Fitz was Too Big To Fail

[villox]

Reading all the people saying, "We should cancel the season, cancel the stadium rebuild, cancel the football program." etc make me think that many of us could not possibly imagine a post-Fitz era and felt that the team's fate was inextricably linked to him. No institution should be so beholden to one man. I don't know whether any coach will have the success he did, but if we don't think it's possible, that the promise of the University as an institution outweighed the promise of any one individual, then truly what IS the point of having a football program? Especially since there's little evidence he was going to succeed this or any other upcoming season?

This is a very sad day for NU Sports and I have no strong opinion about whether he deserved this fate given what we believed to be his public persona and all those who would vouch for him compared to some people who had reportedly devastating things happen to them.

But if a post-Fitz era was destined to be an era in which a football program no longer makes sense, then it's better to have gotten it over with since, like RW before him, he could have dropped dead at any moment.

Personally I hope not and a future coach (under a different AD and hopefully different Prez) is able to rebuild to make us all proud of the Institution we claim to believe in.

 

[Medill '03]

Reading all the people saying, "We should cancel the season, cancel the stadium rebuild, cancel the football program." etc make me think that many of us could not possibly imagine a post-Fitz era and felt that the team's fate was inextricably linked to him. No institution should be so beholden to one man. I don't know whether any coach will have the success he did, but if we don't think it's possible, that the promise of the University as an institution outweighed the promise of any one individual, then truly what IS the point of having a football program? Especially since there's little evidence he was going to succeed this or any other upcoming season?

This is a very sad day for NU Sports and I have no strong opinion about whether he deserved this fate given what we believed to be his public persona and all those who would vouch for him compared to some people who had reportedly devastating things happen to them.

But if a post-Fitz era was destined to be an era in which a football program no longer makes sense, then it's better to have gotten it over with since, like RW before him, he could have dropped dead at any moment.

Personally I hope not and a future coach (under a different AD and hopefully different Prez) is able to rebuild to make us all proud of the Institution we claim to believe in.

I think NU can survive without Fitz. In fact, with another bad season or two, he probably would've needed to go. It's Schill and Gragg who worry me. Based on their actions to this point, I don't see any success for NU sports as long as they're in leadership.

 

[EvanstonCat]

I think NU can survive without Fitz. In fact, with another bad season or two, he probably would've needed to go. It's Schill and Gragg who worry me. Based on their actions to this point, I don't see any success for NU sports as long as they're in leadership.

Of course it can. We competed well before Fitz was our coach and in fact won 3 B1G titles in 6 years. And that was with zero facilities. And we are in the B1G. With tons of $$$$$. Chicken littles everywhere. We will be fine

 

[hdhntr1]

Reading all the people saying, "We should cancel the season, cancel the stadium rebuild, cancel the football program." etc make me think that many of us could not possibly imagine a post-Fitz era and felt that the team's fate was inextricably linked to him. No institution should be so beholden to one man. I don't know whether any coach will have the success he did, but if we don't think it's possible, that the promise of the University as an institution outweighed the promise of any one individual, then truly what IS the point of having a football program? Especially since there's little evidence he was going to succeed this or any other upcoming season?

This is a very sad day for NU Sports and I have no strong opinion about whether he deserved this fate given what we believed to be his public persona and all those who would vouch for him compared to some people who had reportedly devastating things happen to them.

But if a post-Fitz era was destined to be an era in which a football program no longer makes sense, then it's better to have gotten it over with since, like RW before him, he could have dropped dead at any moment.

Personally I hope not and a future coach (under a different AD and hopefully different Prez) is able to rebuild to make us all proud of the Institution we claim to believe in.

There was always the eventuality of a post Fitz NU. But it would have been in a much more orderly process. Say he had another terrible year. At the end of the season (or perhaps even 2/3s of the way through) they could decide to go in a different direction. New person would take over then and everything would have been much more orderly manner. Some guys would decide to decommit or transfer but new guys would also come in with the new HC. But the way they did it and the stain they put on it poisons everything. Top of recruiting class gone. No one coming in. Heck it would be bad but still a lot more managible if they had suspended him with pay for the season and moved on after. Almost no way could they have done it worse.

As far of your thought of putting FB in the past, you have to remember. A lot of people and alums only contact with NU is through sports and that leads to a lot of donations not only to the program but beyond, We are not the Ivy league and never really will be. Our peers are more the group of schools that goes for both academics and more well rounded. They include the Stanford's Vanderbuilts and Dukes of the world rather than Harvard Yale Princeton. Lose our group and not really fitting into the other and we really lose a lot more than they bargain for.

