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Five Once-Great Programs that are no Longer Feared

As a hardcore hockey fan, I'm very familiar with this history. I don't think an exhibition schedule BEFORE the 'real games' is a very good parallel to a college football season. Maybe you could argue that the Oklahoma game is a little like the hockey example, if you put all the weight on the conference schedule. ? What you point out is a lot more like a form of practice that is not available in college football.

Its interesting that your example even includes game(s) the coach knew the team would lose. Not sure you can do that in football.
Good distinction. "Play the best" works great behind closed doors or when it doesn't count in the standings. Not so much when it helps ruin multiple seasons.

Others may see it differently, but I think wanting to have a more difficult schedule than other divisional teams is foolish. How does building in a competitive disadvantage help?

If/when the program recovers and gets to where we all want them to be, things will take care of themselves and we will end up playing the best in conference title games and bowl/playoff games. But why make the journey more difficult?
 
The best example of "play the best to become the best" is Nebraska, 1992-1997. And I'm not talking about on the schedule. I'm talking about the practices.

Listening to Doc Talk, Dr. Rob would tell about how easy Saturday's games were after going through a weeks worth of practice, #1s vs #1s. It made both sides of the ball better, most notably in OL and DL play.

For many of the past years since 1997, QBs aren't to be touched during practice (green jerseys; too much chance for injury). The QBs haven't been prepared for the first game of the season because they haven't been hit in 9 months.

Maybe since now that we supposedly have so many good QBs in the room, the green jerseys will be put away and the offensive coach will prepare more than 1 QB to play on Saturday (at least 3 (or 4) would be a good thing). Preparing the players to be 3 deep at all positions would be best for the team. Dr Rob said (from a medical point of view) that building of the team #1s vs #1s actually reduced the number of injuries for the team as a whole by building up the soft tissue.
 
As a hardcore hockey fan, I'm very familiar with this history. I don't think an exhibition schedule BEFORE the 'real games' is a very good parallel to a college football season. Maybe you could argue that the Oklahoma game is a little like the hockey example, if you put all the weight on the conference schedule. ? What you point out is a lot more like a form of practice that is not available in college football.

Its interesting that your example even includes game(s) the coach knew the team would lose. Not sure you can do that in football.
That’s true yet Brooks was a psychologist and knew whose head he could get into and who would fold under pressure. In many aspects that’s what a coach has to do.

Yet take those tough teams. Learn and adjust. Let’s see how they come out against Oklahoma this year.

Wax on wax off.
 
Good distinction. "Play the best" works great behind closed doors or when it doesn't count in the standings. Not so much when it helps ruin multiple seasons.

Others may see it differently, but I think wanting to have a more difficult schedule than other divisional teams is foolish. How does building in a competitive disadvantage help?

If/when the program recovers and gets to where we all want them to be, things will take care of themselves and we will end up playing the best in conference title games and bowl/playoff games. But why make the journey more difficult?
Your letting the games ruin the season? Each team in the Big has scoreboard on the Huskers not jut the OSUs or
The Mich or
The iowas

Minnesota on down the list. So when does the teaching happen when do the adjustments happen. There is a whole lot of talent on the Huskers more so that most in the BIG.

Year five on paper says the Huskers win and win big. Yet here we are hoping for 6 wins and a bowl game

Play the best to be the best. That is, if you learn and examine and adjust so it doest happen again

SF said get us now to the BIG before ever coaching a down. That is in every teams locker room. He thought it would be easy, let me get my system rolling and all will be great

He has refused to change his planning

Let’s see what year five brings. Hope it’s a more mature SF
 



You could do that with 10 other teams and that wouldn't work. He had the right group of players to coach them like that.
He got rid of so many players though. He wanted players that were not afraid of adversity. As he said I can teach the game of hockey but I can’t make winners out of losers.

Risk something or forever sit with your dreams.”
 
He got rid of so many players though. He wanted players that were not afraid of adversity. As he said I can teach the game of hockey but I can’t make winners out of losers.

Risk something or forever sit with your dreams.”

It worked for him in that situation. It didn't really work as much in other situations. Regardless, it's not a great comparison to football.
 
It worked for him in that situation. It didn't really work as much in other situations. Regardless, it's not a great comparison to football.
So knowing what your players can handle and what they can’t. Looking for who stands out as team leader and who doest

Shouldn’t matter what sport we are talking about. It’s the drive within the individual that can make or break a team

Knowing who has that is key
 
So knowing what your players can handle and what they can’t. Looking for who stands out as team leader and who doest

Shouldn’t matter what sport we are talking about. It’s the drive within the individual that can make or break a team

Knowing who has that is key

What does that have to do with scheduling tough opponents in exhibitions?
 



