December 4th, 2014 at 12:27 PM ^
December 4th, 2014 at 1:17 PM ^
December 4th, 2014 at 1:24 PM ^
Oregon State fans are pretty happy about this, you know... on some of their blogs even Oregon fans are coming in and congratulating them.
He already left OSU once for the NFL and flopped very hard
December 4th, 2014 at 2:02 PM ^
December 4th, 2014 at 1:31 PM ^
I follow the Pac-12 quite closely, and I don't see this as much of a hire. I'm not sure he really said no to USC 3 times - it's possible before the Carroll hire since USC wasn't as great of a job yet, and he might have said no during the Kiffin hire because of all the sanctions, but why would he have said no to USC a year ago only to take the Nebraska job this year?
Mike Riley reminds me of Brady Hoke in that he's a great guy that his players and other coaches love, and everyone talks about how great of a coach he is. And he's certainly a good coach, but has never really been able to get over the hump. He's put together a lot of solid teams, but no really great ones and a few downright bad ones (including this year).
That's just not a very inspiring hire if you ask me.
December 4th, 2014 at 2:13 PM ^
December 4th, 2014 at 2:20 PM ^
That's disgustion! You should eat a lemon though.
December 4th, 2014 at 2:21 PM ^
I don't think Nebraska will be a bust with him, but will be do better than Pelini did? Because he never did better than that at Oregon St, when a lot of those years the Pac 12 is as bad or worse than the Big Ten is now. If Nebraska was coming off consecutive 5-7 seasons and needed someone to get them to "good" then Mike Riley would be a good hire. But they have been a 9-to-10 win team for half a decade looking to get over the hump and Riley has never been able to do that.
He has never coached in a conference championship game or a major bowl game and has never been able to recruit with the big boys. Clearly Nebraska isn't OK with 9-3 and I see no evidence why Mike Riley is more likely to get them above that.
December 4th, 2014 at 2:28 PM ^
December 4th, 2014 at 7:24 PM ^
I don't know that much about Mike Riley, but results at Oregon St. comparable to Pelini at Nebraska sound pretty damn good considering he's at freaking Oregon St.
EDIT: I see now he was topping out at 9-4 and that was one(?) season.
December 4th, 2014 at 3:21 PM ^
I've only ever heard of Riley turning USC down once and that was while he was in the NFL, busy bombing out with the Chargers.
While he was in San Diego, btw, Dennis Erickson was winning 11 games at Oregon State
December 4th, 2014 at 12:27 PM ^
Hope this is not a trend.
December 4th, 2014 at 1:05 PM ^
I hope poaching coaches from other schools is a trend. If Michigan can't get JH, I would love to see them talk Chris Petersen into leaving Washington. His salary started at $3.2 million and escalates to $4 million over five years. Or, of course, talking Dan Mullen into leaving MSU.
December 4th, 2014 at 12:28 PM ^
So they fire a 9-3 coach for a 5-7 coach? They deserve to be a terrible team going forward.
December 4th, 2014 at 12:29 PM ^
Completely shortsighted to label Riley, in Oregon State, as a 5-7 coach. Look at the past decade of work. Guy turns nobodies into NFL prospects.
December 4th, 2014 at 12:36 PM ^
He's a 93-79 head coach in college. That's the guy you want running your program? A guy who's best record in 14 years is 9-4? But they will get NFL prospects at least, so they can be happy about that. This is all about having the opposite of Pelini, not having the best coach available.
December 4th, 2014 at 12:44 PM ^
That's the thing - Riley's talent development accolades are a little more significant of a factor than "now they'll get NFL players" he was the guy finding and developing them.
Oregon St is an absolute talent wasteland, yet they keep turning players no one else looks at into NFL players...Jordan Poyer, Quiz Rodgers, Bilentikoff winner & 1st rounder Brandin Cooks...and many more.
My point is he found and developed them out of nowhere. It's a gamble that he'll do better on a bigger stage.
Nebraska went and found the one guy who would find recruiting at Nebraska as a step up.
I think it's interesting, if not a home run. This isn't brady hoke.
December 4th, 2014 at 12:46 PM ^
Home run?! What are you smoking? Nebraska is one of the most succesful football programs of not only the modern era but all-time, and they go out and hire a guy who has demonstrated nothing but mediocrity - with a large sample size too. They fire a consistently good coach because they want to become elite, and this is who they get? So glad I'm not a NU fan.
Developing NFL talent every once in awhile is only one peice of the puzzle with winning college football games.
December 4th, 2014 at 12:48 PM ^
i meant to acknowledge it as not a home run. wrote that wrong
December 4th, 2014 at 12:57 PM ^
is well-taken. Might be an inspired hire, whatever the wolfpack thinks.
