Athlon sports ranks the Big Ten coaches so you don't have to.

NUpolo8 said:
1995 Redux said:
ANTI BO AGENDA MAKES MR SAD! ZOMG YOU GUYS!!!
For reals though Im a little surprised by the #9 ranking. Figured he wouldve been in the top half. The 9 win mark really means nothing to me at this point. Its nice, like a product disclaimer on the box. Makes you feel safe.

Im not surprised however by the rest of the world still expecting more out of Nebraska. Like it or not even the Bolievers expect more. My support of Bo isnt solely based on 9 wins a year. Its based on the positives Ive seen and my optimism of where we are headed. Where as say Polo's distaste of Bo is based on the negatives hes seen, he feels weve hit our ceiling and thats that.

In the end this is a pretty trying season because yes, more is definitely expected here, that hasnt changed. Its just going to be a damn shame if Bo is forced out before reaping the fruits of his labor and the next guy comes in and takes all the credit. Thats the game though, win big win fast or move on. 2014 should either silence the doubters or give them a a boatload of arsenal for the evential regime change.
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Zalinsky auto parts reference for the win btw.

But I struggle to see the shame where a situation might exist where someone "took Bo's credit" in a few years where Bo had no problem taking advantage of the players his predecessor brought in.

Kinda how it works.

Oh and the smart money on 2014 is neither one of your options. Some decent wins, probable losses to Miami, MSU and Wisconsin, (ie the teams with a pulse on the schedule) so a decent record and not much to show for it.
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Im not going to be mad if the next guy come in and kicks a$$. Thatd be super. Itd just be bittersweet for me being a Bo suporter. A Nebraska win is always going to outweigh the other factors.

Yeah sure we could have another 9 win mediocre type season but with all the new players more settled in I expect 10-11 wins verbatim, potentially 12 if we really cut down the turnovers. Thats my standard for the year. Anything less will make me rather indifferent towards the current staff. Love Bo but damn we need a step forward.

And thankyou for catching the Tommy Boy reference.

 
Pelini is the only coach with a Big Ten division title after the first two names on the list. He has a winning record against the five coaches on the list that he's faced more than once. He has a far better record over the last six seasons (conference and overall) than everyone but Meyer and Dantonio. He's the only coach on this list with a winning conference record in every season he's been a head coach. Reread that last sentence. It seems almost personal that he would sit so low on this list. His standing here is probably a statement about the power of public relations. If he was a bit chummier with the press he might sit third or even second on the list.

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Someone explain the National Rankings vs. Conference Rankings please.

Mark Dantonio is 26th in the Nation but second in the B1G, above several guys that he's ranked lower than nationally. He's just an example, there are several in the list. Not that I have an issue with Dantionio being two, I think that might be low if anything. I just don't understand the discrepancy.

 
NUpolo8 said:
http://athlonsports....ll-coaches-2014

Here's a spoiler alert for you guys, Urban is number one, probably with no surprise. And here is our little blurb.

"9. Bo Pelini, Nebraska

Record at Nebraska: 58-24 (6 years)

Career Record: 58-24 (6 years)

Nebraska's Program Rank: (No. 4 in Big Ten, No. 17 nationally)

Pelini is still looking for his first conference title or an appearance in a BCS bowl, but he has won at least nine games in each of his six seasons at Nebraska. While nine or ten victories a year works at most programs, is that an acceptable benchmark in Lincoln? Winning at Nebraska in 2014 is probably more challenging than it was in 1995, but according to recruiting rankings, the Cornhuskers have the No. 3 roster in the Big Ten. Although Pelini's win total has been consistent and has five consecutive finishes in the final Associated Press poll, the expectations are huge at Nebraska. Would a 7-5 or 8-4 record in 2014 force athletic director Shawn Eichorst to rethink the direction of the program?"

Now is Bo a better coach than say, Jerry Kill? I'm going to say most likely. Really what stands out to me here isn't the ranking, though I'm sure that's going to ilicit several "ZOMG! Troll article for clicks! Anti Bo agenda makes me sad!" responses from the usual suspects. To that, I say, go ahead, miss the point.

