November 24th, 2017 at 10:11 PM ^
because Alvarez wouldn't pay them. He might have known the other stuff ahead of time, but that was what seemed to precipitate his move.
In fairness to him, why not take the Wisconsin job even if there were some problems? It was his best opportunity. Once in place he could try to change it or move on. Things got worse even while he was winning so he went with plan B.
November 24th, 2017 at 8:55 PM ^
In the end it was all speculation with no real way to confirm.
I did believe the whole Barry Alvarez micro-managing a little bit with Gary Andersen because Andersen was a spread offense guy at Utah State, and immediately went back to it when he left for Oregon State.
I also understand it a little bit from Alvarez's standpoint if true though. Alvarez probably knows that Wisconsin will never be able to consistently recruit the level of athletes needed to run a spread at a high level, but they can continue to develop absolute maulers on the OL every year to ram it down opponents' throats.
November 24th, 2017 at 9:43 PM ^
If Anderson wanted to switch to a spread and Alvarez overruled him. Wisconsin is about beefy soon to be NFL offensive lineman opening holes for big bruising soon to be NFL running backs. A spread would work in Madison about as well as it did in Ann Arbor.
November 25th, 2017 at 9:30 AM ^
Which begs the question: why in the world did Alvarez hire a spread coach and expect him to run the Wisconsin offense? How dumb a move was that?
November 24th, 2017 at 11:10 PM ^
November 24th, 2017 at 7:07 PM ^
November 24th, 2017 at 8:17 PM ^
Couldn't happen to a nicer guy.
November 24th, 2017 at 7:07 PM ^
November 24th, 2017 at 7:08 PM ^
November 24th, 2017 at 7:34 PM ^
He was a pretty respected OL coach, though, no? If he replaced Frey and took over OL duties full time so Drevno could concentrate entirely on being an OC......might be interesting.
EDIT - apparently not...I'm seeing other comments mention he was a LB coach coming up.
November 24th, 2017 at 7:36 PM ^
November 24th, 2017 at 8:09 PM ^
We are 11 games into the season and our OL is playing well below where talent and/or experience would suggest they perform.
November 24th, 2017 at 8:36 PM ^
The guys recruited by Harbaugh should be RS freshmen or redshirting. They will get there.
November 24th, 2017 at 8:40 PM ^
November 24th, 2017 at 8:41 PM ^
November 24th, 2017 at 8:02 PM ^
but can coach an OL
November 25th, 2017 at 7:28 AM ^
November 24th, 2017 at 8:46 PM ^
know Bert was 1-5 against OSU.
November 24th, 2017 at 7:07 PM ^
November 24th, 2017 at 7:43 PM ^
November 24th, 2017 at 9:18 PM ^
November 24th, 2017 at 10:41 PM ^
coulda been on twitter
November 24th, 2017 at 11:53 PM ^
They were off the field in the office he gets changed in before and after the game. He was allowed to address the team and all that before it was made public.
November 24th, 2017 at 7:08 PM ^
November 24th, 2017 at 7:09 PM ^
Nebraska getting killed at home
November 24th, 2017 at 7:14 PM ^
November 24th, 2017 at 7:43 PM ^
No chance that he knew going into the game that his continued employment was literally in the balance depending on the outcome of the game?
November 24th, 2017 at 7:51 PM ^
November 24th, 2017 at 8:47 PM ^
the outcome of the game had no bearing on his continued employment. When Jeff Long was fired, the writing was pretty much on the wall for Bert.
November 24th, 2017 at 10:43 PM ^
they shoulda just pasted it on the scoreboard- then the writing really would have been on the wall
November 24th, 2017 at 7:18 PM ^
November 24th, 2017 at 7:32 PM ^
A minor update to state on the shirt and Arkansas has a winner there...
November 24th, 2017 at 10:01 PM ^
November 25th, 2017 at 5:09 AM ^
How much to buy this shirt?
November 24th, 2017 at 7:29 PM ^
Nebraska
November 24th, 2017 at 7:43 PM ^
- Plan A: Scott Frost
- Plan B: ???
- Plan C: Bret Bielema
Legitimately curious on who you got pegged as Nebraska's plan B before Bret
November 24th, 2017 at 7:52 PM ^
November 24th, 2017 at 8:12 PM ^
I think he's a great plan B for them. The fans may not like it, because Bielema will never win them a national title, but I think that's their ceiling now. If he can develop an OL pipeline and coach up a system, get Nebraska to Wisconsin's level (a level whose ceiling he set himself), they can compete for conference championships and maybe catch fire one year and be in contention for a playoff bid. Maybe.
But if not Frost, he's about the best they can do regardless. Unless they want to go full retro and hire a flexbone guy, which would be insane.
November 24th, 2017 at 9:19 PM ^
November 24th, 2017 at 11:46 PM ^
I think it would be unwise for a program at Nebraska's level because I think we've seen what the ceiling for that system is at Georgia Tech. Georgia Tech is a program with a naturally low ceiling, so Johnson has the flexibility to have some down years and to occasionally produce really good seasons that are roughly what Bo Pellini was fired for producing every year.
I don't think a guy like Johnson (or any of the other guys that know how to run this system) could do significantly better anywhere else, including a place like Nebraska without much of a recruiting base. Georgia Tech at least can pick over the south for guys to plug in.
I think that kind of system is the sort of thing that is best suited for a mid-rung school that is overshadowed by higher-ceiling schools nearby. In the B1G a school like Purdue, Indiana, or maybe Illinois if they decide they'll never win a conference title would be a place that such a move could work.
Nebraska has limitations, but not limitations that are that low yet. They either need to hit the jackpot with a great coach (which, Nike money aside, is how Oregon got great, and how Stanford got great, and how LSU got great, etc) or to find a guy who will install a systematic program culture that can succeed within their limitations, similar to what has been done at Wisconsin and Iowa and Michigan State.
Frost has a chance to be the former. Bielema has already done pretty well at a program that was the latter.
November 24th, 2017 at 11:01 PM ^
November 24th, 2017 at 7:31 PM ^
and just put on a hundred lbs. i get it, you got millions, a hot wife, you just kind of put it on cruise control, unfortunately for him, Arkansas expected wins.
November 24th, 2017 at 7:49 PM ^
November 24th, 2017 at 7:52 PM ^
Strong would be an interesting candidate... Born and raised in Arkansas and played at Central Arkansas.
Does Strong want to stay at USF and maintain his stature as a "big fish in a little pond" at a place that loves him, or test his luck in a P5 conference again a year removed from getting canned at Texas?
The chance to be a hometown hero would be tempting, but I'm guessing he stays at USF.
November 24th, 2017 at 8:14 PM ^
Interesting thought. I would guess that Strong would be more interested than most people in what the roster situation is at a prospective school, since the roster he started with at Texas basically kneecapped him going in. But he might be a candidate for one of those midlevel jobs and if the right situation came up he might jump at it.
November 24th, 2017 at 9:27 PM ^
November 24th, 2017 at 11:00 PM ^
If Strong couldn’t handle the Big XII he couldn’t handle the SEC.