As I watched the closing moments of Nebraska’s 45-17 loss (or would train wreck be a better term if you are a Husker fan?) Saturday, I heard ESPN commentator Urban Meyer say something to the effect of “don’t underestimate Nebraska’s ability to finish strong and if they do that it will help recruiting.”
I disagree with the “help recruiting” part. Seriously, by the time bowl games come around, a high school kid has generally made up his mind on where he’s going so I find it hard to believe that the outcome of a bowl game is going to be the ultimate reason a kid will choose one school over another.
However, I completely agree that for Nebraska (or any team for that matter) to finish strong is very important. Remember the saying, “You’re only as good as your last game?” Think about it for just a moment, the Huskers went 10-4 in both 2009 and 2010 but the perception of those two seasons could not be more opposite.
In 2009, the Huskers were 4-3 at one point but won six of their last seven games including a season-ending 33-0 Holiday Bowl drubbing over Arizona. In 2010, the Huskers started the season 5-0 and were a Top Five team but went 5-4 the rest of the way including a season-ending run of three losses in the final four games. The last game was an uninspired 19-7 loss to Washington.
In 2005 and 2008, Nebraska was 5-4 at one point. In 2005, the Huskers closed the season with three straight wins including a 32-28 Alamo Bowl win over Michigan. That was what most people remember as the high point of the Bill Callahan era. In 2008, which was the first of the Bo Pelini era, Nebraska finished the season with four straight wins including a season-ending 26-21 Gator Bowl win over Clemson.
In 2000 and 2001, Nebraska finished 11-2 but the legacy of those two seasons could not be more opposite. In 2000, the Huskers finished the season with a 66-17 win over Northwestern. In 2001, Nebraska was 11-0 but finished the season with back-to-back embarrassing losses to Colorado (62-36) and Miami (37-14).
Point being, the last game is the one you often remember most. From 1987-1993, Nebraska never had a record that was worse than 9-3. However, every one of those seasons ended with a loss in its bowl game.
The Huskers enter their regular season finale at home against Iowa with an 8-3 record. Considering that Nebraska entered its maiden voyage in the Big Ten Conference with visions of a conference title, the season will not be viewed as an overwhelming success even if the team wins its last two games and goes 10-3. There will be no conference title. Heck, there won’t even be a Legends Division title.
So for the Huskers, the outcome of the last two games are an issue of “how do you want the season to be perceived?” Losing the last two and going 8-5 would be considered a colossal failure. Seriously, an 8-5 season might be fine for Purdue. Splitting the last two and going 9-4 would classify as nondescript. I see a 9-4 season as the minimum of what Nebraska should achieve. However, winning the last two and going 10-3, the season could at least be considered a borderline success. I think it’s safe to say that winning the last two and going 10-3 would be the best way to remember the season.
College football is so much different from every other sport. I know the cynics would bemoan the fact that there is no playoff system. However, the benefit of having the current system is that a team can win its last two games and whether its final record is 12-2 or 8-5 can still, on some level, feel good about its season.
In the NFL, however, it is not uncommon for a team to go 13-3 and lose in the first round of the playoffs. Last season, the Atlanta Falcons went a franchise-best 13-3 and garnered the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs only to get their doors blown off in a 48-21 Division Round loss to the Green Bay Packers.
Granted, the NFL is such where only one team is going to end its season victoriously and feel good (the Super Bowl champion) but while 13-3 is an impressive record, a team with that mark should at minimum reach the conference title game.
Point being, if the Huskers want the season to be viewed as even a borderline success, 2011 becomes a two-game season beginning Friday.
Showing posts with label ESPN. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ESPN. Show all posts
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Holtz must be high with his title game prediction
I can think of plenty of reasons to dislike Lou Holtz and I did not think I could come up with more -- but his latest his statement proved me wrong.
Now, I would never take away Holtz’s achievements as a football coach. After all, Holtz (now an ESPN commentator) is the only coach in NCAA history to lead six different programs to bowl games and the only coach to guide four different programs to the final top 20 rankings. He is also a multiple winner of National Coach of the Year honors. So the guy obviously knows how to win.