 

[hdhntr1]

I think NU can survive without Fitz. In fact, with another bad season or two, he probably would've needed to go. It's Schill and Gragg who worry me. Based on their actions to this point, I don't see any success for NU sports as long as they're in leadership.

Maybe so but it would have been in an orderly manner and not scorched earth. The way they did this just set the program back 5-10 years overnight and new people will have to recover to those levels first and hard to say how that will happen with these guys in their present positions

 

[corbi296]

I think NU can survive without Fitz. In fact, with another bad season or two, he probably would've needed to go. It's Schill and Gragg who worry me. Based on their actions to this point, I don't see any success for NU sports as long as they're in leadership.

I think you guys greatly underestimated how difficult it was to win at NU when FItz was here and greatly underestimate how difficult it will be to replace him with anybody remotely as competent and as willing to stay at NU for an extended period of time. That continuity is almost as important as competence for a college coaching staff to experienced prolonged success at one school. Not many establiahed names would consider NU before what has transpired. Now it may be challenging to even get the upcoming lower level head coach or hot assistant to consider NU and if they do, they’ll likely bolt at the first sign of success. There are so many impediments working against NU, particularly in this NIL era and post FItz firing era.

 

[NUChicago]

I think you guys greatly underestimated how difficult it was to win at NU when FItz was here and greatly underestimate how difficult it will be to replace him with anybody remotely as competent and as willing to stay at NU for an extended period of time. That continuity is almost as important as competence for a college coaching staff to experienced prolonged success at one school. Not many establiahed names would consider NU before what has transpired. Now it may be challenging to even get the upcoming lower level head coach or hot assistant to consider NU and if they do, they’ll likely bolt at the first sign of success. There are so many impediments working against NU, particularly in this NIL era and post FItz firing era.

Perhaps without Fitz, NU will embrace NIL? Basketball seems to have....

 

[TXnumbCAT]

The whole argument of “we needed to keep Fitz forever because he’s the only one who would stay” reeks of desperation unbecoming of NU.

 

[Jaguar 88]

I think you guys greatly underestimated how difficult it was to win at NU when FItz was here and greatly underestimate how difficult it will be to replace him with anybody remotely as competent and as willing to stay at NU for an extended period of time. That continuity is almost as important as competence for a college coaching staff to experienced prolonged success at one school. Not many establiahed names would consider NU before what has transpired. Now it may be challenging to even get the upcoming lower level head coach or hot assistant to consider NU and if they do, they’ll likely bolt at the first sign of success. There are so many impediments working against NU, particularly in this NIL era and post FItz firing era.

BS, a very good coordinator will see a chance of really proving his mettle by taking the NU job. In another thread I gave my uncle as an example. He went 10-2 with the University of Tampa in 1973, his first and only year there, as he took the Iowa State HC job the year after. He brought in a young Pete Carroll as OC and after 3 4-7 seasons he turned it around and actually beat Nebraska in back to back seasons. ISU was the Northwestern of the Big Eight, but that didn't deter my uncle. He wanted the challenge and brought in a coordinator just as ambitious and innovative as he was. Earle brought Pete with him at OSU and both of them got the Buckeyes within 2 points of a natty his first year there. Both of them, along with the Purdue HC were credited with bringing the forward pass to the B1G. All you need at NU is a HC and some coordinators with ambition and vision to take it to the next level. It can be done! I appreciate Fitz and all he has done. I wholeheartedly mean that, and I understand why he chose the ball control philosophy, but the whole scheme relied too heavily on the defense, while the offense struggled horribly 3 of the last 4 seasons. Even in 2020 it wasn't exactly setting the earth on fire, but did enough to win, with that stellar Hankwitz defense. I am inclined to think maybe our new interim HC might let Bajakian fly with his scheme. It was inferred by a few other posters that Fitz might have hobbled Bajakian's scheme a bit. I want to see it run full throttle. My bottom line is this. A new era is coming to NU football, it might not be as bad as you think. In fact it might be better in the long run.

 

[FanatiCat]

Perhaps without Fitz, NU will embrace NIL? Basketball seems to have....

We’d have an opportunity to succeed if we embraced NIL and more “holistic” admission standards (that is the de riguer term for looking beyond GPA and test scores - why can’t they do that with NU football especially with many applicants not submitting test scores anymore).

Any top-shelf A list coach is probably going to ask for that. Do I have any confidence that Schill and Gragg could make that happen? No.

