Football Expectations Going Forward

[DudznSudz]

It seems obvious, but all things being equal, you have a 7.1 percent chance of winning a championship in a 14-team conference and a 12.5 percent chance winning in an 8-team conference. So, nobody in the Big Ten should expect to win titles at the same clip Nebraska and Oklahoma did in the 1970s and 1980s.

Further, both Nebraska and Oklahoma got to claim conference titles in years where there were ties:

• 1969: Nebraska and Missouri — Nebraska claims a title because it tied Mizzou, even though we lost the head-to-head matchup
• 1972: Nebraska wins because Oklahoma cheated (surprise!) and forfeited games
• 1975: Nebraska claims a title because it tied OU, even though we got spanked 35-10 by OU
• 1976: Oklahoma, OSU and Colorado tie
• 1978: Nebraska and OU tie and OU claims a title despite losing to Nebraska
• 1984: Nebraska and OU tie and NU claims a title despite losing to OU
• 1991: Nebraska and CU tie and NU claims a title despite tying Colorado 19-19

If that criterion (claiming a title despite a tie in the standings) stood in the division-play era of college football, Nebraska would have all these years with titles in a 6-team division and a 12- or 14-team league:

• 1996: North Division champion
• 1997: Big XII champion
• 1999: Big XII champion
• 2000: North Division co-champion
• 2001: North Division co-champion
• 2006 North Division champion
• 2008: North Division co-champion
• 2009: North Division champion
• 2010: North Division co-champion
• 2012: Legends Division champion

We claimed a lot of championships back in the Missouri Valley days (1907-1918, 1921-1927) when we were competing with between four and six other schools, and in the Big Six (1928-1947).

• We claim a MVC title for 1907 despite having played just one conference game.
• Between 1910 and 1917, that's eight seasons, we played a total of only 23 conference games — fewer than 3 per year on average — and claimed all eight conference titles.
• Between 1928 and 1940, we won 9 of the 13 possible titles in a six-team conference.
• Devaney won four straight again from 1963-1966, and then four more from 1969-1972 in an eight-team conference.

TLDR version: Unless we start counting titles as I noted above for division and co-championships, we'll unlikely ever reach the heights that we did in the Big 8 or any of its predecessor conferences.

I think, too, if we're being honest, the Big Ten right now is a far stronger conference than the Big 12 was when we were running the table in it. We had Oklahoma kind of down and out for most of the 90's, Texas was pretty good, Okie State got ok, and Missouri and K State were sometimes pretty good, but I think right now the Big Ten is VERY tough. And we're still in the weaker of the two divisions, and thats our only real advantage there.

 

[Bleed Husker Red]

My expectations are being met perfectly. Other than last years rough start.

1 implement the Frost system day 1

2. Flip the roster

3 create competition at each position

4 get bigger, faster, stronger

5 have a recruiting plan and execute it

6 get all in, or get out

7. Move players off the roster that are not going to contribute

8. Administration that wants to win and will do what is necessary to make it happen

9. See position groups actually improve

10. Staff that stays together

11. Recruit, recruit, recruit ............

12. Represent Nebraska with class, but also walk into the room acting like we have the biggest dick in the room

My only role now is to sit back and enjoy the climb back to the top.

 

[TravisWalker]

My expectations are being met perfectly. Other than last years rough start.

1 implement the Frost system day 1

2. Flip the roster

3 create competition at each position

4 get bigger, faster, stronger

5 have a recruiting plan and execute it

6 get all in, or get out

7. Move players off the roster that are not going to contribute

8. Administration that wants to win and will do what is necessary to make it happen

9. See position groups actually improve

10. Staff that stays together

11. Recruit, recruit, recruit ............

12. Represent Nebraska with class, but also walk into the room acting like we have the biggest dick in the room

My only role now is to sit back and enjoy the climb back to the top.

After we accomplish the first 11 on your list we won’t have to act like we do because we will have it!!!

 

[TravisWalker]

We all now beer will be sold at the stadium, it will happen right after Mr. Moral Compass TO is gone.

AMEN!!!!!!

 

[klemman]

There was a stretch there of college head coaches winning National Championships in Year 2 at a program. Bob Stoops at Oklahoma, Jim Tressel at OSU, and Urban Meyer at Florida, and Saban at Alabama, all did so. I think that started the 2 year expectation.

Jimmy Johnson won in year 4 at Miami, Pete Carroll, Lou Holts, Saban, and Urban Meyer won the NC at USC, Notre Dame, LSU, and OSU at year 3. So there has been a trend for decades of coaches winning the National Championship in 4 years or less.

 

[Ewooc]

Honestly, I think this is 100% what I think as well, and here's why:

A good coach with good resources and good players should have a program clicking along nicely in fairly short order. Year 1's are always a "Who knows?" but after that, it should start trending the right way if things are going well.

Second, with strength and conditioning, good coaching, etc, you are absolutely right; I will feel fine about recruiting as long as we are consistently in the top 25 in class rankings. That means you have all of the talent you need to get preeeeetty far. In fact, you might even win an NC with it. You never really know, you just have to know you need to be in the top 10-15% of college football recruiting classes as often as possible.

