Does Nebraska = Oklahoma?

[the_ouskull]

Hear me out. Historically, no, they don't. Sure, it's close, but there's a handful of schools that are all fighting for 3rd in the wake of Notre Dame at #1 with 8 National Titles, and Alabama at #2 with 1,497 National Titles.

This is about recent history.

In the late 80's, the only college football team that could claim to be as dominant as OU was the team that kept beating us to prove it... Miami. OU played for, or won, 4 National Championships in the 1980's. (A-holes. I LOVED that game this past year.) The only thing that people had trouble overlooking in the wake of all of that dominance was all of the off-of-the-field allegations; some true, some not, but all of them make for a dirty record. This was a mitigating factor in running off one of the greatest coaches to ever stalk the sidelines. A winner at every level in Barry Switzer.

In the early/mid 90's, Nebraska was also very, very dominant. 3 National Championships. However, there was also a rash of girlfriend/baby mama beatings, etc... that parked the cloud of public scrutiny firmly over the head of the Nebraska program, forcing his resignation in 1997 when he was given part of their 3rd title of the decade. (Yes, I said "given." Michigan was robbed. But, it gave us the BCS, so it's not all bad, right? Lol.) Tom Osbourne resigned after that 1997 championship; every bit the winner that Switzer was, with 3 championships to his name.

OU followed Barry Switzer with a coach who had made his name on the defensive side of the football. A coach from within the program who knew the players and the system as well as anybody, with the exception of Merv Johnson and Switzer himself. Coach Gary Gibbs didn't win many big games, but he didn't lose many OTHER games either. Yet, after cleaning up the program after probation, he was let go, ultimately, for his record against OU's rivals: Texas, Nebraska, and Colorado. (Yeah OSU, you're NOT on the list. S*ck it!) He had a nice bowl win or two, and developed a few NFL talents, but he didn't dominate football the way his predecessor did, which, coupled with the "losing" led to his being let go.

Frank Solich.

After Coach Gibbs, the powers-that-be at OU went in a different direction. They wanted a "splash" hire. A big name who could whip the Quitters of the Copper Bowl back into shape. Enter Captian Kangaroo of the good ship Wild Turkey, himself. A man with pro experience who would bring a new discipline to a program that had been lost. He knew how to win, and he was going to show those players, and those fans, that they needed HIM worse than he needed them, and he didn't care WHO it ticked off. It was HIS program now!

Callahan.

The question that needs to be asked now...

Bo Pelini is going to be the hotshot defensive mind who could boost both the talent level and the self-esteem of the players on the team, and could surround himself with the best available minds in college football, as well as people who trusted him implicitly and worked closely with him to build something; not overnight, but something for the long haul; embracing both the challenge and the rewards of the school's tradition...

The question is, which one:

- John Blake
or
- Bob Stoops?

I think that Pelini will be a good thing for Nebraska, honestly. But, if he isn't, then I guarantee that they won't screw up another hire.

Discuss.

the_ouskull

[goingoneight]

Pelini hasn't stayed anywhere long enough in my recent memory to really think of him as a great assistant, but somehow he never managed to step backward... going from one top program to another in wake of dismissal or change of direction by the program as a whole coaching staff. He's got a lot of work to do in Lincoln. Do we really know anything about him? Is he a hardass coach? Is he a disciplinarian? Can his system be dominant defensively (LSU's defense got torched a lot the last few years and their biggest wins always came in the state of Louisiana)? How well does he recruit? Does he have good coaching connections in Nebraska's recruiting grounds? Does he have good connections as far as hiring a staff is concerned?

In short... a change of direction versus Clownahan seems only good for now.

[Jewstin]

Wanted to add something to the third part about Bob Stoops ... leaving a national championship program as the defensive guru (UF) vs. Pelini leaving a national championship program as the defensive guru (LSU) ...

And as much as it pains me to say it, LSU did just win one, and Pelini was a big part of that.

Maybe the Huskers are skipping Blake?