 

[hdhntr1]

BS, a very good coordinator will see a chance of really proving his mettle by taking the NU job. In another thread I gave my uncle as an example. He went 10-2 with the University of Tampa in 1973, his first and only year there, as he took the Iowa State HC job the year after. He brought in a young Pete Carroll as OC and after 3 4-7 seasons he turned it around and actually beat Nebraska in back to back seasons. ISU was the Northwestern of the Big Eight, but that didn't deter my uncle. He wanted the challenge and brought in a coordinator just as ambitious and innovative as he was. Earle brought Pete with him at OSU and both of them got the Buckeyes within 2 points of a natty his first year there. Both of them, along with the Purdue HC were credited with bringing the forward pass to the B1G. All you need at NU is a HC and some coordinators with ambition and vision to take it to the next level. It can be done! I appreciate Fitz and all he has done. I wholeheartedly mean that, and I understand why he chose the ball control philosophy, but the whole scheme relied too heavily on the defense, while the offense struggled horribly 3 of the last 4 seasons. Even in 2020 it wasn't exactly setting the earth on fire, but did enough to win, with that stellar Hankwitz defense. I am inclined to think maybe our new interim HC might let Bajakian fly with his scheme. It was inferred by a few other posters that Fitz might have hobbled Bajakian's scheme a bit. I want to see it run full throttle. My bottom line is this. A new era is coming to NU football, it might not be as bad as you think. In fact it might be better in the long run.

Whole lot different time and different situations than at NU

 

[Jaguar 88]

Whole lot different time and different situations than at NU

The basics are the same though. There are a ton of really good coordinators looking for a shot to prove themselves. The NU hazing situation will just weed out some of the coordinators. Some will see it as a great opportunity!!! Hell our new interim HC might just be the ticket. You never know.

 

[corbi296]

BS, a very good coordinator will see a chance of really proving his mettle by taking the NU job. In another thread I gave my uncle as an example. He went 10-2 with the University of Tampa in 1973, his first and only year there, as he took the Iowa State HC job the year after. He brought in a young Pete Carroll as OC and after 3 4-7 seasons he turned it around and actually beat Nebraska in back to back seasons. ISU was the Northwestern of the Big Eight, but that didn't deter my uncle. He wanted the challenge and brought in a coordinator just as ambitious and innovative as he was. Earle brought Pete with him at OSU and both of them got the Buckeyes within 2 points of a natty his first year there. Both of them, along with the Purdue HC were credited with bringing the forward pass to the B1G. All you need at NU is a HC and some coordinators with ambition and vision to take it to the next level. It can be done! I appreciate Fitz and all he has done. I wholeheartedly mean that, and I understand why he chose the ball control philosophy, but the whole scheme relied too heavily on the defense, while the offense struggled horribly 3 of the last 4 seasons. Even in 2020 it wasn't exactly setting the earth on fire, but did enough to win, with that stellar Hankwitz defense. I am inclined to think maybe our new interim HC might let Bajakian fly with his scheme. It was inferred by a few other posters that Fitz might have hobbled Bajakian's scheme a bit. I want to see it run full throttle. My bottom line is this. A new era is coming to NU football, it might not be as bad as you think. In fact it might be better in the long run.

I think this is a whole bunch of wishful thinking on your part. We’ll see.

 

[Jaguar 88]

I think this is a whole bunch of wishful thinking on your part. We’ll see.

It very well could be, but if there are guys ambitious enough I can't see them not going for such an opportunity. I wouldn't stick a fork into NU football just yet. A lot still has to play out from this.

 

[corbi296]

It very well could be, but if there are guys ambitious enough I can't see them not going for such an opportunity. I wouldn't stick a fork into NU football just yet. A lot still has to play out from this.

What players are they going to coach?. Not only are we losing Class of 24 verbal commitments we now have our first incoming freshman from the Class of 23 in the transfer portal. Glover happens to be probably our most talented incoming freshman. Unfortunately, this is just the beginning. We will lose many players and over the next six months which will make this job even harder to fill. Most of these kids came here because of FItz. They are not willing to hang around to see how this plays out. These are devastating blows to the program.

 

[Jaguar 88]

What players are they going to coach?. Not only are we losing Class of 24 verbal commitments we now have our first incoming freshman from the Class of 23 in the transfer portal. Glover happens to be probably our most talented incoming freshman. Unfortunately, this is just the beginning. We will lose many players and over the next six months which will make this job even harder to fill. Most of these kids came here because of FItz. They are not willing to hang around to see how this plays out. These are devastating blows to the program.

