Expectations

[The Nth Degree]

One of the things he does in year 1 is play young more talented players in year 1 to get experience. He accepts more losses in year 1 in exchange for more wins later.

That's just a known way to build teams. It's not a matter of Rhule not learning how to not suck in year 1.

Deion may have found a way to accelerate that by going ultra max on the portal, which also took advantage of him having more charisma and naturally being a better recruiter, and also hiring more experienced assistants.

Rhule went heavy on the portal but not like Deion. He wasn't built to do that, it's not in his nature and Trev wouldn't have hired him if he'd wanted to. Rhule is more of a culture builder.

It's another way to successfully turn a program around. It can work too. It will take longer than Deion's way.

Going forward, assuming Deion continues to do well, which I think he will, more and more schools will try to do it his way. But Rhule couldn't have known this was going to happen, so that's not on him.

(By the way, I think Deion's way sucks for college football. It just becomes more like pro in a way and less about college and less about the players. But I know my opinion isn't going to stop it. And I don't blame Deion - it's bigger than him.)

At the end of the season, Rhule, and Trev, will have a decision to make about how agressively to push out lower performing players to make more room for new transfers in. They won't be able to go full Deion because 1st year coaches are allowed to do more. But they can still do a lot, depending on how unpleasant they want to make it for the low performers. From the players being told they should leave perspective, it will be a question of do you want to stay in a place where you are publicly not wanted.

I expect Deion and many other even established coaches to push more players out the door at the end of this season than ever before. I don't know what Rhule and Trev will decide to do. The pressure to do the max in order to improve quickly will be great.

Great take.

To your point on Sanders’ charisma, I mentioned on another thread that I’m not confident that any college head coach not named Deion Sanders (or similarly/theoretically Patrick Mahommes, Tom Brady, etc,) could attract the number of 4/5 star recruits needed to implement a total demo/makeover like Sanders did.

I’m not certain that even Saban would be successful with that approach.

I’m trusting in Alberts’ and Rhule’s approach. I just need to build up my patience-muscles a bit!

 

[huskernut]

All I said was that CU is competitive and we’re not?

ok

 

[Warzone]

Come on guys. Face facts. We’ve won four games since beating Northwestern in October 2021. Rhule can build a team but it takes time. He has historically won 2-3 games in year 1 - in inferior conferences. We are a bad team now but we’ll get there. Won’t be as soon as we want but we’ll get there. We’ll get there. Go big red.

On ABC this year Rhule said there was so much talent this was like a year 2. Trev said the expectation is to make a bowl. This game was nothing to base the rest of the season on. But Rhule and some HM posters have tried to move the goal posts. We need to make a bowl or Rhile should be expected to easily make a bowl next year with a tougher schedule. No excuses.

 

[lincoln84]

We aren’t making a bowl. Now way. No how. Maybe next year. Maybe.

 

[Husker In Oklahoma]

I know one thing, with the support NU has, the fans, money, facilities, there is zero reason not to be winning in Lincoln. None. Plenty of winning going on around the country by teams NOT in prime locations or prime recruiting areas, with much less pedigree than what Nebraska has. Way too early to judge Rhule, weren’t winning that game yesterday regardless. That said, this team looks pretty bad. Let’s see how they respond Friday.

 

[ramsker]

We aren’t making a bowl. Now way. No how. Maybe next year. Maybe.

I'm not writing off the possibility until it's mathematically impossible. The odds are longer than I imagined coming into the year and the margin for error is razor thin. But there are enough teams we "could" beat to do it.

You pretty much HAVE to beat IL, though. Lose that one and it's probably game over. NW, Mich St., Purdue, and maybe even Iowa could be beatable (McNamara went down with a knee injury last night). MD, Wisky are almost certainly L's.

 

[Husker In Oklahoma]

We aren’t making a bowl. Now way. No how. Maybe next year. Maybe.

I’m not willing to go there yet by looking at the rest of the BIG. Other than the big 3, this league is full of mediocre to bad teams. There isn’t a team left on the schedule NU couldn’t beat, but they could also lose to any of them. They need to beat Illinois Friday night. Need to win 4/7. Illinois, Northwestern, and Michigan State are bad teams. So is Purdue, who showed some life yesterday. There are 4 wins left in this schedule. Question is, how bad do they want it?