... but, I mean, that's assuming Nebraska even fits into the "Oklahoma mold." Honestly, to me, it's like comparing apples and oranges. As much as I respect Nebraska and their dominance of the 90s, they are nowhere near what Oklahoma is, with 3 1/2 to 4 decades of fairly consistent top-5 play ... half the national championships, nowhere near the conference championships (thanks to us, rofflez) ... we have a multitude of benefits to our location/affiliations, and we recruit some the best in the entire country from the hot bed of football talent ... Nebraska has some great state talent, but nowhere near the population base necessarry.

Another thought occurred to me a bit earlier... isn't it fair to suggest the possibility that Osbourne's success in the 90s could be at least somewhat contributed to Switzer's downfall? I mean, they were two of the top programs for the last twenty years, and Switzer consistently dominated Osbourne. Now, with Switzer out of the picture, all-star stud RB XYZ that would normally probably be a cinch for Switzer to pick up now just goes to Nebraska.

Just kind of a random thought ...

So, yeah, I think Pelini is "the guy." Should've had him years ago. But, does that mean they're going to win a championship in 2009? Hell no. They probably won't win another one for a decade, at the very least.

And it really has nothing to do w/ tradition/quality of the program/fanbase etc., but probably (the biggest portion, anyways) rather development of NFL talent, cultures, geography, etc. The players of the future are a completely different breed. Generation Y and Z, I think? They don't see just Nebraska and Oklahoma on TV anymore, or Notre Dame ... they see Eastern Missouri Baptist Vo-tech getting nearly as much TV time, during prime-time on a Thursday, where they can show off their skills.

It's just not the same environment anymore. Tools for identifying talent have approved on both sides of a college athlete's eligibility, so a lot of players don't need to go to just the big-time programs anymore.

So, that's my two cents I guess. It's been a long time since I've really jumped in on a thread, and I thought this was a pretty good one! :D Cheers.

P.S., don't hate me Nebraska fans. :( Just how I see it. I think it'd be awesome for the conference/our rivalry if Pelini did surprise me and step it up a notch! Nothing bad about competition. Cheers to you all, as well.

[OU_Sooners75]

And it really has nothing to do w/ tradition/quality of the program/fanbase etc., but probably (the biggest portion, anyways) rather development of NFL talent, cultures, geography, etc. The players of the future are a completely different breed. Generation Y and Z, I think? They don't see just Nebraska and Oklahoma on TV anymore, or Notre Dame ... they see Eastern Missouri Baptist Vo-tech getting nearly as much TV time, during prime-time on a Thursday, where they can show off their skills.

It's just not the same environment anymore. Tools for identifying talent have approved on both sides of a college athlete's eligibility, so a lot of players don't need to go to just the big-time programs anymore.

So now Nebraska cannot develop NFL talent?
How fast was it before OU, a has been of the 1980's, got back on track once Gibbs was gone? 4 years.

I love it when people think Nebraska has absolutely no talent on their current team. The biggest problem with Nebraska under Callahan last year was the players quit believing in him and his system. They lost respect for him, for whatever reasoning. They have talent. It has only been since 2006 the last Nebraska made it to the Big 12 Title game.

I will tell you what. The Big 12 North better hope Pelini is revamping Nebraska's offense, because their defense is going to be pretty solid next season.

[cheezyq]

I think the biggest difference between OU and NU, even of the last 30 years, is that OU has a broader recruiting base than NU. Osbourne did a hell of a job with recruiting in-state talent and molding them into his offensive line, defensive line, and linebackers, and fullbacks. And he would hit an occasional jackpot outside of the state at RB, DB, and QB, and that would be just enough to run his style of offense and defense.

Why Switzer dominated Osbourne is the same reason that Johnson dominated Switzer....speed. Osbourne couldn't recruit the same kind of Texas athletes that Switzer was getting. And Johnson was able to recruit similar, or even faster, athletes in the south regions as the ones that Switzer was getting out of Texas.

Reading all the articles on the new NU, it appears they're going back to their roots and trying to get in-state talent first, and fill out the skill positions with out-of-state talent. Personally, I think that approach is a mistake. I think NU has the reputation to get the kind of talent/speed it needs from all over the country (especially with the scholarship limitations, etc.), and then they can fill out their team with some inspirational types from inside Nebraska. Callahan had the recruiting part right, he was just a bonehead when it came to on-the-field and personnel decisions.