As for the dominance, that COULD happen again, but it is highly unlikely. I think the Big Ten is a very, very strong conference, so going undefeated in it is very tough. I've said that since we joined. I think winning the Big Ten title and going to the Rose Bowl 2-3 times every 5 years is a great goal, and I think once every 5-7 years being in contention for the NC is ideal. Most programs, and boy I mean most outside of Alabama, shoot for this and call it highly successful, and they're right to do so. That would mean we would be "back" to being an elite, tough football program, and that's all I want for the Huskers.

GBR!

Yep, Look at Ohio St. I think we can ALL agree If we have Ohio St level of success over the next 20 years we would all be happy.
Over the last 20 years Ohio St :

*They have never had a losing season.
* 2 season with 6 wins. 1 with 7 wins. All else 8 or above. 15 with 10 or more wins.
*9 BIG10 championships
* Never missed a bowl game
* have finished the year unranked only 4 times
* consistently in the top 10
* 2 NC.

 

[phoenix4nu]

There was a stretch there of college head coaches winning National Championships in Year 2 at a program. Bob Stoops at Oklahoma, Jim Tressel at OSU, and Urban Meyer at Florida, and Saban at Alabama, all did so. I think that started the 2 year expectation.

Jimmy Johnson won in year 4 at Miami, Pete Carroll, Lou Holts, Saban, and Urban Meyer won the NC at USC, Notre Dame, LSU, and OSU at year 3. So there has been a trend for decades of coaches winning the National Championship in 4 years or less.

I bet the coaches you mentioned had more talent starting out than Frost did.

 

[klemman]

I bet the coaches you mentioned had more talent starting out than Frost did.

Possibly, but all of them were head coaches at their respective programs because the previous coach couldn’t win a National Championship.

 

[dinglefritz]

We all now beer will be sold at the stadium, it will happen right after Mr. Moral Compass TO is gone.

AMEN!!!!!!

I think that the Unicameral and governor have to sign off on alcohol sales on state property so don't hold your breath.

 

[oldjar07]

I have thought about that a lot over the last 9 months. There is no denying this team was mentally very very weak going into last year. They had little to no confidence after the meltdown of 2017. They had a new coach, who was trying to get them to be confident and telling them they can win. Everyones energy and emotions were high for that first game. Im sure there was a bit of let down by all, not getting to play. Getting that first W would have made all the difference for confidence not only in themselves, but in Frost and what he was selling them.
Instead, Colorado comes in and pulls out a win. Im sure all that self doubt starts creeping in. It all started spiraling down. I believe we play that 1st game and get that W, we beat CU, we beat Troy. We go into Mich 3-0. I don't think we were ready to beat Mich, but I guarantee we keep it much closer. I think we then beat Purdue. Probably still lose to Wisc, but again keep it close. Go on to beat NW, MN, 5-2 heading into Ohio St. Im going with a lost still, but really think we could have beat them. To close out the year we go on to beat Illinios, Mich St and I think had the year started with that win we beat Iowa. That puts us at 9-3 on the year. I said at the beginning of last year that I thought we had the talent and capability to go 8-4 or 9-3. That it would depend if the teams mentality was fixed enough from the damage Riley did. It obviously wasn't and we know the result of that.

Sure we might have been 2-0 to start the year but we still might have lost to Troy and would have got exposed by Michigan. We were a mentally weak, physically weak and slow team to start the year and one game wasn't going to change that.

 

[oldjar07]

I think, too, if we're being honest, the Big Ten right now is a far stronger conference than the Big 12 was when we were running the table in it. We had Oklahoma kind of down and out for most of the 90's, Texas was pretty good, Okie State got ok, and Missouri and K State were sometimes pretty good, but I think right now the Big Ten is VERY tough. And we're still in the weaker of the two divisions, and thats our only real advantage there.

I don't think the Big 10 is any tougher than the old Big 12. I think people overestimate that because of how bad we have been since we joined this conference.

 

[IndyNDBJJ]

I don't think the Big 10 is any tougher than the old Big 12. I think people overestimate that because of how bad we have been since we joined this conference.

The Big10 overall is A LOT better than the old Big12 top to bottom.
The old Big12 was top heavy. The Big10 is good 8-9 teams deep every year.

 

[phoenix4nu]

Possibly, but all of them were head coaches at their respective programs because the previous coach couldn’t win a National Championship.

It takes both talent and good coaching to win a national championship in 2-4 years after a coaching change. I think we have the coaching, but the talent wasn’t there when Frost took over.

 

[bshirt73]

I think, too, if we're being honest, the Big Ten right now is a far stronger conference than the Big 12 was when we were running the table in it. We had Oklahoma kind of down and out for most of the 90's, Texas was pretty good, Okie State got ok, and Missouri and K State were sometimes pretty good, but I think right now the Big Ten is VERY tough. And we're still in the weaker of the two divisions, and thats our only real advantage there.

That's true enough sir. However, it looks to me like the west division in coming on strong. We'll see....

 

[Charlie Marlow_rivals363743]

I have zero expectations. I just hope for the best and try to enjoy whatever success comes our way