The Sporting News ranked Pelini as the 37th best coach in college football.
I believe that the OP has over-estimated the strength of the Big XII relative to the B1G.
You are missing the point. Nebraska is not some garbage team or an embarrassing program. They have had a lot of wins even under their current coach. Yes, they may have demonstrated how misguided the criticism of the B1G has been. Still, I am dumbfounded as to their embarrassing showing in the B1G so far.
I totally dismiss subjective ranking that publications like the Sporting News use to sell copies. Trying to rank coaches is total BS. I’ve coached. There is little that can be used to accurately quantify the worth of a coach. The worth of coach simply comes down to “he’ll take his and beat yours and he can take yours and beat his”. That is just about impossible to quantify.
I didn’t overestimate the strength of the B12. I got it from the media. Yet, I constantly hear how the B1G is overrated. That smack-down on Saturday by a questionable OSU team was huge.
Don’t criticize me, criticize the perception that the media gives us.
They’ve played ten Big 10 games so far. It’s called “small sample size”. Their last year in the Big 12 they finished 10-4 (6-2), losing to an incredibly shitty Washington team in the bowl game. In 2009 they had the same record, and were a game worse in 2008 (9-5, 5-3). In 2007, they were a pathetic 5-7 (2-6).
The mediocrity extends well into 2002, where the schedule history ends on ESPN. At what point are you going to back up your claims that their current showing in the Big 10 is in any way different than their recent history in the Big 12?
As someone who’s team didn’t abandon the Big 12, there’s nothing I’ve enjoyed more than seeing those that did leave get their asses handed to them on a platter.
Just like what happened to West Virginia coming to the Big 12. Oh, wait…
Furthermore, Nebraska had the misfortune to draw Ohio State, Penn State, and Wisconsin as their Leaders Division opponents the first two years. Next year, they’ll switch to Illinois, Indiana, and Purdue. Watch their record improve.
Nebraska is certainly not a garbage program, nor even an average one (historically speaking). As a program with multiple national titles and multiple Heisman (and Outland) award winners, it has to be ranked in the upper tier of the sport.
You are claiming that “the media” predicted that they would dominate their B1G competitors. Can you please provide some cites to back this up? Of course, if you are able to, how in any way would the subjectiveness of those publications be any different than The Sporting News?
I do remember predictions of dominance, but I think those were almost exclusively from homers on message boards, I don’t think I remember the media coming to that conclusion.
Also, I don’t remember the media talking about how good the Big12 is either, again that’s mostly homers on message boards.
The media (ESPN) does talk about how well a conference did in bowl games, but that shifts around every year.
Hmmm, I googled and found this:
“CHICAGO – The Nebraska Cornhuskers, entering their first season in the conference, were the narrow choice to win the inaugural Big Ten championship game by the voters taking part in the Big Ten Preseason Newspaper Poll.”
I remember some rumblings as well, but that was based primarily on Nebraska entering the Big 10 at an ideal time - Rich Rod had just been fired at Michigan, and Ohio State had just been caught with their gold pants down and facing suspensions. Nebraska had done a decent job recruiting, but they had not had any huge success that led to any major predictions.
The College Football Datawarehouse is nice source to research win/loss records for most (if not all) college football teams
Sure - there are plenty of places to get historical data. But I’m not the one making the claim, and as far back as 2002, the OP’s assertion just doesn’t hold. I don’t see much reason to look further than that.
So in other words, Missouri and A&M will be just what they were in the Big 12: mediocre teams. Mizzou was a below .500 team and A&M was a barely above .500 team.
Dude Dave Remington and Irving Fryar aren’t walking through those doors… Nebraska has been slightly better than average for over ten plus years. When Colorado bitchslapped them… and Brad Smith finally led Mizzou over them… the magic they had was in the past.
They no longer pull studs from California… they’re team speed isnt what it use to be… they only another team in the top twenty five now. I’m in my early 40’s… sometimes when I’m talking to my son I have to remember that I’m still imagining Turner Gill and Mike Rozier hanging 84 on Kansas State… Today my friend Kansas State would kick the shit out of the Cornhuskers…
My opinion on the old Big 12 members’ prospects in their new homes:
Mizzou is done. They had a decent run in a weak Big 12 North but never even sniffed greatness. They haven’t had a conference championship since the 60’s. Without the Texas recruiting base and not a huge one of their own, they’re going to find it very difficult to compete in SEC territory. They also don’t have the fan base to compete with the other powerhouses in the SEC East. Remember this a team the BCS passed over to take Kansas instead… because their fans don’t travel as well as Kansas. Yes, freaking “When does basketball season start?/Our Stadium has a track running around it” Kansas has better football fans.
A&M has the natural recruiting grounds and strong fan base to have decent run in the SEC. They had those same things in Big 12 and never made much too of it, so I don’t think they rise to any level of consistent greatness. They will probably have some good runs from time to time though, probably a lot like Arkansas. I can’t see them being able to get past Alabama and LSU very often though.