Unfortunately, when one regime has a bad reputation, the next regime seems to think that doing the opposite is the most reasonable approach. In the end you only end up with a disaster that's the opposite of the previous disaster. It's still a disaster, it just looks different (witness the GG/HS/JB transitions). And in the meantime, you've just taken 4-5 years molding your team the way you want, and yet you're still not as successful as you need to be to keep your job. That kind of thinking process almost got Mangino fired before he finally put up a fantastic year last year.

That's where Bob Stoops may have been different. Looking back, it appears that he recognized that there was talent on the team. So, rather than overhaul the whole team, he added the missing pieces and made positional adjustments where he felt it was necessary. It was the perfect approach to rebuilding a traditional power that had fallen from previous success. It got us back into the national title picture, and got us back to our previous recruiting prowess in merely 2 years.

In the end, I think Pelini will be somewhat successful, but nothing like Stoops. He won't be quite the disaster that Blake was, but he'll be a more gradually successful coach. I think they'll have some really good 7-5/8-4 teams, and they'll probably eventually get to 10 wins once in a while and be in the MNC picture through parts of the year. But I think the "good ol' days" are gone for them for quite a while. If they keep Pelini for more than 5 years, I think they'll make a few Big 12 title appearances. But for the foreseeable future, I think the balance of power has shifted to MU in the north, with KU and CU a distant 2nd/3rd. Pelini has a lot of work to do.

[Rogue]

Best team I've ever seen on a field is '95 Nebraska.
My favorite and most respected OU rival is Nebraska.
I've never called them "Big Red."
And yes, I think these 2 programs are very close in terms of history, tradition, and standing in the historic college football mass-memory of everyone who isn't an OU or NU fan.

That said, they exploited the hell out of a system that allowed NU to harbor NFL caliber linemen-fugitives to block for their Ft. Leavenworth Yardog caliber RB fugitives.

The NU "walk-on program" of the 1990s was nothing short of cheating. Dr. Tom and his merry bunch of thieves got away with it though. If anyone honestly believes that these kids who could get a full ride anywhere in the country were happily flocking to Lincoln-fuggin-Nebraska to pay their own way through school for a year or two then I'd love to interest you in a mortgage loan with some fancy numbers.

The friendly media, indeed friendly for at least 250 miles of corn fields in every direction, would never bust out Dr. Tom the way the media in more competitive areas would. Instead of making your journalism career, you'd never write in this town, nay this corn-belt, again.

That felt good to get off my chest.

[Jewstin]

Best team I've ever seen on a field is '95 Nebraska.
My favorite and most respected OU rival is Nebraska.
I've never called them "Big Red."
And yes, I think these 2 programs are very close in terms of history, tradition, and standing in the historic college football mass-memory of everyone who isn't an OU or NU fan.

That said, they exploited the hell out of a system that allowed NU to harbor NFL caliber linemen-fugitives to block for their Ft. Leavenworth Yardog caliber RB fugitives.

The NU "walk-on program" of the 1990s was nothing short of cheating. Dr. Tom and his merry bunch of thieves got away with it though. If anyone honestly believes that these kids who could get a full ride anywhere in the country were happily flocking to Lincoln-fuggin-Nebraska to pay their own way through school for a year or two then I'd love to interest you in a mortgage loan with some fancy numbers.

The friendly media, indeed friendly for at least 250 miles of corn fields in every direction, would never bust out Dr. Tom the way the media in more competitive areas would. Instead of making your journalism career, you'd never write in this town, nay this corn-belt, again.

That felt good to get off my chest.


Very interesting. Since I'm a youngin, 25, there are a lot of details from past eras that I don't know too much about. I've picked up a lot on the OU side of things, but outside of that, not much. Didn't realize that sort of thing ever went on.