December 4th, 2014 at 1:13 PM ^
According to this page
http://www.sportingcharts.com/nfl/stats/number-of-nfl-players-by-college/2014/,
you're wrong. Nebraska has turned out more NFL players than Oregon St.
To be fair to Carlos Spicyweiner, these are not separated by date. Some of these players may pre-date Bo Pelini.
Conversely, I doubt any of these players pre-date Mike Riley at Oregon St. I think he's been there since '03.
December 4th, 2014 at 2:17 PM ^
Not sure what you are replying to. Carlos didn't say that OSU puts out more NFL players than Nebraska.
December 4th, 2014 at 1:30 PM ^
Nebraska hired a 61 year old who has never coached east of Colorado at the college level and who Oregon State fans felt was doing less with more by retaining poor assistents. Plus, doesn't he run an offense that is a totally poot fit for their personnel? Will he coach long enough to oversee that transition?
December 4th, 2014 at 1:59 PM ^
Better talent developer than a Jerry Kill?
December 4th, 2014 at 4:17 PM ^
He won 54% of his games at a school that historically wins 46%.
His 5-6 season at Oregon State in 1998 was their best season since 1971.
December 4th, 2014 at 12:38 PM ^
He is also 61 with fairly low upside. His best years at Oregon State were a few 4 loss seasons. That's the worst performance for Pelini. Terrible hire.
December 4th, 2014 at 12:57 PM ^
about to say the same thing. Nebraska was so sick of winning 9 games every year, they hired a coach who wins about 9 games every year.
December 4th, 2014 at 1:02 PM ^
Or, more precisely, Nebraska was so sick of a guy who won 9 games a year that they hired a guy who wins 9 games a year once every 3 years or so.
December 4th, 2014 at 1:54 PM ^
It was about not having enough wins to earn the right to be a douche.
They went and got a guy that they think will win just as much as Pelini, but will be far less of an embarrassment.
*so yes, it was about wins, but it was the fact that Pelini didn't win enough to behave the way he behaved. But IMO, it wasn't that he didn't win enough for the Huskers if he was just "normal."
December 4th, 2014 at 1:11 PM ^
What about a 29-33 coach (last 5 seasons)?
December 4th, 2014 at 6:59 PM ^
Well, he's 29-33 over the last five years so on average worse somewhere between 6-6 and 5-7. Shocking that you'd pick a guy with that record to take over your program.
2010 5-7
2011 3-9
2012 9-4
2013 7-6
2014 5-7
December 4th, 2014 at 1:15 PM ^
BIG TEN!!
December 4th, 2014 at 12:28 PM ^
that is a surprise on so many levels.
December 4th, 2014 at 12:29 PM ^
What? Why?
December 4th, 2014 at 12:29 PM ^
Is he a Nebraska Man?
December 4th, 2014 at 12:37 PM ^
Nuss to Oregon State. I'm callng it.
December 4th, 2014 at 1:35 PM ^
Brady Hoke spent 6 years in Corvalis... just saying
December 4th, 2014 at 1:36 PM ^
Brady Hoke spent 6 years in Corvalis... just saying
December 4th, 2014 at 12:37 PM ^
Nuss to Oregon State. I'm callng it.
December 4th, 2014 at 12:29 PM ^
That was out of left field. Makes our 2015 game vs Oregon State a bit easier.
December 4th, 2014 at 12:29 PM ^
I would think Nussmeier has to be a leading candidate for the Oregon State vacancy then, eh?
December 4th, 2014 at 12:31 PM ^
I'm guessing you didnt watch too many of our games this year huh?
December 4th, 2014 at 1:52 PM ^
I had that coming.
It's true that Nuss didn't perform a Mattison 2011 miracle with our offense. But he had a consistent record of success at his earlier stops, and I really don't think one disappointing year is enough to say he "failed" here. Regardless, we are talking about Oregon State: it's not exactly the premiere job in the country. As a Pac-12 job in the Pacific NW, though, it seems like a good place for Nuss to get his feet wet as a HC.
December 4th, 2014 at 12:29 PM ^
December 4th, 2014 at 12:33 PM ^
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December 4th, 2014 at 12:43 PM ^
Shhhh! We're not supposed to tell anyone that!
December 4th, 2014 at 1:00 PM ^
Double!
December 4th, 2014 at 12:47 PM ^
Clackamas, OR (just outside Portland) and it was one of my most favorite places I've ever lived.
There are many, many worse places to live than Corvallis.
December 4th, 2014 at 1:01 PM ^
Corvallis is a great college town. However, Oregon is not a recruiting hotbed by any stretch of the imagination. I think it's a great hire for Nebraska.