SI Mailbag: What Are Realistic Short-Term Expectations for Nebraska?

[HS_Coach_C]

So to recap:

1. We may or may not win games this year.

2. Mike Riley and Bo Pelini may or may not have been bad recruiters.

3. Some fans may or may not have unreasonable expectations for this year.

4. Some people may or may not struggle with reading comprehension and grammar.

5. Coach Frost is awesome.

Did I miss anything?

 

[4skers89]

Regarding the bolded... that's what happens when you're lead by a person who is used to losing, and expects to lose going into the game. That attitude rubbed off on the team. That's Frost's first thing to fix, IMO.

I don't think the players were particularly bothered by getting blown out either. I believe that attitude started before Riley arrived. So many things for Frost to fix but I believe he will. My expectations remain the same- be competitive in every game and play hard to the end. It's been too long since the team has meant those expectations.

 

[huskerfan333157]

You're basing your predictions like Nebraska didn't make a massive coaching upgrade.  It's weird.

Might want to look at a history book.  Alabama made a massive upgrade in 06and only went 7-6.  It takes time to change a culture and implement a system.  By your logic, Alabama should have went undefeated in Sabans first year...(they went 7-6 btw).

 

[huskerfan333157]

That's my bet for a vegas number. Either 6.5 or 7. The team clearly had mailed it in down the stretch last year, and weren't performing as well as they could. That said... probable wins in bold.

09/01 - Akron

09/08 - Colorado

09/15 - Troy

09/22 - @ Michigan

09/29 - Purdue

10/06 - @ Wisconsin

10/13 - @ Northwestern

10/20 - Minnesota

11/03 - @ Ohio State

11/10 - Illinois

11/17 - Michigan State

11/23 - @ Iowa

First 3 don't really scare me, Purdue will hold serve, maybe step back in year 2 when people aren't surprised. Illinois is trash, Minnesota is blah, and NW is going to go backwards this season without JJ. That's not exactly a hard stretch to say we win those games, and that puts you at 7.  Then you steal 1 from Michigan, Wisconsin, MSU, or Iowa (OSU ain't happening), and you can get to 8.

I expect us to win the first three but those opponents aren't slouches.  CU should be improved and troy did beat LSU last year.  I think Purdue will beat us.  I think we beat northestern and Iowa.  

Losses: MSU, Michigan, Purdue, OSU, Wisconsin, and either northwestern or Iowa (I think we take one of those).

 

[Saunders]

I expect us to win the first three but those opponents aren't slouches.  CU should be improved and troy did beat LSU last year.  I think Purdue will beat us.  I think we beat northestern and Iowa.  

Losses: MSU, Michigan, Purdue, OSU, Wisconsin, and either northwestern or Iowa (I think we take one of those).

I mean, sure Purdue could win, but they also couldn't beat the worst Nebraska team in nearly 50 years last season. Do you think they'll improve more than Nebraska does this season, and win in Lincoln? Because I don't.

 

[huskerfan333157]

I mean, sure Purdue could win, but they also couldn't beat the worst Nebraska team in nearly 50 years last season. Do you think they'll improve more than Nebraska does this season, and win in Lincoln? Because I don't.

Brohm is an underrated coach and yes I can see them improving enough to beat us next year (won't happen the following year though).

 

[Redux]

Might want to look at a history book.  Alabama made a massive upgrade in 06and only went 7-6.  It takes time to change a culture and implement a system.  By your logic, Alabama should have went undefeated in Sabans first year...(they went 7-6 btw).

Yeah, well aware of Saban's first year.  You missed the history lesson by several posts btw.

And It's quite the stretch to say that I am demanding perfection.  8 or 9 wins is a reasonable goal in year 1 because that's the bar that was set 10 years ago.  8 or 9 wins against a strong schedule would be marked improvement.  Finishing 6-6 would be a disappointment if you are striving to win 8 or 9, see how that works?   I promise nobody on staff or team is hoping for .500, I promise that.  There is no rule that states year one has to be a 5 to 7 win ceiling.  That's the biggest black eye Riley has left on this program, accepting mediocrity and this discussion is a prime example of it.

As Moos said months ago, we should be disappointed if we finish 8-4

 

[Landlord]

Redux do you realize that you keep cycling between 17 different arguments/strawmen to argue against and none of them are the same thing? Make up your damn mind dude :lol:

 

[Redux]

Redux do you realize that you keep cycling between 17 different arguments/strawmen to argue against and none of them are the same thing? Make up your damn mind dude :lol:

Pretty simple, listen closely.