Here's my takeaway.....the infamous win total that dare not be mentioned is brought up. I find is interesting to no end how many people who are hardcore Nebraska supporters will point to that and say that it's--that it's well -something-, while outsiders seem to still expect more out Nebraska. Or at least they think that there should be something better expected in Lincoln.

Also, if there's a 7-5 season in the horizon with the current schedule in 2014, well that is just a complete disaster. I would hope that would be a huge sign of the direction of the program.

Anyway, discuss if you please.
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Sports media is such an echo chamber (honestly most media is). Once something is brought up it's repeated until it is just the accepted truth. What's funny, is this isn't really an "outsider" perspective as most likely the author based their opinion off Nebraska sports media. There is no coincidence that he focused on the number 9.

 
Bucky said:
Someone explain the National Rankings vs. Conference Rankings please.

Mark Dantonio is 26th in the Nation but second in the B1G, above several guys that he's ranked lower than nationally. He's just an example, there are several in the list. Not that I have an issue with Dantionio being two, I think that might be low if anything. I just don't understand the discrepancy.
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That is ranking "programs", not coaches. No idea what it means, though.

Edit: Just clicked on it, that is ranking all 128 "head coaching jobs" in the country. So nothing to do with the actual coaches, just their list of how nice of a job it would be.

 
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MO_Husker_Fan said:
NUpolo8 said:
http://athlonsports....ll-coaches-2014

Here's a spoiler alert for you guys, Urban is number one, probably with no surprise. And here is our little blurb.

"9. Bo Pelini, Nebraska

Record at Nebraska: 58-24 (6 years)

Career Record: 58-24 (6 years)

Nebraska's Program Rank: (No. 4 in Big Ten, No. 17 nationally)

Pelini is still looking for his first conference title or an appearance in a BCS bowl, but he has won at least nine games in each of his six seasons at Nebraska. While nine or ten victories a year works at most programs, is that an acceptable benchmark in Lincoln? Winning at Nebraska in 2014 is probably more challenging than it was in 1995, but according to recruiting rankings, the Cornhuskers have the No. 3 roster in the Big Ten. Although Pelini's win total has been consistent and has five consecutive finishes in the final Associated Press poll, the expectations are huge at Nebraska. Would a 7-5 or 8-4 record in 2014 force athletic director Shawn Eichorst to rethink the direction of the program?"

Now is Bo a better coach than say, Jerry Kill? I'm going to say most likely. Really what stands out to me here isn't the ranking, though I'm sure that's going to ilicit several "ZOMG! Troll article for clicks! Anti Bo agenda makes me sad!" responses from the usual suspects. To that, I say, go ahead, miss the point.

Here's my takeaway.....the infamous win total that dare not be mentioned is brought up. I find is interesting to no end how many people who are hardcore Nebraska supporters will point to that and say that it's--that it's well -something-, while outsiders seem to still expect more out Nebraska. Or at least they think that there should be something better expected in Lincoln.

Also, if there's a 7-5 season in the horizon with the current schedule in 2014, well that is just a complete disaster. I would hope that would be a huge sign of the direction of the program.

Anyway, discuss if you please.
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Sports media is such an echo chamber (honestly most media is). Once something is brought up it's repeated until it is just the accepted truth. What's funny, is this isn't really an "outsider" perspective as most likely the author based their opinion off Nebraska sports media. There is no coincidence that he focused on the number 9.
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So then the debate is whether Bo is the the 4-9 best coach in the conference. Says a lot.

 
Agree with that. After 1-2, there are a number of interchangeable guys. Bo should at this time be near the top of that group, however.

 
Actually I think Franklin and Gary Andersen are probably right up there vying with Bo for the #3 spot. But we've seen very little from both. At the helm of PSU, Franklin might make the leap...but it's a projection.

 
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This ranking is a joke. The top two I would say are right on, but the rest of this list is questionable. Brady Hoke is Michigan's Callahan. Great recuiter, but can't get all those good players going in the right direction. Pelini was 29-12 after his first three seasons. Franklin was 24-15. I would say you might want to wait to see how things go at PSU before you call him the third best coach in the league. I would also wait to call Gary Anderson a top 5 coach in the conference. He is 39-35 overall & he had a good 9-4 season with another coaches players.

 
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