Granted, his one-year stint as an NFL coach failed miserably with the New York Jets in 1976, leading them to a 3-12 mark. Yes, the same coach that thought the “veer could be successful in the NFL.” Fat chance. Did not work. Then again, I can think of plenty of coaches who swallowed up the competition in college and failed miserably in the NFL such as Bobby Petrino, Steve Spurrier, Dennis Erickson, Nick Saban and Bill Peterson.
Holtz’s latest statement, however, is beyond my comprehension. “I believe Notre Dame will play Florida in the national championship game,” Holtz said. OK, I’d like to use the word “Kool-Aid sipper” to describe Holtz’s statement but that might be giving him too much credit.
“Lay off the bong,” should be more like it.
Granted, this is America and we are all entitled to our opinions but honestly there’s a better chance I’m going to get a date with Cindy Crawford than there is Notre Dame playing for the National title.
Florida in the National title game? I can see that happening. After all, quarterback Tim Tebow decided to stay in school and has already led the Gators to two National titles. Of course, several other teams might have a thing or three to say about that but point being Florida is a realistic bet.
But Notre Dame? Sorry, not buying it. Keep in mind, Holtz was the last coach to lead the Irish to legitimate national prominence, and for that we can certainly understand why Holtz and the University of Notre Dame will be forever intertwined. But when you make the move to sports commentator, you are expected to be as objective as you possibly can.
Keep in mind, this is the same guy that predicted the Irish to win 11 games in 2007 and all Notre Dame did was go 3-9. The Irish went 7-6 last season. Notre Dame might have the schedule to win 10 plus games. Looking at their schedule with the naked eye, the only team that seems definitively better than the Irish is No. 4 USC but a loss to Nevada or Michigan is also not unthinkable.
However, look at Notre Dame’s recent track record: 35-25 under Bob Davie, 21-15 under Tyrone Willingham and for all the hype he gets because of his NFL pedigree, Charlie Weis led the Irish to a 29-21 record in his four seasons, including 10-15 in his last two.
As a Nebraska alum, I won’t sit here and defend the Bill Callahan era (where the Huskers went 27-22). However, I find it mildly strange how Weiss frequently gets a free pass from the media where Callahan often got skewered – and rightfully so but what has Weis really done?
I still need to see where Weiss is a good head coach. Yes, he’s got the NFL pedigree having been an assistant under Bill Parcels with the New York Giants and New York Jets. He also played a key role in the New England Patriots three Super Bowl wins as offensive coordinator but the jury is still out on Weis and how his NFL background translates into college game. Back to the original point, there is almost zero chance of Notre Dame making the title game and for Lou to not understand this fundamentally. Well this would like having Ty Willingham say "I wish they didn't fire me at UW because I can predict that this season the Huskies will make the Rose Bowl."
Now, I would never take away Holtz’s achievements as a football coach. After all, Holtz (now an ESPN commentator) is the only coach in NCAA history to lead six different programs to bowl games and the only coach to guide four different programs to the final top 20 rankings. He is also a multiple winner of National Coach of the Year honors. So the guy obviously knows how to win.
Granted, his one-year stint as an NFL coach failed miserably with the New York Jets in 1976, leading them to a 3-12 mark. Yes, the same coach that thought the “veer could be successful in the NFL.” Fat chance. Did not work. Then again, I can think of plenty of coaches who swallowed up the competition in college and failed miserably in the NFL such as Bobby Petrino, Steve Spurrier, Dennis Erickson, Nick Saban and Bill Peterson.
Holtz’s latest statement, however, is beyond my comprehension. “I believe Notre Dame will play Florida in the national championship game,” Holtz said. OK, I’d like to use the word “Kool-Aid sipper” to describe Holtz’s statement but that might be giving him too much credit.
“Lay off the bong,” should be more like it.
Granted, this is America and we are all entitled to our opinions but honestly there’s a better chance I’m going to get a date with Cindy Crawford than there is Notre Dame playing for the National title.
Florida in the National title game? I can see that happening. After all, quarterback Tim Tebow decided to stay in school and has already led the Gators to two National titles. Of course, several other teams might have a thing or three to say about that but point being Florida is a realistic bet.
But Notre Dame? Sorry, not buying it. Keep in mind, Holtz was the last coach to lead the Irish to legitimate national prominence, and for that we can certainly understand why Holtz and the University of Notre Dame will be forever intertwined. But when you make the move to sports commentator, you are expected to be as objective as you possibly can.