I agree, this coming season and '24 probably are going to suck, maybe '25 as well. But if you got say the DC from Georgia or Rees from Bama, etc you might get the interest back. The players that decommited were all mid tier 3 star recruits, just like the recruits that Fitz was stuck with during this collapse of NU's football fortunes. Odds are even with them on the squad, it would not have really had that much of an impact. 3 star committs just means they are good enough to make a Power 5 roster. Fitz's offensive scheme was never going to get quality QBs and WRs.

 

[hdhntr1]

The basics are the same though. There are a ton of really good coordinators looking for a shot to prove themselves. The NU hazing situation will just weed out some of the coordinators. Some will see it as a great opportunity!!! Hell our new interim HC might just be the ticket. You never know.

Sorry but reality is that someone that takes this job is just as likely to be signing on to what would be the end of their career. When they are not successful here because of lack of institutional support other programs looking for a new HC will look at his lack of success and not what he was up against. We saw it in BB for something like 50 years.

If you think it was tough getting guys through admissions when Fitz was HC, what do you think it would be for some newbe? Fitz fought for his assistants pay to try toget it closer to competitive. New guy won't have the power to get it done. Stadium did not get built and now maybe never will Nice practice facility but everything else will be a problem

 

[kaTNap]

What players are they going to coach?. Not only are we losing Class of 24 verbal commitments we now have our first incoming freshman from the Class of 23 in the transfer portal. Glover happens to be probably our most talented incoming freshman. Unfortunately, this is just the beginning. We will lose many players and over the next six months which will make this job even harder to fill. Most of these kids came here because of FItz. They are not willing to hang around to see how this plays out. These are devastating blows to the program.

And if Fitz had been hit by a bus or had a fatal heart attack a la Coach Rock, or if he'd decided to leave for greener pastures somewhere else, you'd be in exactly the same place. If you build an organization or an effort around just one person, it's inherently very fragile, because people are fragile.

We'll be fine. It may take a few years, but we'll be fine. We may have to settle for improvements to the current stadium instead of a new one, but that has more to do with our neighbors than with Fitz leaving.

Fitz was nearing a place in his career where he either needed to jump ship or radically re-imagine his approach, especially on the offensive side. Maybe he already understood that, but we haven't seen the proof yet. We haven't amounted to anything much as far as developing QBs since Thorson. That's not a sustainable situation.

 

[hdhntr1]

Perhaps without Fitz, NU will embrace NIL? Basketball seems to have....

A lot easier to come up with some money for a couple guys, A lot more difficult coming up with the money for 85 for a school with small alumni base such as NU. And like it or not, it is likely coming out of businesses rather than just donations. Could be tax deductible for a business but harder to for an individual. This is NOT donating to the university.


Fact is that NU is probably not as good at getting guys to build their own businesses as many other schools. From Stanford you have a bunch of tech billionaires, State schools have huge numbers of alums and that leads to a lot of businesses being started. But NU seems more of a tweener with fewer alums and not as many with the huge multi billion dollar pockets. NU seems to prepare people more for other roles that it is harder to get big NIL donations out of and unfortunately a lot of deep pockets are what is needed for a great NIL program

 

[hdhntr1]

And if Fitz had been hit by a bus or had a fatal heart attack a la Coach Rock, or if he'd decided to leave for greener pastures somewhere else, you'd be in exactly the same place. If you build an organization or an effort around just one person, it's inherently very fragile, because people are fragile.

We'll be fine. It may take a few years, but we'll be fine. We may have to settle for improvements to the current stadium instead of a new one, but that has more to do with our neighbors than with Fitz leaving.

Fitz was nearing a place in his career where he either needed to jump ship or radically re-imagine his approach, especially on the offensive side. Maybe he already understood that, but we haven't seen the proof yet. We haven't amounted to anything much as far as developing QBs since Thorson. That's not a sustainable situation.

While I would love for that to be the case, sorry but just don't see it. It is not just that he is gone but the way that did it that did so much additional damage to the program. With those kind of events, there would be either continuity and or a pulling together. If he moved on to another program, it would be a much more orderly transition, At the end of the year, hiring process. Even if he died in a bus accident or some other tragedy , there would be a lot of pulling together that would not drive people off in the first year. And likely the stadium would still be built on schedule.

But here, you trashed everything about him and his program. Even the long term coaches are likely all gone after this year because how could they be deemed to not know while Fitz was destroyed because "he should have known" whether he did or more likely did not,. And anyone associated with the program would now be wearing a scarlet letter. So much damage done. Hard to see a path to recovery

 

[corbi296]

And if Fitz had been hit by a bus or had a fatal heart attack a la Coach Rock, or if he'd decided to leave for greener pastures somewhere else, you'd be in exactly the same place. If you build an organization or an effort around just one person, it's inherently very fragile, because people are fragile.

