Dienhart 2018 Predictions - B1G West
- Thread starter GlideCat
- Start date
Pretty much lines up with how the schools finished 2017. Nebby will be better and NU probably down a slot or two.
Even though our schedule is more difficult overall, it lines up nicely in the Big Ten with most of our difficult games at home. I think Nebraska will be improved though over the past couple of years, there's talent on that roster even if the coaching has been poor.
Dienhart is an idiot. Might as well have a monkey author these articles.
Given that the season is 8 months away, a roomful of monkeys in a roomful of typewriters is as good as any of these articles will be.
There are two kinds of people in the world.
First, there are the idiots.
Second, Corbi, a man alone.
I'd take him over 1000 ECats or Turks, when it comes to football and recruiting insights, but ECat and Turk have him beat hands-down, when it comes to comedy routines, I mean Carmody routines.
Last edited:
I don't necessarily think we will be down a notch or two.
1) If the coaching staff learned any lessons about the OL it should be stronger next year coming out of the gate. The only stater to graduate is Brad North. It all starts on the line.
2) The RB's are deep and have different strengths
3) With CT NU has incredible experience at QB. With out CT NU has a new look on offense and I have confidence in McCall as a QB coach.
4) The receivers should be a least as good as this year.
5) The D line has tons of talent. It all starts on the line here too.
6) LB is really a strong position group making the front 7 awesome at the point of attack.
7) Some experience returning in the secondary. Quality TBD.
8) The schedule lays out nicely for a strong start. I'm not afraid of Purdue but the team will be inspired to be ready to open in the B1G and the Duke loss still stings. The Zips and then a Bye week before UM at home.
9) The rest of the schedule is inspirational; Nebraska at home, Wisconsin at home, ND at home. I think the nature of this schedule will have the competitive juices flowing all off season.
10) All college teams lose great Sr's. I think we have some real talent coming back.
Agree with everything you wrote. But....
NU was VERY fortunate to win 3 consecutive OT games. Akron and ND will be more competitive than NV and BGSU. So my guess is NU will have 2 more losses (In the B1G, NU beats Duke but loses to ND OOC) even if everything you write transpires.
Well, winning 10 games is always difficult and the ball bounces funny some games and even some seasons. That being said I don't think the team will necessarily be any worse overall in 2018 and depending on leadership in the off season could be better. No reason to think they will be significantly better or worse.
I just think there is an excellent chance we go bowling and an excellent chance we will be in the B1G West title conversation deeper into the season than last year. When I reflect on how many times I have had that kind of confidence in the off season, I realize it is pretty rare and NU has come a long way. NU has established itself at the top of the middle third of the B1G. That sounds pretty weak except when you think about the fact that before we only had short glimpses of that kind of success. We have not yet arrived as a Championship team or a Powerhouse program but NU has gone from consistent losers to occasional winners to consistent winners over the last 25 years.
I no longer expect NU to have a good season and then the obligatory off year. Returning to the mean now means bowl games and 7-10 win seasons.
Of those 3 OT wins, did you feel we cheated defeat in any of those games in regulation? I don't feel that way. I think we'd win those games again if we played them again, all things being equal.
Every season is different, so don't know how next season's opponents will perform against us, but I like our chances. Of course the big unknown is the QB situation, which could be catastrophic in the worst case scenario. But I'm a glass-half-full guy, so I look forward to a great season.
I really do not like to be negative - especially when discussing something I love as much as NU. Yet, I must ask: "How do you define winning?" Is winning more than 50% of one's games, "winning"? Is going to a bowl and winning it, "winning"? As far as I am concerned, winning connotes, at the very least, winning the west division of the Big Ten. Really winning, to me, requires winning the conference. By this definition, we have not been winners since 2000.
