OT: Omaha World Columnist on Nebraska Football
This is a pretty remarkable summation of essentially two decases of wishful thinking, coaches and ADs full of hubris and a state collectively lying to itself every spring:
Full disclosure: I started writing this column in August 2013, just after the East Stadium expansion.
I’ve been thinking its thesis off and on ever since. Truth was, I was waiting for an epiphany. The moment where I didn’t just recognize the problem, but the solution.
I still don’t have it. I hate that.
But I know this: 16 years after The Fall, Nebraska football carries the expectations of a powerhouse and the limitations of an underdog. Worst of both worlds.
October 20th, 2017 at 4:47 PM ^
This is an interesting topic to me, but the column is just silly. It's from the "they don't want it enough" school of Why My Team Loses. He correctly identifies that there is a problem, but fails completely at identifying the cause.
Nebraska is a fascinating case study, though. Being a Nebraska fan today must be like what being a Minnesota fan was like in the 1950s, or a Princeton fan in the 1920s: the end is coming soon. Maybe there is another championship ahead, and maybe not, but in about 10 years, and forever after, nothing.
Nebraska, it's interesting to note, is the smallest state (population-wise) that has a Power Five team...unless they passed West Virginia in the last few years. The 2 were close in 2010, with West Virginia having a few thousand more people than Nebraska. I don't see either West Virginia or Nebraska putting together a national championship run any time in the near future.
October 20th, 2017 at 5:06 PM ^
of being a power and having the ability to be in the NC contention are pretty much done. It amazed me they had runs like they did and the talent they were able to bring there. Not sure how many of you have been to Lincoln, but there really isn't much there. It's in the middle of the country with nothing around it and nothing much to do. I was shocked how they got kids from places like California to come there.
They haven't been relavent in a long time so no kid today remembers when they were good. They usually get their asses handed to them 1-2 times a year in the conference. Combine that with a boring place to move and live I don't know how they could land enough talent again to be a bonafide top program again.
October 20th, 2017 at 5:26 PM ^
An interesting question to me is whether joining the B1G accelerated their downward spiral.
* Loss of their traditional rivalries.
* In a conference whose footprint includes hotbeds fairly distant (Chicago, Ohio) with no traditional ties to the state.
* Kids in nearby States like CO, KS, MO, etc. are mostly watching the Big 12 every weekend.
Combine that with a boring town in a boring state that is not an academic powerhouse, and not much reason to go there. Yes, they might be able to bring in some Nebraska farm kids and have a deep PWO pool, but the population is too small to support anything more than a mediocre team that will compete with the Iowa States of the world.
October 20th, 2017 at 7:09 PM ^
It was definitely the opinion of most Nebraska media people I'd read that it had not worked out for them in any of the ways they had hoped or expected. I think leaving the Big 12 was a boon for Mizzou and TAMU, but for Nebraska it has just isolated them within a conference they don't belong in (perhaps, culturally, moreso than Maryland and Rutgers) and forced them to build new recruiting hotbeds after decades of work to cultivate them in Texas.
October 20th, 2017 at 8:19 PM ^
I've been reading about Nebraska's recruiting in TX forever, but this list is interesting—it's not like every player on their roster has hailed from there.
http://dataomaha.com/huskers/state/TX
Nebraska's first year in the BIG was 2011. From 2011 to 2017 (seven years, so far) they've gotten 21 players out of TX. For the years 2010 back through 2005, they got 27. Is a difference of 6 statistically significant?
Of course, this doesn't address the quality of the TX players they got out of that state.
October 21st, 2017 at 4:57 AM ^
If you believe Lincoln is a boring town. I would bet that it is because you have not spent any time there.
There are plenty of diversions (aka opportunities for young kids to be kids) in Lincoln, and athletes, particularly football players, are revered there.
I have had great times in Lincoln as an adult. I can only imagine what it would be like to be the quarterback or star linebacker there. It's a great college town.
October 21st, 2017 at 8:51 AM ^
Nebraska was a good add from the Big Ten's point of view, but from their point of view it was a big mistake.
They would be much better off still in the Big 12. playing Oklahoma and Texas and KSU.
October 20th, 2017 at 5:50 PM ^
Yeah, you need to be a big, populous, rich, cosmopolitan state to have a football national champion...like Alabama...
October 20th, 2017 at 6:33 PM ^
Alabama has plenty of recruits and is fairly close to both Nashville and ATL, neither of which has a powerhouse blue blood football program. Bordering GA, TN and FL doesn't hurt either.