So, I imagine the walk-on program was basically a way for them to get more scholarships than other schools? Bring players to "walk on" to pay out of pocket, but then just funnel funds from somewhere else to pay for it, or some sort of work-study kind of job ... I can see where you could go in all sorts of directions.

If that's the case, would they bring their biggest recruits as walk-ons? Or would they retain full scholarships for the big-time recruits, but pick up lesser (but still high quality talent) somewhat more under the radar?

Just curious, I guess. Interesting stuff (not looking down my nose or anything since we're far from pristine heh).

[badger]

Hear me out.
:rolleyes: Baaaaaad sign... danger danger, weird argument coming up!

Historically, no, they don't. Sure, it's close, but there's a handful of schools that are all fighting for 3rd in the wake of Notre Dame at #1 with 8 National Titles, and Alabama at #2 with 1,497 National Titles.

Math'matiq for ya: 8 < 1,497 and NU < OU :D


This is about recent history.

http://www.ptgustan.com/nov07/nu_BIG.jpg


In the early/mid 90's, Nebraska was also very, very dominant.
That's... 13 to 18 years ago... or if you're saying since their last title, 11 years ago. Not too recent :D


OU falls asleep for quite a few years and Nebraska's still knocked out after being pelted by oranges in 2004... they won't wake up until they're convinced Callahan's gone.
Fixed!


The question that needs to be asked now...

Bo Pelini is going to be the hotshot defensive mind who could boost both the talent level and the self-esteem of the players on the team, and could surround himself with the best available minds in college football, as well as people who trusted him implicitly and worked closely with him to build something; not overnight, but something for the long haul; embracing both the challenge and the rewards of the school's tradition...

The question is, which one:

- John Blake
or
- Bob Stoops?

I think that Pelini will be a good thing for Nebraska, honestly. But, if he isn't, then I guarantee that they won't screw up another hire.

Discuss.

the_ouskull

Considering that Bob Stoops and Bo Pelini had more actual assistant and coordinator experience than Blake, you're probably going to see more success than Blake with Bo. HOWEVER, that doesn't mean he's one or the other, either Blake or Bob. I would say that Bo is going to be like another defensive minded coach that became a head coach after really good success as an assistant and coordinator:

Coach O.

Bo Pelini: "Yearrrrgh YEARRRGGHHH.... football."

:D

All fun and jokes aside, this argument's been brought up before and most people are in agreement that Nebraska has not suffered enough yet to equal our same period of suffering. After all, we had to wait 15 years for our next title after 1985 and it hasn't been that long for Nebbish yet (as I said, 11 years). Therefore, they give Bo three years, THEN they get the hotshot rising star coach that takes them to the top.

On top of that, they've had brief success between their last title and now, which we didn't really get after Switzer. Schnellenhoward was awful. Blake was horrendous. Solich got them to the title game and a top ranking. Callahan was embarrassing, but even he got them winning records and bowl berths, including a memorable win over Michigan.

So, they'll have a few Coach O-like seasons with Bo Pelini (no, he probably won't be as weird as O was, but he won't be successful, either), fire him too and then finally get it right later on.

[BigHouseDon]

I think these 2 programs are very close in terms of history, tradition, and standing in the historic college football mass-memory of everyone who isn't an OU or NU fan.



I think he got me here. I started watching CFB in 1972 and OU/NU lined up next to each other in the polls just like UM/tOSU for a lot of years. I don't know about any of the other stuff. I'm sure it was going in a lot of places. Got to be how Woody and Ara did so good for so long:D Can't say I blame them. If its an accepted practice in its day, then why not lock up of extra couple blue chippers so the other guy can't have them? Who knows, you might need them down the road.



BHD

[OUstud]

Callahan was a rare Schelly-Blake hybrid, the likes of which hopefully never take a classy school like NU over again...

[tulsaoilerfan]

Maybe the crack down on steroid abuse has hurt the Nebraska program

[tulsaoilerfan]

Also, you've got to wonder if Nebraska would have been as dominant in the early 90's if the King was still in Norman

[Rogue]

Very interesting. Since I'm a youngin, 25, there are a lot of details from past eras that I don't know too much about. I've picked up a lot on the OU side of things, but outside of that, not much. Didn't realize that sort of thing ever went on.