6-6 would be disappointing and is a pretty weak goal to frame a team after even though we went 4-8 and face an ugly on paper schedule.

Got all that?

Brohm is an underrated coach and yes I can see them improving enough to beat us next year (won't happen the following year though).

Well if he's so great they should beat us in 2019 too then!

It's Purdue.  They should never beat us, plain and simple.

 

[Lil' Red]

That's my bet for a vegas number. Either 6.5 or 7. The team clearly had mailed it in down the stretch last year, and weren't performing as well as they could. That said... probable wins in bold.

09/01 - Akron

09/08 - Colorado

09/15 - Troy

09/22 - @ Michigan

09/29 - Purdue

10/06 - @ Wisconsin

10/13 - @ Northwestern

10/20 - Minnesota

11/03 - @ Ohio State

11/10 - Illinois

11/17 - Michigan State

11/23 - @ Iowa

First 3 don't really scare me, Purdue will hold serve, maybe step back in year 2 when people aren't surprised. Illinois is trash, Minnesota is blah, and NW is going to go backwards this season without JJ. That's not exactly a hard stretch to say we win those games, and that puts you at 7.  Then you steal 1 from Michigan, Wisconsin, MSU, or Iowa (OSU ain't happening), and you can get to 8.

I agree with the bold being probable wins but I think it's much more likely that we drop one of the bold than that we steal 1 of the others.  With the possible exception of Iowa, all those teams will be ranked going into the season and 4 of those 5 games are on the road.  I'd take the under if the win total is set to 6.5 or above.

 

[huskerfan333157]

Yeah, well aware of Saban's first year.  You missed the history lesson by several posts btw.

And It's quite the stretch to say that I am demanding perfection.  8 or 9 wins is a reasonable goal in year 1 because that's the bar that was set 10 years ago.  8 or 9 wins against a strong schedule would be marked improvement.  Finishing 6-6 would be a disappointment if you are striving to win 8 or 9, see how that works?   I promise nobody on staff or team is hoping for .500, I promise that.  There is no rule that states year one has to be a 5 to 7 win ceiling.  That's the biggest black eye Riley has left on this program, accepting mediocrity and this discussion is a prime example of it.

As Moos said months ago, we should be disappointed if we finish 8-4

Well, we've been mediocre since 2003.  Sorry, but youre living too much in the past, programs have caught up. I think frost will get us back into being a top 10/15 program and competing in the playoff once every 3 years.

 

[Ratt Mhule]

Yes.  We have too many toss up games.  

Guaranteed losses: OSU, Michigan, Wisconsin, Michigan state.

Toss ups: Minnesota, Iowa, purdue, northwestern, Colorado

Guaranteed wins: fighting illini, Akron, troy (closer than what people think)

Lol. Even Rileys teams almost beat Wisconsin all three years they played and now with a better coached team they are a guaranteed loss? Like I said, lol

 

[Ratt Mhule]

Well, Ohio State hasn't punted the ball once in the past two years we played them...

We haven't beat Wisconsin in quite awhile.

Michigan will be improved and there is no way you should even consider us favored.

Michigan state had a damn good year last year and return everyone.  

Which one do you think we will win and please state why.

The only guaranteed loss on our schedule is OSU. 

Riley teams played Wisconsin tough for 3 years. Should have won two of them. 

Michigan will not be improved unless their QB play improves and that is contingent upon if the kid from Ole Miss gets cleared which is most likely not going to happen. 

Michigan St. doesnt scare me in Memorial Stadium

 

[huskerfan333157]

The only guaranteed loss on our schedule is OSU. 

Riley teams played Wisconsin tough for 3 years. Should have won two of them. 

Michigan will not be improved unless their QB play improves and that is contingent upon if the kid from Ole Miss gets cleared which is most likely not going to happen. 

Michigan St. doesnt scare me in Memorial Stadium

We have a new qb who won't know the system that's really had no playing time yet that's better than a Michigan qb who's been in the same system and has had playing time?  Speight also earned all big ten third team honors.

But you're right, our qb situation is sooooooo much better than theirs. :sarcasm

 

[Redux]

Well, we've been mediocre since 2003.  Sorry, but youre living too much in the past, programs have caught up. I think frost will get us back into being a top 10/15 program and competing in the playoff once every 3 years.

It's been 20 years since a conference title.  I'm looking forward to the future not living in the past buddy.

But please go on about these guaranteed losses.