College Football- Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail 2014

[Andriy Czarchenko]

No, I did not...

Both TCU and Baylor played the same schedule except for two teams... Striking those four games, that is the point total.

You did, the points are at least somewhat understandably wrong as you´ve most likely erroneously counted points scored by West Virginia (41) instead of Baylor (27). In any case you´re off by 14.

Maithanet already told you what you did wrong when looking at the schedule. You equal playing 2-9 ISU (Baylor) with 9-2 KSU (TCU).

[Corvinus85]

I was confused about it too but my wife was on fire today. Mike Riley is about as talented as bo pelini. He is however the nicest guy. She said it simply: they liked him.

He might also have a better time recruiting for Nebraska, than for O State. So who knows. I just hope we didn't get another Callahan.

[Kalbear]

Riley would have a significantly easier time recruiting. The thing Riley was shockingly good at was finding bizarrely talented players from almost nowhere that ended up being way overlooked by scouts - and then hit it big in the NFL. Jaquizz Rodgers, Markus Wheaton, TJ Housh and Brandin Cooks all seemed to come from BFE to play amazingly at OSU. With better general talent I think he'll be fine.

Mostly, I think people in Nebraska will like him. Which will make it much harder to fire his ass after another 8-4 season.

[sperry]

Riley would have a significantly easier time recruiting. The thing Riley was shockingly good at was finding bizarrely talented players from almost nowhere that ended up being way overlooked by scouts - and then hit it big in the NFL. Jaquizz Rodgers, Markus Wheaton, TJ Housh and Brandin Cooks all seemed to come from BFE to play amazingly at OSU. With better general talent I think he'll be fine.

Mostly, I think people in Nebraska will like him. Which will make it much harder to fire his ass after another 8-4 season.

Maybe. I think Oregon State's access to California is better than anything Nebraska has, though.

And while they have had maybe the least likeable back to back head coaches in CFB history, they're still going to run Riley out of town if he hasn't won them a conference championship within 4 years.

[Kalbear]

OSU didn't actually have much from Cal. They had, oddly, a Texas pipeline of sorts. That might still apply.

[Ken Stone]

I kept reading they had one name on the list. One guy they were going after. And it's fucking Mike Riley? You got to be kidding me. The AD said money wasn't going to be problem. So you go after a guy with a 58–63 conference record?

If this is what national relevance feels like I don't think I like it.

[Lukey]

Nebraska just fired a 9 win a year coach for a 7 win a year coach. What are they thinking? They are the new Tennessee and Michigan. 3 schools that have been spinning in the mud for 15 years now. 4 years fire coach, 4 years fire coach, 4 years fire coach. Should have hired Scott Frost from Oregon or thrown a ton of money in front of Kevin Sumlin! On the other hand the Pac 12 is a much harder conference than the Big 10 so Riley might do better than people think.

[lokisnow]

Wow I thought Riley would die at Oregon St, he was coach for life there.

I have a feeling this will work out to be a great hire for Nebraska. just looking at the metrics, this makes less than zero sense on paper, so it's probably a better decision than the Brady Hoke/Lane Kiffin can't miss hires that always miss.

Now the real question is, will Oregon St hire Bo Pellini?

[Kalbear]

Oregon State might hire Brady Hoke. No, seriously - he has ties there and would probably be cool with it.

[sperry]

A local newspaper guy here had three coaches on the hot seat in his article last week: Bo Pelini, Brady Hoke, and ..... Mike Riley :laugh:

[SkynJay]

Like I said up thread, it won't be the "sexy" hire some may have wanted, but I'm really happy about the McElwain hire (assuming it happens). He's by most accounts an offensive genius, he turned CSU into a winner real quick, he's improved the record each year he's been there, he has ties to the SEC and a couple of shiny rings to show recruits, and he's youngish and still on the way up, where names like Stoops and Patterson didn't interest me since it seems like they're on the downward slope of the hill in terms of tenure as the head man.

I like everything I'm reading and have loved watching his offense via YouTube the last couple days. If he can retain some of our current defensive staff and implement his offense, I'd be thrilled.

Go Gators!

I hate you so much right now...

[Guest]

I admit to being shocked by the Riley hire for Nebraska. Like lockesnow, I thought that there was every reason to believe he wouldn't leave Corvalis. His contract was through 2021 or something, and he grew up in the town.