So, I imagine the walk-on program was basically a way for them to get more scholarships than other schools? Bring players to "walk on" to pay out of pocket, but then just funnel funds from somewhere else to pay for it, or some sort of work-study kind of job ... I can see where you could go in all sorts of directions.

If that's the case, would they bring their biggest recruits as walk-ons? Or would they retain full scholarships for the big-time recruits, but pick up lesser (but still high quality talent) somewhat more under the radar?

Just curious, I guess. Interesting stuff (not looking down my nose or anything since we're far from pristine heh).


Right, we're far from pristine and I sort of respect NU's efforts. But they never deserved the squeaky clean image that went with them. This walk-on business just sort of went away quietly and their problems are remembered as a couple of bad seeds.

The walk-on dealio included some blue-chippers and was mostly used for the big eaters. They'd "walk-on" the team as redshirts and freshmen while they got huge in the gym for a year or two. It was a complete scam.

[the_ouskull]

Their walk-on program was composed mainly of in-state kids who were (as freshmen) undersized. Their "job" was to get big, and to pay for school either on their own, or through one of many "valedictorian" scholarships. (Yeah.) If they got big enough, without losing much mobility, they became members of the team. If they didn't, they stayed oversized blocking dummies. It was a win/win/lose, depending on whether you WERE them or whether you PLAYED them. Lol.

the_ouskull

[Rogue]

It's still happening, sounds like this kid didn't get any other offers though. (http://nebraska.scout.com/2/523421.html)

[the_ouskull]

It was a minimum of shady, and a maximum of outright illegal (NCAA-wise) but the Nebraska walk-on program was what it was. (I hate that I can't say something like that without thinking of Dennis Green now...) It's just now getting started back up again under Pelini, so give it some time to get back to its former "glory."

the_ouskull

[RedstickSooner]

Firing Solich was one of the biggest b***h moves in the history of college football administration. They deserve another decade of mediocrity for that one -- but I don't think they'll get it. I think Bo will be a decent coach.

[KingBarry]

Also, you've got to wonder if Nebraska would have been as dominant in the early 90's if the King was still in Norman

Thank you for mentioning that fact.

[the_ouskull]

My Thoughts: I also think that Pelini will be the real deal in Nebraska, but lest we forget... There were (are) a LOT of Sooner fans that were not pleased with his handling of OU's defensive secondary during his (brief) tenure on our sidelines. (Consistently beaten by the deep ball, etc...)

the_ouskull

[KingBarry]

I'm thinking that Bo Pelinin is a very solid hire for them, but I don't think he is an inspired choice for them.

FWIW, I expect the 08 Huskers to turn in a year similar to the 1999 Sooners -- lots of excitement and early signals of future success, but in the end 4 or 5 losses. To me the real question is what kind of sophomore season does Pelinin turn in?

Like I said, Pelini is a solid hire. He's paid his dues, he's definitely ready to take over a head position, and he's well-liked in Lincoln. However, his hire smacks a little too much of a "reactionary" hire -- a reaction to past mistakes.

When Joe C went out and got Bob Stoops, he said, "I am going after the best coach in America." Now, we can probably rephrase that to "the best coach in America for Oklahoma" but it's still the same statement. We would get the best available, bar none and with no other qualifying BS.

In Pelini, they were definitely looking to the past, to restoring some of the traditions of the Osborn/Solich dynasty. To restoring the continuity of the program and its ties to the past. Nothing wrong with this. Coach Stoops has gradually ressurected more and more of OU"s rich tradition, but he didn't make that a center piece of his administration. His center piece back in 1999 and 2000 was "Win, now." AFTER we started winning, he started bringing the tradition home.

I just get the feeling that NU was too much focusing on extraneous factors -- like how well he "fits" -- and not enough on finding the winner and the innovator.

We'll see.

[royalfan5]

Nebraska has Royalfan5 as a fan, ergo Oklahoma>Nebraska forever.

