In my earlier post about Iowa fans, I mentioned my familiarity with many Nebraska fans. The best way to describe the attitude of the many I know is that they are a bit up in the air about their program.
Since Tom Osborne left, Nebraska has gone 167-79 under Frank Solich, Bill Callahan, Bo Pellini and Mike Riley. They've seldom been a top ten program since and have not at all lived up to the expectations people had for them after entering the Big 10.
This situation reminds me of Alabama after Bear Bryant retired and UCLA after John Wooden retired. No coach may be good enough for Husker fans but the four they've had most recently in football are far from being Hall of Fame coaches.
Many Nebraska fans are still wondering why a coach as old and relatively unsuccessful as Mike Riley was hired to replace Bo Pellini. He's a gentleman and the opposite of Pellini is that respect. But the talent Nebraska has been putting on the field as of late is mid-level by Big 10 standards. They've had fewer and fewer all-conference players in recent years and the number of NFL draft picks coming out of Nebraska is now down to a trickle. Most pre-season magazines have virtually no Nebraska players listed as either first or second team all-conference for 2017.
Husker fans see the road to the Big 10 West title going through Wisconsin first and Iowa second. They've had lots of trouble with Northwestern and now respect Minnesota.
Since Tom Osborne left, Nebraska has gone 167-79 under Frank Solich, Bill Callahan, Bo Pellini and Mike Riley. They've seldom been a top ten program since and have not at all lived up to the expectations people had for them after entering the Big 10.
This situation reminds me of Alabama after Bear Bryant retired and UCLA after John Wooden retired. No coach may be good enough for Husker fans but the four they've had most recently in football are far from being Hall of Fame coaches.
Many Nebraska fans are still wondering why a coach as old and relatively unsuccessful as Mike Riley was hired to replace Bo Pellini. He's a gentleman and the opposite of Pellini is that respect. But the talent Nebraska has been putting on the field as of late is mid-level by Big 10 standards. They've had fewer and fewer all-conference players in recent years and the number of NFL draft picks coming out of Nebraska is now down to a trickle. Most pre-season magazines have virtually no Nebraska players listed as either first or second team all-conference for 2017.
Husker fans see the road to the Big 10 West title going through Wisconsin first and Iowa second. They've had lots of trouble with Northwestern and now respect Minnesota.