October 20th, 2017 at 6:47 PM ^
October 20th, 2017 at 6:56 PM ^
Fair enough. Alabama certainly has more talent that Nebraska. I just peeked, and Alabama had 14 4 and 5 star players last year, whereas Nebraska had none. However, Alabama only took 6 of those kids, and the rest of their players came from out of state (or were below 4 or 5 star). So only about 20% of their class came from inside Alabama, and the rest from all over the country. My point is, build the right facilities, hire the right coach, provide the right support, get Adidas to make a few handshakes, etc., and I think a school in Rhode Island could, theoretically, be a powerhouse.
October 20th, 2017 at 7:13 PM ^
Alabama also borders Tennessee, Georgia and Florida. Nebraska borders Iowa, Kansas, Wyoming, and South Dakota.
October 21st, 2017 at 12:55 AM ^
October 21st, 2017 at 10:49 AM ^
Does Nebraska even have a bagman?
They really need to get with the times.
October 21st, 2017 at 3:27 AM ^
October 20th, 2017 at 6:55 PM ^
October 20th, 2017 at 6:58 PM ^
An "immense about of localish talent," eh? Very well said, very well said. Touche...
October 20th, 2017 at 7:06 PM ^
Being a Nebraska fan today must be like what being a Minnesota fan was like in the 1950s, or a Princeton fan in the 1920s: the end is coming soon.
I think this actually describes the Nebraska of a decade ago. They've reached the end already.
October 20th, 2017 at 9:15 PM ^
West Virginia is sandwiched between Ohio and Penn.
Nebraska is sandwiched between Iowa and Wyoming.
Big recruiting difference.
October 20th, 2017 at 5:05 PM ^
October 20th, 2017 at 5:19 PM ^
Just the ones you insulted on a Thursday that happened to sit in from of you at the game on a Saturday. Most of the people from Nebraska are very pleasant.
October 21st, 2017 at 4:49 AM ^
I happen to know some Nebraska girls, and this is definitely not the case!
October 20th, 2017 at 5:07 PM ^
We have Harbaugh. I mean there really are few schools that can put out good teams week in and week out. For Jim Delany reasons we have Big East, if it was more balanced we'd be more prominent every year.
Thanks Big 10 admins.
October 20th, 2017 at 5:16 PM ^
FWIW, the author is seen by many Husker fans as their "Rosenberg" or "Snyder". Not a lot of respect for his opinions as they're largely just viewed as not based on reality with the intent of tearing down the program. How true that is, I'm not sure, just throwing it out there.
I agree with the above poster, though. Nebraska will most likely never be vying for a MNC anytime soon, if ever again. All the advantages they had in the 90's are gone now, save for their being a blue blood. Recruiting advantages (top facilities, got the best TV spots when TV spots were rare, took partial qualifiers), strength program advantages (arguably the one's that created modern strength and training), unique and effective scheme and style combined with top-notch player developement - it was like a well oiled machine... that's all gone now. What advantage do they have over anyone in this day and age besides being considered a traditional blue blood and having great fans?? I just don't see it happening for them.
October 20th, 2017 at 5:23 PM ^
October 20th, 2017 at 5:31 PM ^
Nebraska is unique among "blue blood" programs in that it actually had a distinctive on-field identity that it willingly gave away. Whether you think that was a reasonable bet that Steve Pederson made or not, he, and Bill Callahan, made it. And the last decade and a half has been spent trying to graft a foreign identity onto Nebraska. As we saw here, there's always going to be a segment of the fanbase that rejects this out of hand.
October 20th, 2017 at 7:43 PM ^
I heard once that Tom Osborne basically looked the other way when it came to PEDs and their use was rampant. Then, Frank Solich came in and tried to clean things up, and his successors have maintained his policies.
I don't remember the source for that claim, but frankly, it'd make sense given their results on the field.
October 20th, 2017 at 7:56 PM ^
October 20th, 2017 at 8:20 PM ^
October 20th, 2017 at 11:40 PM ^
That's all just rumor to me.
It wouldn't surprise me. But then, I think a LOT of coaches look the other way regarding PEDs in college football, and in other sports. Nebraska seems like one logical place for that, especially given what PEDs could do for the front lines that are so vital to any team's success and particularly one that runs most of the game.
And I'm not naive enough to think that there aren't players that I've rooted for participating in the same activity.