I am much more concerned about next year than many of you appear to be. I think Lancaster's loss will be very consequential, as will the graduation of our safeties and the reduction in bodies overall in the defensive backfield. These later concerns may well be exacerbated by the departure of Jerry Brown. We also need to learn how badly Hall is injured. Will he be back for the Purdue game? His loss could hurt us as much as Clayton's. On offense, I expect that Thorson will return for most of the Big Ten season. I am excited to see who replaces him and how well he performs. But, we may lose a game or two we otherwise may have won during Thorson's absence. I really like our RBs, but think it is unrealistic to assume that they can just pick up where JJTBC left off without missing a beat. Improving upon the very best RB in school history the year after he departs just does not happen. Our OL is always a question mark, we need a new TE who can block as well as catch the ball, and we need one or two of our young WRs to improve significantly both to replace Wilson and add a legitimate downfield threat to our offense. In short, we have even more questions on offense than we do on defense, despite great losses on the defensive side of the ball. I predicted that the 'Cats would win 11 regular season games and the west crown this year. Obviously, I was wrong. I think 7-8 wins next year is a more reasonable, though hopeful, expectation.
Last edited:
I'll agree with you that they could/should win 7 or 8 games next season but and it's a big butt, is will Thorson come back for the entire season, some games or not at all. It's definitely hard to replace a three year starting QB is was projected to be drafted into the NFL with four unknowns.
We actually won less games in the Big Ten when we "won the conference" in 2000 than we did this year and then there was that embarrassing bowl loss. I liked the last three seasons just fine. I think it will be challenging just to stay where we are in this age of parity. Hopefully, we can have another '95 season at some point, but to say that's the measure of success for this program is quite a stretch.
As a great philosopher once said, "You play to win". Whether it takes 5 wins or 9 to win the conference, the goal remains the same. I regard your reference to "success for this program" as, at best, condescending, and at worst, insulting. NU should be no different than any other team as regards winning. We compete in the Big Ten and presumably are trying to win it. Yes, our academic standards are such that we can perhaps take only 35% of the guys available to our Big Ten competitors and maybe only 5% of the guys available to SEC schools.Yes, we have a smaller student body, and therefore a smaller fan base. But, history has shown that these factors do not preclude winning; nor do they justify a reduction in the goals for the team. When we stop caring about winning the conference, we succumb to the Strotz mentality that NU should not really even try to compete. From there, it is a short step to Div. IAA or the route of U of C several decades ago. I do not want to go there.
I think some posters perceive any expressions of dissatisfaction as disloyalty or as calls for new coaches. I assure you, that in my case, neither is true. I am more than content with the job done by Fitz and hope he stays for another 30 years. I am even pleased with 10 wins and a bowl victory. But, being pleased does not preclude being simultaneously dissatisfied. I am dissatisfied whenever we fail to win the conference, but I can be pleased with our results even in years in which we do not win.
Last edited:
Any time we beat LOLinois, we are winning.
To me, I view "winning" as having a winning record. So personally a 6-6 record doesn't cut it for me. I think as a program we should have winning seasons every year.
I think success is a sliding scale every year based on specific goals and the situation of the team. We can't win championships every year. But we should be competing for championships every 2-4 years depending on the talent and experience cycle. Sometimes players you recruit just don't work out, while others turn out better than expected. That's the nature of college football, but actually life in general. Who would've predicted that we would have 2 first year All-Americans on the team this year?!
To me, I view "winning" as having a winning record. So personally a 6-6 record doesn't cut it for me. I think as a program we should have winning seasons every year.
I think success is a sliding scale every year based on specific goals and the situation of the team. We can't win championships every year. But we should be competing for championships every 2-4 years depending on the talent and experience cycle. Sometimes players you recruit just don't work out, while others turn out better than expected. That's the nature of college football, but actually life in general. Who would've predicted that we would have 2 first year All-Americans on the team this year?!
How do you define success for NU football? Is it relative to historical performance or a benchmark of "championships or bust".
By any historical benchmark, last season was one of the best in the history of the program.
A 10 win season with a bowl win (and a ranking around 17-18 to finish the season) is pretty much identical to the 2012 season as Fitz's best season, but we went 7-2 in the Big Ten instead of 5-3 as in 2012. We did better against an arguably more difficult schedule. 2 of our 3 losses came against teams that will finish in the top 6-7 of the nation.
In recent memory, only really the '95 season is clearly better with an outright Big Ten championship and the Rose Bowl bid.
The '96 (7-1) and '00 (6-2) had shared championships, but this past season we also went 7-2 in the Big Ten. Winning that many games in conference is an accomplishment, but with a bigger conference it's going to be hard to win the division and then the conference.
That's especially true when the conference is performing as well as it is right now; this might be the strongest collection of coaches the Big Ten has ever had at any specific time.