Keep in mind, this is the same guy that predicted the Irish to win 11 games in 2007 and all Notre Dame did was go 3-9. The Irish went 7-6 last season. Notre Dame might have the schedule to win 10 plus games. Looking at their schedule with the naked eye, the only team that seems definitively better than the Irish is No. 4 USC but a loss to Nevada or Michigan is also not unthinkable.
However, look at Notre Dame’s recent track record: 35-25 under Bob Davie, 21-15 under Tyrone Willingham and for all the hype he gets because of his NFL pedigree, Charlie Weis led the Irish to a 29-21 record in his four seasons, including 10-15 in his last two.
As a Nebraska alum, I won’t sit here and defend the Bill Callahan era (where the Huskers went 27-22). However, I find it mildly strange how Weiss frequently gets a free pass from the media where Callahan often got skewered – and rightfully so but what has Weis really done?
I still need to see where Weiss is a good head coach. Yes, he’s got the NFL pedigree having been an assistant under Bill Parcels with the New York Giants and New York Jets. He also played a key role in the New England Patriots three Super Bowl wins as offensive coordinator but the jury is still out on Weis and how his NFL background translates into college game. Back to the original point, there is almost zero chance of Notre Dame making the title game and for Lou to not understand this fundamentally. Well this would like having Ty Willingham say "I wish they didn't fire me at UW because I can predict that this season the Huskies will make the Rose Bowl."
Friday, June 5, 2009
Huskers matchup at VaTech could be very telling
The term “measuring stick” often gets overused but for the 2009 Nebraska Cornhuskers, their September 19 road game at Virginia Tech could provide a tell-tale sign of what type of season the team will have.
Nebraska’s non-conference clash against Virginia Tech on Sept. 19 has been selected for a regional telecast on ABC. The announcement was made on Thursday by ESPN and the Atlantic Coast Conference.
The game is set for a 2:30 p.m. CT (3:30 p.m. ET) kickoff from Lane Stadium in Blacksburg. In addition to the ABC coverage, the contest will be carried on ESPN2 in markets that receive a different regional contest on their ABC affiliates.
OK, I know that goes against the clichéd, “One game at a time” theory. Then again, I take it one Husker fan blog at a time too. Yes, Nebraska has home games against Florida Atlantic and Arkansas State before visiting VaTech. Yes, every game is important. That’s why they are on the schedule but not every game is created equal. Come on; are you going to tell me that beating Iowa State is just as impressive as say beating Texas or Oklahoma? Get real.
The last three seasons, Nebraska’s first high profile game provided a clue of what type of season the team had.
In 2006, the 19th ranked Huskers visited No. 4 USC and lost 28-10. You were disappointed but not discouraged. Keep in mind, when Zac Taylor scored a rushing touchdown with 12:44 left in the game, the Trojan lead was cut to 21-10. USC was never in danger of losing the game necessarily and while the Trojans were the superior club, it’s not like they outclassed Nebraska. Granted, Bill Callahan’s neo-conservative game plan (36 runs, 17 passes) left a lot to be desired. At which point I ask, “If he called 36 passes, 17 runs and the Huskers lost 41-24 would you have felt any different?” The Huskers went on to a 9-5 season and should have gone no worse than 11-3 but they did win their first Big 12 North crown in seven years and played in their first New Years Day caliber bowl game in five years.
In 2007, the 14th rated Huskers hosted top-ranked USC and lost 49-31. Yes, it was an 18-point loss just like the year before but let’s face it, of Nebraska’s four touchdowns only one came when the game mattered. The other three were in garbage time. The Trojans ran through the Husker defenders, who were at the game in body but other than that I could not quantify their presence at the game. Nebraska went on to a 5-7 season, lost confidence and thus the Callahan experiment ended.
In 2008, Nebraska and Virginia Tech entered their matchup in Lincoln as unranked. Nonetheless, that game was going to be a telling sign where the Huskers stood under then first year head coach Bo Pelini. Nebraska lost 35-30 but trailed 28-10 midway through the third quarter. The game seemed like a lost cause but the Huskers kept battling instead of assuming the fetal position like the previous year. Nebraska lost its next two games to fall to 3-3 but won six of their last seven games to finish 9-4. The reason the game against Virginia Tech was significant is that it was the first sign that while Nebraska was a flawed club, it would never quit.