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Listening to Doc Talk, Dr. Rob would tell about how easy Saturday's games were after going through a weeks worth of practice, #1s vs #1s. It made both sides of the ball better, most notably in OL and DL play.
So what's so bloody hard about instilling this? I suppose the people that know football better than I might say rule changes affected some of this...like safety issues?

What I want to know is how we get back the mentality of making teams afraid/nervous to walk on to OUR field. I want that back.
 
So what's so bloody hard about instilling this? I suppose the people that know football better than I might say rule changes affected some of this...like safety issues?

What I want to know is how we get back the mentality of making teams afraid/nervous to walk on to OUR field. I want that back.
To get the national mentality back where teams fear the Cornhuskers again, the nation has to see what we want to see. Prove it on the field. Consistently.

Most people on this board would argue this point, but I believe the OL has been a weak point of the team since sometime during the Pelini era. I have read that Scott was not happy with the preformance of the OL in 2021 (I think he said the OL was not agressive enough last fall) hence, a new coach. I think the problem was a mix of not enough high level players, injuries, and not coaching the players properly. Probably the same problem at multiple positions, not just the OL. I would bet Tommie Frazier would have had problems with the OLs of the past few years. On the opposite end of the scale, I wonder how good Adrian would have been on the 1995 team. QBs tend to have less turnovers and better passing efficiency when they aren't running for their life.

I am one of those people who cut Scott a lot of slack, mostly because I do believe coaching consistency does help the team get and stay better. The greater majority of my life was with Devaney and Osborne. Too many of the last few years, the only thing the administration did was install a revolving door. I hate the thought of having to start over again.

Having said all that, if Scott wasn't happy with the OL play, he should have recognized the problem and made changes to the offensive coaching staff at least 2 years ago. That's on him.

P.S. I hope and pray Scott and company get things turned around this year so we don't have to start over with a new group next year.
 
I would bet Tommie Frazier would have had problems with the OLs of the past few years. On the opposite end of the scale, I wonder how good Adrian would have been on the 1995 team.
Good point to consider. . Good post.

In all fairness, I'd have to concede that a good number of teams last year exited the field feeling lucky to win...so that's something. But gosh almighty, even after 9 months, still feel disbelief when I hear we only had 3 wins...lol.
 



1980 USA hockey team. Herb Brooks was a master of taking a team and scheduling NHL teams European teams. Why? He knew it was a teaching moment, he also said it was for the team to not accept loss but to fight through it

Days before the Olympics began he set up a game with Russia He knew his team would lose but. It gave the team to see the giant in person. While players on the bench Herb would point out the flaws, make fun of their looks, it was a teaching moment

The rest is history. He played the best to be the best. In fact World Champion
Okay….relevance here to football programs. I’ll give you college football example. Florida state under Bowden. But bowdens and Osborne’s are rare.

brooks, by the way had a sub 500 career
 
Youi know where I am coming from....sad.

Sadly, I'm not sure if we deserve to even be mentioned with some of these teams.

Miami was nearly in the playoff a couple years ago. Penn State, with really the COVID year as the exception, has been really solid under Franklin (3 Top 10 finishes). Auburn has won a national title in the last decade and been to a couple New Years 6 bowls.

Washington was never really good during my lifetime. The Don James teams (80s/90s) were definitely successful, but I'd say with the exception of a couple of those Chris Petersen years, they haven't been "feared" for a really long time. They've been better than us recently. There is certainly a gap between Nebraska/Washington and the other three teams mentioned.
 

Sadly, I'm not sure if we deserve to even be mentioned with some of these teams.

Miami was nearly in the playoff a couple years ago. Penn State, with really the COVID year as the exception, has been really solid under Franklin (3 Top 10 finishes). Auburn has won a national title in the last decade and been to a couple New Years 6 bowls.

Washington was never really good during my lifetime. The Don James teams (80s/90s) were definitely successful, but I'd say with the exception of a couple of those Chris Petersen years, they haven't been "feared" for a really long time. They've been better than us recently. There is certainly a gap between Nebraska/Washington and the other three teams mentioned.
We consistently had better records than Miami during the Pelini era but they have been better since then.
 

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