[badger]

So tell me, Sooner fans (just the men, which is everyone on this thread 'cept me, lol), if Bob Stoops told you personally that you could be a part of the football team, would you still do it if...

1- You had to pay your own way for OU tuition and board, or get financial aid through some other way besides athletic scholarships.

(ok, since most of you did that sans the football, I will proceed to the next one)

2- Attend numerous practices, workout sessions and games in addition to classes, but also during weekends, offseason and holidays?

(ok, most of you still in? next...)

3- Become the blocking buddies of scholarship players who are twice your size, while trying to bulk up more yourself?

(ug, injury potential! Well... so long as you still get to wear red, right? next...)

4- If corn and beef alone won't do it, take performance enhancing supplements and other means to gain weight and muscle mass?

(I didn't say ILLEGAL, I said SUPPLEMENTS! Ok, now are you all still in?)

This is what Nebraska corn fed beef out of high school's offered. They love their football there and they love the little old school N on the plain white old school helmets. Now, if awesome shiny crimson helmets and jerseys were within your grasp, wouldn't YOU jump at the chance, even if you had to pay your own way to OU, dedicate free moments to the team's extreme workout regime and get beaten and bulked up along the way?

But... I still don't think Bo Pelini is the second coming of Stoops for Nebbish.

[Rogue]

Baj,

I'd have had a hard time giving up a free ride about anywhere else to pay my own way at OU. I'd be a Western South Dakota State Poly-Technical A&M College - Deadwood Satellite Campus Fightin' Jellybean Fart Knocker if they would have paid my way there.

Maybe that's just me.

[royalfan5]

Baj,

I'd have had a hard time giving up a free ride about anywhere else to pay my own way at OU. I'd be a Western South Dakota State Poly-Technical A&M College - Deadwood Satellite Campus Fightin' Jellybean Fart Knocker if they would have paid my way there.

Maybe that's just me.

Look at it this way, your status as a an ex-husker would open additional doors for you later in life, so why not pay to go to the state school? UNL isn't overly expensive, and if you were a farm boy wanting to go back to the farm after school, the state ag school would be the logical place to go, wouldn't it? And if not, somebody has to sell insurance in Wahoo and St. Paul, and who better than an ex-husker?

[GottaHavePride]

This thread has a lot of words.

Just thought I'd point that out. ;)

[badger]

This thread has a lot of words.

Just thought I'd point that out. ;)

THE EDITOR THAT LET THE WORDS COME OUT IS GARBAGE![hairGel]

:les:LET THE WORDS RIP!

LET ME ANSWER THAT FOR THE WORDS:mack:

:rcmad: AT LEAST MY WORDS BEAT OU! ...still can't believe they replaced me with Fran face...


YOU'RE THREAD! THERE ARE A LOT OF RIGHTS IN THIS WORD! :eddie:

:kelvin: CALL ME, TEXT ME, I CAN'T GET ENOUGH WORDS FROM YOU, BELOVED FIVE STAR RECRUIT!

<no words> :stunned:

:bsmf: FISH, FLOUNDER, MINNOW, BAIT, WHATEVER WORD YOU CALL IT, IT'S MINE, BEYONCE!
:pop:

[the_ouskull]

Very nice work, sir.

the_ouskull

[Rogue]

Baj is a ma'am, not a sir.

[the_ouskull]

Well, I suppose this is the part where a man may be obligated to apologize, but since I'm 34, I have 6 years left before I become a man, so I'm just going to say, "Hmmm. Interesting," and then go back to doing my Gundy Math.

the_ouskull

[CORNholio]

As far as the decline of the program and succession of coaches yes I do see a similarity.
Osbourne=Switzer
Solich=Gibbs
Callenburger=Schnelly
Pellini will= Blake.
Their Stoops is not yet discovered.
As far as Nebraska=Oklahoma though I gotta say:

Nebbish=Corn, Brown Gravy, dudes in overalls and john deer hats, blizzards, wholesome sportsmanship, nasaly accents, Iowa's twin

Oklahoma=Cattle/Oil, White gravy, dudes in cowboy hats, ice storms, bend the rules if you can, non-nasaly accents, Texas minus the d-bags and imigrants