Nebraska was able to dominate for a long time thanks to a fanatic fan base and they got to write the rules in their favor. In the Big 8, they were allowed to recruit the bottom of the barrel in terms of academics though partial qualifiers and get a whole lot of “walk-ons” not on football scholarship that strangely got scholarships for other reasons. When the Big 12 formed, Texas didn’t like this and the rest of the Big 8 members didn’t shed any tears when Nebraska had to give these things up. Nebraska slowly sunk into mediocrity and stayed that way for most of their tenure in the Big 12. The Big 10 isn’t going to let them do their old tricks again either, and without a natural recruiting base, Nebraska doesn’t have much hope for greatness again.
Colorado gave up football in 2005. Sure, there is still a team that claims to represent the school, but they are probably just scabs hired to add legitimacy to joining the PAC 12. The whole charade is a rare win-win-win strategy for everyone. Colorado gets the academic prestige of the Pac 12, the Pac 12 gets to call itself the Pac 12 and get a championship game, and the Big 12 doesn’t have to carry around the dead weight anymore.
As snarky as your post might sound it is probably better than 90% right. I had forgotten about how Nebraska was able to get around the recruiting and scholarship rules. That alone makes a lot of sense and answers a lot of the OP.
All it takes is getting the right coach, and any program can become big time at least for a 2-3 year run at nearly any time. North Carolina in the late 90s, when they had Mack Brown, got up to #2 or #3 in the country at one point. Kansas (Kansas!!!) was #2 in 2007. Wisconsin used to be dependent on Northwestern to keep from looking up from the bottom of the Big Ten. Washington State went 11-1 (or thereabouts) in 1997. On the flip side, things can change very quickly for the teams at the top. Auburn won a title 2 years ago, and now are in danger of being 1-5. Florida won 2 titles in the past 6 years, and didn’t even get a bowl last year. Tennessee was a top 10 team for 5 years, and hasn’t done anything now for about 10. There are a lot of factors already mentioned like fan support, recruiting, and what sort of players can get enrolled, but getting the right coach for a 4-year period can flip those things just about immediately. Where would Alabama be right now if Nick Saban had actually enjoyed his stint with the Dolphins?
Long-time Nebraska fan here. It’s been tough because I’ve been raised with the Husker teams of the 70s-80s-90s*. The basic season I’ve been groomed to expect:
[ul]
[li] We win most of our non-conference games. Contrary to popular belief, we usually scheduled well. 1 top-tier team on a home-and-home (UCLA, Penn State), 2 second-tier from BCS conferences (Iowa, Arizona State), and one Pacific/Northern Illinois team. [/li][li] We get spotted 6+ wins in the Big Eight. There may be an occasional Missouri or Colorado rising up, but most scores are the 44-7 variety. We get spooked when we only beat Oklahoma State by 3 TDs on the road.[/li][li] We usually choke on the big one, usually Oklahoma or Miami/Florida State in a Florida bowl game. Our losses occur to top 5 teams, often national champs. I still recall wondering if Osborne will EVER win the big one, after losing 20-17 to eventual national champ Oklahoma.[/li][li]Then Tom Osborne goes and ends his career on the ultimate high-note. From 1993-1997, we go 60-3 and win three national titles.[/li][/ul]
*Not an arbitrary number, we averaged 10-2 during those 30 years, nearly all with top 10 finishes. As late as 2000, we were playing for the national title. So, even though it’s been 15 years since 1997, I still have that mindset that Nebraska should average 10 wins a season, have an All-American or two, and blow out everyone except Oklahoma.
We are not, and have not been, in the national title discussion. We don’t have the annual Outland candidate. Other than Suh, All-Americans have been non-existent since Osborne’s players left.
Many factors have been listed above: Osborne gone, partial qualifiers, Big XII > Big Eight, Cyclical nature, etc. I think the principal reason is far more basic:
Money: A rising tide lifts all ships. ESPN, the BCS, and the 119 bowl games have brought in an influx of money to ALL schools.
Back in the day, few teams (like Nebraska & Oklahoma) were on TV and went to the dozen bowl games. Our fanatical fanbase sold out every home game since 1962. We looked good on TV (like the 1971 Game of the Century and 1984 Orange Bowl) and our fans travel very very well (ask Notre Dame in 2000). All that allowed us to bring more football fame which brought more money which brought better facilites which brought better recruits which brought more wins which brough more football fame. And so on.
Iowa State and Kansas just weren’t going to compete with that. So, they would become practice dummies for Oklahoma and Nebraska’s second strings. The Big Ten was like that for Ohio State and Michigan, the Pac Ten for USC and UCLA, and (later) the ACC for Florida State. Sure, someone else may win once in a while, but they’d be major celebrations, like 1994 Wisconsin over Michigan.
We just don’t want to believe now that everyone has some degree of TV exposure, and can afford the fancy weight rooms, indoor practice facilities, etc. We are the old guard, the tier-one teams, only Michigan/Ohio State/Penn State should be challenging us for the Big Ten. Wyoming and Purdue should not have indoor practice facilities. Oregon shouldn’t have such a nice locker room. Kansas State and South Carolina don’t belong in the Top 10. That’s where WE belong.
Heck, there are probably fans of Texas, Miami, and Tennessee who are in the same denial as we Husker fans. Probably not Alabama and Notre Dame this year, though 
I’m just hoping my Cats can repeat last years upset against Nebraska tomorrow!
Tomorrow?