October 21st, 2017 at 8:44 AM ^
All those generic walk-ons didn't just magically become "5-star" linemen by accident.
October 20th, 2017 at 6:11 PM ^
Some of his criticisms can be leveled at any program. Most fanbases gush about new recruits, and if they happen to be 3 stars, the narrative is "diamonds in the rough."
Still, Nebraska does have issues that I'm not sure any other so-called blue blood has: no in-state rival or professional team to root for, so for many fans, its NU or nothing--there's not really anywhere else for bandwagon fans to go.
As far as having an identifiable or traditional playing style, that's not really an issue unless you're not winning.
October 20th, 2017 at 6:43 PM ^
October 20th, 2017 at 7:03 PM ^
The cause of the Cornhuskers' fifteen year struggle is obvious. It started innocently enough - Lil' Red won the NCAA mascot competition in 2002. The other mascots and industry suits all agreed it was well-earned, and that he had been an integral part of the cheer squad that motivated the Huskers defense. Lil' Red was a living legend. Before 2002, his biggest "buzz" came from delighting fans and terrorizing children - and inspiring Nebraska's football team.
But then came the glitz of the award night. The awards ceremony went fine, but oh ... the after parties. Starlets, models, and agents were all offering him different varieties of sin. Three highway lines off of Kate Moss's ass was all it took to get him off track. Late nights bled into early mornings, and he lost more and more focus on his prior mission of helping the Huskers win games. Whether you'd have the willpower to say "no" to Elizabeth Hurley is an open question. With Lil' Red, the answer was decidedly "mind your own business" as he walked her to his hotel suite.
Soon came paternity suits, venereal diseases, and eventually bankruptcy. He got a $100,000 advance from Simon & Schuster for a tell-all autobiography, and went to Vegas to celebrate. You know how long $100,000 lasted Lil' Red? Twenty minutes - he thought he could not lose by putting all the money on black, and was not even aware that roulette tables had green grooves. He left Vegas drunker than Nicholas Cage's character drove into Vegas, and was just as broken.
Lil' Red now barely shows up for games, and after the last whistle hustles down to MLK to prostitute himself to blow-up stick people at used car lots. Just to buy enough Sterno to strain through cheesecloth to get through the day.
And at games, he's not focused. Sure, he bounces around the stadium, but really is just looking for sharp objects that might puncture his tired skin, finally giving him the sweet release of death.
That's why the Nebraska glory days left - and why they're unlikely to return.
October 20th, 2017 at 7:29 PM ^
October 20th, 2017 at 7:46 PM ^
No disrespect intended, but I am noticing a huge difference in style between your writing and his.
October 20th, 2017 at 11:40 PM ^
October 20th, 2017 at 10:38 PM ^
October 20th, 2017 at 7:00 PM ^
October 21st, 2017 at 8:56 AM ^
And steroids.
October 20th, 2017 at 6:52 PM ^
October 20th, 2017 at 6:59 PM ^
October 20th, 2017 at 7:17 PM ^
He's right, actually.
The old Big 8 schools all like to reverse their initials for some reason. The University of Nebraska is "NU," the University of Colorado is "CU," the University of Oklahoma is "OU," the University of Missouri is "MU," and the University of Kansas is "KU." Why they do that, I have no idea.
October 20th, 2017 at 7:20 PM ^
I think it had to do with not confusing newspaper box score readers in the 20s and 30s, as UO was Oregon and UK was Kentucky, etc.
October 20th, 2017 at 7:32 PM ^
But why would this only happen for schools in the Plains states and nowhere else? Neither Michigan nor Minnesota nor Maryland nor Mississippi has ever been called "MU," only Missouri has.
IMO, it just seems to have been some odd regionalism in that part of the country that didn't catch on elsewhere.
October 21st, 2017 at 6:52 AM ^
October 20th, 2017 at 9:24 PM ^
October 20th, 2017 at 7:25 PM ^
I don't think there is any obvious reason, just like there is no obvious reason why Minnesota isn't a powerhouse anymore. It involves bad timing (Osbourne retiring when he did), bad decisions (firing Solich, arguably leaving the Big 12), and just a general changing tide in the sport brought about by the decline of the option, changing priorities of 18 year old recruits, the levelling of the playing field with smaller schools and dozens of others.
October 20th, 2017 at 8:11 PM ^
October 20th, 2017 at 7:00 PM ^