He's still loved there because before he took over in the mid-90's, they were just abysmal...like...worst team from a major conference for all of the 70's and 80's and first half of the 90's.

But the hire is particularly weird because he's both pretty old now and not trending well even at OSU. They have been really meh for three of the last four years.

But if I were to try to spin it, it would be something along the lines of what Kal said. Corvalis is not an easy place to recruit to, and at least on paper, Riley was a terrible recruiter. They would finish 8-10 in the Pac-10 every year. I bet one year they got ranked 38th by Scout.com in the nation and it was their best recruiting class ever. And yet they were better on the field. They had a window of winning 8 or 9 three straight years and coming withing a win of the Rose Bowl two years in a row.

The Rodgers bros. came from Texas as did Storm Woods who has been a solid RB the last few years. Maybe just maybe there's something to the Texas pipeline thing that could be taken advantage of at Nebraska, and maybe a guy with some pedigree can do more outside of the nigh-dismissible Corvalis, Oregon.

But my gut says that this is not a good hire at all. It has virtually no potential of being a home run, and that's what you want when you go for a new hire particularly if you're a storied program like Nebraska. Even if it goes surprisingly well for the next few years, Riley is in his 60's.

Scott Frost made so much sense on paper. Heh.

[Corvinus85]

I admit to being shocked by the Riley hire for Nebraska. Like lockesnow, I thought that there was every reason to believe he wouldn't leave Corvalis. His contract was through 2021 or something, and he grew up in the town.

He's still loved there because before he took over in the mid-90's, they were just abysmal...like...worst team from a major conference for all of the 70's and 80's and first half of the 90's.

But the hire is particularly weird because he's both pretty old now and not trending well even at OSU. They have been really meh for three of the last four years.

But if I were to try to spin it, it would be something along the lines of what Kal said. Corvalis is not an easy place to recruit to, and at least on paper, Riley was a terrible recruiter. They would finish 8-10 in the Pac-10 every year. I bet one year they got ranked 38th by Scout.com in the nation and it was their best recruiting class ever. And yet they were better on the field. They had a window of winning 8 or 9 three straight years and coming withing a win of the Rose Bowl two years in a row.

The Rodgers bros. came from Texas as did Storm Woods who has been a solid RB the last few years. Maybe just maybe there's something to the Texas pipeline thing that could be taken advantage of at Nebraska, and maybe a guy with some pedigree can do more outside of the nigh-dismissible Corvalis, Oregon.

But my gut says that this is not a good hire at all. It has virtually no potential of being a home run, and that's what you want when you go for a new hire particularly if you're a storied program like Nebraska. Even if it goes surprisingly well for the next few years, Riley is in his 60's.

Scott Frost made so much sense on paper. Heh.

There's rumors going around that Frost may be brought in as the OC, and once Riley retires, Frost takes the head coaching job. Apparently Tim Beck makes much more money at Nebraska, than Frost at Oregon.

[sperry]

There's rumors going around that Frost may be brought in as the OC, and once Riley retires, Frost takes the head coaching job. Apparently Tim Beck makes much more money at Nebraska, than Frost at Oregon.

Lol the head coach in waiting always works, so so well.

[Corvinus85]

Lol the head coach in waiting always works, so so well.

Tom Osborne

[SkynJay]

Lol the head coach in waiting always works, so so well.

It does at smaller schools. Boisie State, San Diego State, Utah St are all schools that flirt with Top 25 and conference championships and all are running with internal hires.

At big schools thoufh who is willing to try? That big splash seems so important.

[lokisnow]

Riley also succeeds in beating top teams regularly, he spoiled quite a few of usc's seasons, so he'll do the same for the big ten.

[Andriy Czarchenko]

It does at smaller schools. Boisie State, San Diego State, Utah St are all schools that flirt with Top 25 and conference championships and all are running with internal hires.

At big schools thoufh who is willing to try? That big splash seems so important.

Oregon seems to be doing just fine.

[Kalbear]

Also, Riley would accept Scott Frost as an imposed OC and not have coaching control? That's insane.

[sperry]

There's a huge difference between making someone head coach in waiting and making an internal hire. The biggest of which is that if your team is doing well, and your "head coach in waiting" is doing a good job, they can usually become the "head coach in fact" at another comparable school.