[badger]

It's ok, that Peanuts character called that chick "sir" all the time :rolleyes:

I wish we had more smileys. I know they're probably a pain to put into the system and all, but all things considered, a few are probably warranted.
WHY DON'T YOU LOVE ME? JOE C. DOES!http://img137.imageshack.us/img137/6184/smileyhpwk9.jpg
http://img232.imageshack.us/img232/4307/smileydbul1.jpgMY GOD, THEY REALLY ARE HORSE PIGS!
I WEAR SKIRTS ON NAT'L TELEVISION. http://img135.imageshack.us/img135/3046/coalesmileyhl8.jpg
http://img135.imageshack.us/img135/6449/capelsmileyyn9.jpgI GET EXCITED EASILY!

:pop:

[Soonerfan88]

I can see a couple of correlations between Blake & Pelini -- several of his assistants were picked for him by the AD and he was basically hired because he is "family" (only 1 year but it counts in cornland and it also makes it easier to fire him).

BTW, Nebbish is actually becoming more like OSU. They have made another coin for Pelini after much success with the Callahan version. The t-shirts are too numerous to mention.

http://bp1.blogger.com/_2S2P-BZNbv0/SCENsxTvNyI/AAAAAAAACDE/iDauyTWePc0/s200/Pelini-Osborne-Coin.jpg

[Denver_Sooner]

The similarities are there. Their pendulum may be swinging back the other direction. More towards the "Normal Universe."

[Big Red Ron]

FYI Osburn does not = Switzer. They played against each other a whole bunch of times. There's a record. It's also no coincidence that Tom didn't win big till Barry retired.

[shaun4411]

nebraska wishes they had ou tradition!

[Sugalean]

LMAO @ this thread.

First of all its Osborne not Osbourne. And you pronounce it as "Oz-burn".

Secondly, the Wiz of Oz was not forced out. In fact everyone was shocked including the university administration when he made the decision to leave. Now while the all the indiscretions of certain members from his teams from 93-95 certainly made the program under intense scrutiny, he never was under any pressure to resign. In fact, he developed a players council to help the team police themselves. It worked great until Callahan decided this was no longer needed. Pellini has brought the council back since his hire.

Osborne retired under some pressure from his family. The long hours and pouring his soul into the program took its toll. He had a procedure done (bypass surgery) a few yrs before he announced his retirement. His Dr. also advised him to dial it back. The last yr he coached he seemed gaunt and always had a bit of cold or something. If you can ever see a clip of his retirement press conference, you can see it in his face. He was not feeling well and the job was starting to beat him down some. He promised his family he would coach only 5 more yrs after the mild heart attack and he stuck by his word. His wife Nancy, his kids and his Physicians played a big part in his decision to step down. If there was any pressure to step down, it was from his loved ones. So there is no parallel between Barry and Dr. Tom. The only thing they had in common was the history of facing each other with some pretty good teams. Both winners and both in the CFB hall of fame.

Solich was a product of T.O.'s program. He was groomed to take over in T.O.'s departure for a good 10 yrs maybe. There was no search, no interviews, no nothing. The fans, admn, press and everyone that followed the program knew this. Only thing I can associate him with Gibbs is the fans turned on him as soon as the winning season streak ended. Seems the OU fans turned on Gibbs too after some lackluster losses.

Callahan might have been a flashy hire to those outside of the sea of red. Inside, there was a big division about the guy among the fans. He didn't come off as a flashy hire to us at all. He was hired because the new AD wanted his own guy and didn't particularly get along with Solich or his staff members who even went on a one day strike over contract promises made before the new AD was hired. This happened during the summer before Solich's last season. It was downhill after that. Callahan was a last ditch deal as the new AD could not find a "hot" candidate. The search for a new coach was embarrassing long before Callahan was hired. We looked at the Callahan hire as something that had better work or heads would roll. It didn't and heads did roll.