Both clubs are ranked in every preseason Top 25 poll. Then again, we should know exactly how formidable the Hokies are when they host Alabama in their season opener on Sept. 5.
The Hokies have been a pretty consistent program the last decade or so under head coach Frank Beamer. Virginia Tech has developed a reputation for being strong defensively and on special teams. The Hokies also pride themselves on being more physical than their opponents – something the Huskers prided themselves on for years too. VaTech will also have seven returning starters.
So how much will Nebraska’s game in Blacksburg, VA tell us? The feeling here is quite a bit.
If Nebraska wins, I think a 10-2 season is likely. A respectable loss (say 7-14 points), I think 9-3 becomes a realistic expectation. A blowout loss, which I don’t believe will happen, then I think matching last year’s 8-4 regular season becomes a battle.
Nebraska’s non-conference clash against Virginia Tech on Sept. 19 has been selected for a regional telecast on ABC. The announcement was made on Thursday by ESPN and the Atlantic Coast Conference.
The game is set for a 2:30 p.m. CT (3:30 p.m. ET) kickoff from Lane Stadium in Blacksburg. In addition to the ABC coverage, the contest will be carried on ESPN2 in markets that receive a different regional contest on their ABC affiliates.
OK, I know that goes against the clichéd, “One game at a time” theory. Then again, I take it one Husker fan blog at a time too. Yes, Nebraska has home games against Florida Atlantic and Arkansas State before visiting VaTech. Yes, every game is important. That’s why they are on the schedule but not every game is created equal. Come on; are you going to tell me that beating Iowa State is just as impressive as say beating Texas or Oklahoma? Get real.
The last three seasons, Nebraska’s first high profile game provided a clue of what type of season the team had.
In 2006, the 19th ranked Huskers visited No. 4 USC and lost 28-10. You were disappointed but not discouraged. Keep in mind, when Zac Taylor scored a rushing touchdown with 12:44 left in the game, the Trojan lead was cut to 21-10. USC was never in danger of losing the game necessarily and while the Trojans were the superior club, it’s not like they outclassed Nebraska. Granted, Bill Callahan’s neo-conservative game plan (36 runs, 17 passes) left a lot to be desired. At which point I ask, “If he called 36 passes, 17 runs and the Huskers lost 41-24 would you have felt any different?” The Huskers went on to a 9-5 season and should have gone no worse than 11-3 but they did win their first Big 12 North crown in seven years and played in their first New Years Day caliber bowl game in five years.
In 2007, the 14th rated Huskers hosted top-ranked USC and lost 49-31. Yes, it was an 18-point loss just like the year before but let’s face it, of Nebraska’s four touchdowns only one came when the game mattered. The other three were in garbage time. The Trojans ran through the Husker defenders, who were at the game in body but other than that I could not quantify their presence at the game. Nebraska went on to a 5-7 season, lost confidence and thus the Callahan experiment ended.
In 2008, Nebraska and Virginia Tech entered their matchup in Lincoln as unranked. Nonetheless, that game was going to be a telling sign where the Huskers stood under then first year head coach Bo Pelini. Nebraska lost 35-30 but trailed 28-10 midway through the third quarter. The game seemed like a lost cause but the Huskers kept battling instead of assuming the fetal position like the previous year. Nebraska lost its next two games to fall to 3-3 but won six of their last seven games to finish 9-4. The reason the game against Virginia Tech was significant is that it was the first sign that while Nebraska was a flawed club, it would never quit.
Both clubs are ranked in every preseason Top 25 poll. Then again, we should know exactly how formidable the Hokies are when they host Alabama in their season opener on Sept. 5.
The Hokies have been a pretty consistent program the last decade or so under head coach Frank Beamer. Virginia Tech has developed a reputation for being strong defensively and on special teams. The Hokies also pride themselves on being more physical than their opponents – something the Huskers prided themselves on for years too. VaTech will also have seven returning starters.
So how much will Nebraska’s game in Blacksburg, VA tell us? The feeling here is quite a bit.
If Nebraska wins, I think a 10-2 season is likely. A respectable loss (say 7-14 points), I think 9-3 becomes a realistic expectation. A blowout loss, which I don’t believe will happen, then I think matching last year’s 8-4 regular season becomes a battle.
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