 

[ramsker]

I’m not willing to go there yet by looking at the rest of the BIG. Other than the big 3, this league is full of mediocre to bad teams. There isn’t a team left on the schedule NU couldn’t beat, but they could also lose to any of them. They need to beat Illinois Friday night. Need to win 4/7. Illinois, Northwestern, and Michigan State are bad teams. So is Purdue, who showed some life yesterday. There are 4 wins left in this schedule. Question is, how bad do they want it?

Iowa isn't very good, either . . . especially if McNamara is done. You just can't punt to #3--ever.

 

[lincoln84]

I’m not willing to go there yet by looking at the rest of the BIG. Other than the big 3, this league is full of mediocre to bad teams. There isn’t a team left on the schedule NU couldn’t beat, but they could also lose to any of them. They need to beat Illinois Friday night. Need to win 4/7. Illinois, Northwestern, and Michigan State are bad teams. So is Purdue, who showed some life yesterday. There are 4 wins left in this schedule. Question is, how bad do they want it?

That was all true last year as well with a better offense and we won 3. We are one of the worst teams if not thee worst in the BIG and in the West. The rest of the year will be practice.

 

[Husker In Oklahoma]

Iowa isn't very good, either . . . especially if McNamara is done. You just can't punt to #3--ever.

Yes sir. But they do have a very solid, legit defense. If they can beat Wisconsin, they could win this sorry ass division.

 

[Husker In Oklahoma]

That was all true last year as well with a better offense and we won 3. We are one of the worst teams if not thee worst in the BIG and in the West. The rest of the year will be practice.

Well, we are fixing to see. I’m not arguing the team is any good, they aren’t. The rest of this division is terrible as well. Nebraska 100% has better talent than Illinois, Northwestern, Purdue. Don’t turn the ball over, win the games. It’s almost that simple right now. Of course, that is a lot to ask with this team. Lol.

 

[Shepherd]

On ABC this year Rhule said there was so much talent this was like a year 2. Trev said the expectation is to make a bowl. This game was nothing to base the rest of the season on. But Rhule and some HM posters have tried to move the goal posts. We need to make a bowl or Rhile should be expected to easily make a bowl next year with a tougher schedule. No excuses.

I hear you and if I’m guilty of that here I’ll own it…

If Trev and Rhule set the expectation that Nebraska can be turned around faster than other teams in the past, they shouldn’t have. It must be hard enough to turn around a program in a lasting way, without the added pressure of trying to make a bowl in year 1 which Rhule hasn’t been able to do in the past. Yes we have great facilities and many great players but so do our competitors. Maybe we’re just being impatient and unrealistic.

All that said they could still be right and if we go win 4-5 more games no one will be happier than me. Go big red.

 

[OldFatHerbie]

I tried to just not have any expectations for Matt Rhule this year. I guess I still don’t.

The big ten west isn’t good, and I feel like we have all said that many times over the last dozen years. And still we can’t scale the top of that burning dumpster. Lots of time and money spent by proud people who are ready to rally behind a winner, and those people get to watch penalties, blown assignments, game and clock mismanagement, missed uncontested kicks, shanked punts, etc.

 

[CO4NU]

There is very little if any true B1G talent on our roster.

 

[Warzone]

I hear you and if I’m guilty of that here I’ll own it…

If Trev and Rhule set the expectation that Nebraska can be turned around faster than other teams in the past, they shouldn’t have. It must be hard enough to turn around a program in a lasting way, without the added pressure of trying to make a bowl in year 1 which Rhule hasn’t been able to do in the past. Yes we have great facilities and many great players but so do our competitors. Maybe we’re just being impatient and unrealistic.

All that said they could still be right and if we go win 4-5 more games no one will be happier than me. Go big red.

We have 23 4 and 5 star players on the roster. Making a bowl game this year was totally reasonable. Losing to Minnesota and Colorado was not expected. The way we lost both is arguably on Rhule. But six wins this year was a layup. Our opposition is terrible. If we don't win six a lot of people will have questions. Next year is going to be a brutal schedule.