Pellini was just a given. He had been here before. Did a good job while serving as a interim HC. Its a risky gamble selection for he has little HC experience. My question is should he had been tested in a program as a HC not as big as a NU first? Still he is tough. A man of little words but plenty of action. Sincere and most of all honest. The one thing NU fans missed was accountability. They always had it since Devaney took the reigns. With Callahan this was missing. Before he was let go, he told the press he and his staff was excellent in all areas when asked about his performance. I can name a dozen other instances where Husker fans went huh? Try throat-slash-gate. Or how about the F@#King hillbillies incident? He never really owned up to these incidents and always came back with "whachu talking about Willis responses" as if he didn't have a clue what people were up in arms about. With Pellini we do get accountabillity. If the team plays poorly he will say so. Not some poor response like well the plan is sound the players aren't executing it properly.

Lastly ... no we don't wish we had the tradition OU has. Maybe all the NC's you possess. What fan wouldn't want those. And yes feel proud of your main men in crimson for they have done you well in providing that great tradition you do own. Still NU has its own storied tradition that rivals no one. It goes all the way back to the days of Notre Dame and the Knute Rockne days. OU was barely on the map when NU was beating ND in those days. The rivalry got so bad Notre Dame vowed to never return to Lincoln. Took some 60 yrs before they ever played each other again.

I just think you can't and shouldn't compare OU and NU when it comes to traditions. Each has its own distinctive path to being what they are today. And both congregations should feel good about what has transpired over the yrs. The best part is both played a huge role in each other's traditions.

[Big Red Ron]

LMAO @ this thread.


Now your spek has both Nebraska pink and OU crimson. Cool.

Hey, here's an idea. Find a tradition that OU didn't start bugeater!

Also, Neb. isn't even in the same conversation as OU, ND and Bama. Enjoy Bo, we didn't much care for him here.

[Sugalean]

Now your spek has both Nebraska pink and OU crimson. Cool.

Hey, here's an idea. Find a tradition that OU didn't start bugeater!

Also, Neb. isn't even in the same conversation as OU, ND and Bama. Enjoy Bo, we didn't much care for him here.

Well I wasn't here to flame.

And still I have to point out your traditions are no bigger than ours nor Ala, or whoever you mention. Some umpteen consecutive sellouts a NCAA record and record number of Academic all-Americans that continues to grow tells me so. Match those traditions.

I just wanted to straighten out some errors in the original posting on this thread.

Oh yeah, Bo will do just fine here. He helped you win some iron (in fact at every collegiate job he has had so far) and hopefully he can continue that here. Hate em all u want.

[Big Red Ron]

. He helped you win some iron If by helped us win some iron, you mean came in for a year and rode the coat tails of Bob Stoops, Brent Venables and used the system and players in place then, sure.

I don't hate the guy, just don't think he could hold Bob or Brent's jockstrap.

[RUSH LIMBAUGH is my clone!]

FYI Osburn does not = Switzer. They played against each other a whole bunch of times. There's a record. It's also no coincidence that Tom didn't win big till Barry retired.You bet your bippy, fella! Osborne was very fortunate to not have any top-notch competition in the Big 8 in the '90's. Switzer kicked Osborne's caboose all over the place in the '70's and '80's.:mad:

[soonerfan28]

If you look at what has happened and not what might have happened had the King still been here then yes Nebraska=Oklahoma. Osborne wasn't force out in fact he picked Solich to take over.

[badger]

Heyyyyyyyyyyy Nebraska. When's the last time you won the Big 12 :D:D:D:D:D:D:D

[RUSH LIMBAUGH is my clone!]

If you look at what has happened and not what might have happened had the King still been here then yes Nebraska=Oklahoma. Osborne wasn't force out in fact he picked Solich to take over.7>3+2X1/2, no? Nebraska is down the line.

[XingTheRubicon]

Big 8 Championships - OU
Big 12 Division Champs - OU
Big 12 Championships - OU
National Championships - OU
Head to head record - OU
Rapes - push
Uzi's - OU
Females dragged down the stairs by their hair - NU

[MissouriSooner]

Also, you've got to wonder if Nebraska would have been as dominant in the early 90's if the King was still in Norman

The short answer: NO.