents from out of state like Tommie Frazier, Mike Rozier, and Brook Berringer.

But if Berringer was a recruit NOWADAYS - and had the talent to start (esp with the new redshirt rules)......he'd ditch Nebraska in a heartbeat to go somewhere else where he got to play more games. If Frazier goes down with a blood clot (as he did in 1994), Nebraska wouldn't have near the talent behind him.


The greater point in the whole scheme is this - Nebraska's success was PRIMARILY based on a historical set of circumstances that will never exist again that permitted them to recruit players that will never give them a second look nowadays.

They played an easy schedule in a terrible conference.
They'd play one tough OOC game per year to get another appearance.
This TV exposure led to athletes who would not be seen on TV in those days to brave the cold.
N Dakota State was not the power it is now (and most of their games are on TV, too).


I reiterate: Nebraska COULD, in fact, win a national championship in a situation where everything broke right for them, they had a decent enough team, and they put it all together.

But it would a year when they had a lot of seniors who were good (but not NFL prospects as juniors) returning, had some scheduling luck, and oh yeah - they'd be a four-loss team the very next year (like Penn State after both of their titles in the 80s or like Auburn in 2011).

National champions? Possible (though not likely)
Dynasty? Get out of here.

 

[selmaborntidefan]

If Kansas State can be nationally relevant - as they were recently, though not last season - Nebraska can.

But how good is Kansas State.....REALLY??

By comparison with their past, K-State is one of the most wonderful stories in the history of CFB. But K-State has never won ANYTHING without Bill Snyder occupying that position.

They were really good 1993-2000 by K-State standards; that same record gets you fired at Nebraska, though.

K State's record during that time frame was 81-20-1
Nebraska's was 91-10, but the Huskers won 3 national titles.

FIVE of K-State's 20 losses were to Nebraska. Flip the results of only those five games and you get:
K-State: 86-15-1
Nebraska: 86-15

And K-State (probably) plays Florida State for the 99 national title while Nebraska (probably) has zero.


But K-State would be willing to accept that; Nebraska fans would not.


When else was K-State nationally relevant?

Yeah, they blew out OU in 2003, but they still lost four games.
The Wildcats got up to #2 in 2012 and their implosion helped us win the back-to-back.


There's no way on planet earth Nebraska is going to keep a coach that has one nationally relevant season in two decades. Even if he went on a Snyder 93-00 run - but came up short - they'd still fire him.

 

[selmaborntidefan]

If you look back at NU's glory years you would find that their skilled players (read black players) were mostly from Texas, California, Florida and they always had a few from New Jersey and New York. Then there was I. M. Hipp a running back from Birmingham. With such a negligible black population, they have to rely on out of state black player recruitment.

And back then, Penn State was just coming into prominence as the Eastern power while they pretty much had their pick from Idaho to Lake Superior and down to the Oklahoma line.