And it matters when you win too; I'd argue that last year's 7-6 season was Fitz's 3rd or 4th best season because it had a bowl win to end instead of a close loss in a bowl like '08 or '09, we beat probably our best bowl opponent of the 3 bowl wins under Fitz (ranked Pitt), and we had a 5-4 conference record which is comparable to those years with 8-9 wins but a bowl loss.
I felt better after 2016 than I did 2015 when we won 10 games but had 3 major blowout losses on the national stage including the bowl game. I can see why a 10 game season (finishing ranked as well) might be above 2016, but did fans feel better after 2015 or 2016? I felt better after 2016.
By any historical benchmark, last season was one of the best in the history of the program.
A 10 win season with a bowl win (and a ranking around 17-18 to finish the season) is pretty much identical to the 2012 season as Fitz's best season, but we went 7-2 in the Big Ten instead of 5-3 as in 2012. We did better against an arguably more difficult schedule. 2 of our 3 losses came against teams that will finish in the top 6-7 of the nation.
In recent memory, only really the '95 season is clearly better with an outright Big Ten championship and the Rose Bowl bid.
The '96 (7-1) and '00 (6-2) had shared championships, but this past season we also went 7-2 in the Big Ten. Winning that many games in conference is an accomplishment, but with a bigger conference it's going to be hard to win the division and then the conference.
That's especially true when the conference is performing as well as it is right now; this might be the strongest collection of coaches the Big Ten has ever had at any specific time.
And it matters when you win too; I'd argue that last year's 7-6 season was Fitz's 3rd or 4th best season because it had a bowl win to end instead of a close loss in a bowl like '08 or '09, we beat probably our best bowl opponent of the 3 bowl wins under Fitz (ranked Pitt), and we had a 5-4 conference record which is comparable to those years with 8-9 wins but a bowl loss.
I felt better after 2016 than I did 2015 when we won 10 games but had 3 major blowout losses on the national stage including the bowl game. I can see why a 10 game season (finishing ranked as well) might be above 2016, but did fans feel better after 2015 or 2016? I felt better after 2016.
Say what?? Where do you guys come up with this stuff?? Are you really bored at work and have nothing better to do??
I think you have to differentiate between champions and winners. I agree we should strive for championships and by that standard we have not been champions since 2000. However, a 10-3 team is definitely a winner in my book, and by that standard we have been winners several times since 2000. I'm not of the opinion so prevalent in the U.S. these days that every team that isn't a champion is somehow second-rate. A 10-3 team is a helluva lot better than a 3-10 team. One of the things I dislike about the current playoff system is that it's starting to devalue conference championships, especially if Alabama wins this year.
As far as replacing the running backs, although I agree you can't really replace JJTBC I don't necessarily think there will be a big drop, especially if we get improved OL play — not an unreasonable expectation as line play seemed to improve toward the end of the season. While I'm not sure Larkin will be as good a short-yard back as JJTBC, he actually has more top-end speed and might be liable to break more long runs if the line is able to spring him on a trap play. You might remember JJTBC got caught from behind on that long run against Pitt in the Pinstripe Bowl. I don't think Larkin gets caught in that situation. Obviously, we'll see what the year brings.
Well, years ago I felt that any season where every game mattered for bowl eligibility was a satisfactory season even if NU lost that last game. I've seen too many seasons where NU was simply going through the motions with no incentive besides pride. I felt bad for the guys playing for a program that basically was just padding for everyone else's record. By my old standard going into the Illinois game 5 and 6 would have been a successful season. The guys would be playing for the chance to be a champion of some post season game however modest. The program would be in the college football conversation instead of basically being irrelevant.
The program has grown past that. I was disappointed early in the season when we were quickly no longer relevant for the west championship. I do feel however like the season was redeemed though by the winning streak and bowl win. The team will be ranked in the top 25 which puts it into the relevant conversation nationally the entire off season.
There are only a few teams in the nation that can hope to be perennial conference champions year after year. I dislike those programs and the strangle hold they seem to have but if I am only satisfied with that, I'm going to be disappointed too often. My dad used to say, "The other guys try too, ya know."
I happy knowing that we will be pretty good next year. I will be happier when tOSU is concerned about it.
