Would you rather....

Let's say NU is able to win the last 2 games of the regular season. I know that's a big if, but NU will have finished the regular season at 6-6, but two wins over teams that were ranked in the top ten.

But, what if the season was like a typical Bo season. I am not saying Bo is the coach, but Riley is still the coach. Instead of losing to BYU, Illinois, Northwestern, and Purdue, Riley is able to win all of those games, but still loses to Miami, Wisconsin, Michigan State and Iowa (any team with a pulse). The wins are all pretty comfortable wins with 1 or 2 close wins, and the losses are 1 blowout with 3 close losses.

As a fan, what would you deem is the "better season"?

 
To me, they're a wash. I was tired of the same ol' same ol' with Bo, but beating a couple Top 10 teams isn't a whole lot of consolation for finishing the season .500.

 
I'll take 2 wins against unbeaten top 10 teams as a sign of progress to our goal of competing for and winning championships over an 8th straight 9 win, 3 or 4 blowout losses season. The only benefit I'd see to the latter is getting to play in a slightly better bowl game against a tougher OOC opponent, which isn't all that enthralling.

 
I would say same but different. Like the wins Bo had but those losses just made you look like everyone else on your schedule then wasn't good and lost to teams like you said with a pulse. I'll take this season cause of the confidence, the ending celebrated with the fans and trending up IF they win out.

 
I'll take 2 wins against unbeaten top 10 teams as a sign of progress to our goal of competing for and winning championships over an 8th straight 9 win, 3 or 4 blowout losses season. The only benefit I'd see to the latter is getting to play in a slightly better bowl game against a tougher OOC opponent, which isn't all that enthralling.
We'll need to schedule those kinds of teams then.

 
If we finish 6-6 and were in every game, the season is basically no different than us going 9-3 with a couple of blow-out losses. Perhaps a slight advantage to Riley for not acting like an asshat along the way.

 
If we finish 6-6 and were in every game, the season is basically no different than us going 9-3 with a couple of blow-out losses. Perhaps a slight advantage to Riley for not acting like an asshat along the way.
Purdue blew NU out, and Miami pretty much did too, until Miami stopped playing.

 
Great question!

I would rather have more wins...this season was basically "over" by week 6 (maybe even by week 3), I don't really want to be the "spoiler" team...I would rather still have that show to play in the conference title game instead of being all by eliminated by the 3 week of the conference schedule.

 
Actually,with a defense this bad I find it highly encouraging that we haven't been blown out in embarrassing fashion... yet

I have to vote Riley.

 
If we finish 6-6 and were in every game, the season is basically no different than us going 9-3 with a couple of blow-out losses. Perhaps a slight advantage to Riley for not acting like an asshat along the way.
Purdue blew NU out, and Miami pretty much did too, until Miami stopped playing.
Agreed. On the other hand, both games also had weird things going on that swung the game initially, only to level out at the end. In Miami it was all the drops that prevented us from sustaining drives and put us in a big hole. Against Purdue, it was the rash of turnovers.

This is not excusing or overlooking the significant coaching mistakes that were made in those games, BTW. Particularly, Purdue. We should have done nothing but pound the rock with Cross/Ozigbo in that game.

 
Actually,with a defense this bad I find it highly encouraging that we haven't been blown out in embarrassing fashion... yet

I have to vote Riley.
The Purdue game was an absolute embarrassment.
The Purdue game doesn't bother me at all. If this were year four or five of the coaching staff, and we hadn't had those five gut-wrenching losses already, and our backup QB didn't have 5 turnovers leading directly to 28 points, I would be embarrassed. But considering all that, it doesn't bother me. I thought we would lose that game before it was even played.

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I'd prefer this season and the theoretical 7-6 record over another Pelini #9win Special. I've been saying for years I would prefer some 7-win seasons if it meant some 11-win seasons and conference championships sprinkled in. There's nothing special to me about winning 9 games but getting blasted by the good teams, and never being in serious contention for a championship.

 
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