We'll be fine. It may take a few years, but we'll be fine. We may have to settle for improvements to the current stadium instead of a new one, but that has more to do with our neighbors than with Fitz leaving.

Fitz was nearing a place in his career where he either needed to jump ship or radically re-imagine his approach, especially on the offensive side. Maybe he already understood that, but we haven't seen the proof yet. We haven't amounted to anything much as far as developing QBs since Thorson. That's not a sustainable situation.

Yes and what is your point? We are a very fragile program and FItz was the lynchpin behind it. Again, I think you guys fail to realize how difficult this job was and how much more difficult this job has become now. The margin for error at NU was very small and it just got much smaller. The odds of landing a promising coach are very low in my opinion. The odds of landing a promising coach who is willing to stay at NU medium term even if he is able to achieve some success are slim to none. That is the biggest tragedy of this episode is that it not only has tarnished FItz but it also likely tarnished NU football alums who were potential FItz successors. Guys who might have been willing to make a Long term commitment to NU. Guys like Ayeni, who I always thought of as the next in line to FItz, are now untouchable candidates for NU going forward.

 

[Purple Pile Driver]

And if Fitz had been hit by a bus or had a fatal heart attack a la Coach Rock, or if he'd decided to leave for greener pastures somewhere else, you'd be in exactly the same place. If you build an organization or an effort around just one person, it's inherently very fragile, because people are fragile.

We'll be fine. It may take a few years, but we'll be fine. We may have to settle for improvements to the current stadium instead of a new one, but that has more to do with our neighbors than with Fitz leaving.

Fitz was nearing a place in his career where he either needed to jump ship or radically re-imagine his approach, especially on the offensive side. Maybe he already understood that, but we haven't seen the proof yet. We haven't amounted to anything much as far as developing QBs since Thorson. That's not a sustainable situation.

There is a stink on the program that will take years to overcome. I believe many of us have unfortunately already experienced the zenith of NU football. This is the opposite of orderly transition and EVERYTHING associated with NU looks second rate. Top talent in either the coaching or playing side will not be coming to NU anytime soon.

 

[FanatiCat]

To say if Fitz “got hit by a bus” West be in exactly the same spot couldn’t be further from the truth. We already have a precedent. Randy Walker was our long term guy until he died suddenly, right around this time of year. Yet the program carried on and recovered quickly without losing commits or transfers because the transition was seen as a continuation of the tone that Walker set.

Fitz’s firing calls into question the very identity of Northwestern football and everything it represented. Not only that but it exposes the AD/pres and now NU faculty as seeing the hole football program, not just Fitz, as problematic.

 

[kaTNap]

To say if Fitz “got hit by a bus” West be in exactly the same spot couldn’t be further from the truth. We already have a precedent. Randy Walker was our long term guy until he died suddenly, right around this time of year. Yet the program carried on and recovered quickly without losing commits or transfers because the transition was seen as a continuation of the tone that Walker set.

You'd be in exactly the same spot to the extent that the players came to NU because of Fitz, which was the claim to which I was originally responding. I'm not saying that this situation, viewed in its entirety, is exactly the same. Of course it isn't.

Fitz’s firing calls into question the very identity of Northwestern football and everything it represented. Not only that but it exposes the AD/pres and now NU faculty as seeing the hole football program, not just Fitz, as problematic.

The NU faculty has always seen the athletic program as problematic. They did back in my day. This is not a change, only that that party may have more influence now for obvious reasons.

Other programs have come back from worse scandals than this one. They may have been stronger than ours in the first place, of course. And it will take time and hard work by the new coaching staff once they're in place.

 

[Purple Pile Driver]

You'd be in exactly the same spot to the extent that the players came to NU because of Fitz, which was the claim to which I was originally responding. I'm not saying that this situation, viewed in its entirety, is exactly the same. Of course it isn't.

The NU faculty has always seen the athletic program as problematic. They did back in my day. This is not a change, only that that party may have more influence now for obvious reasons.

Other programs have come back from worse scandals than this one. They may have been stronger than ours in the first place, of course. And it will take time and hard work by the new coaching staff once they're in place.

Is David Copperfield available to take the helm in 2024?

 

[hdhntr1]

There is a stink on the program that will take years to overcome. I believe many of us have unfortunately already experienced the zenith of NU football. This is the opposite of orderly transition and EVERYTHING associated with NU looks second rate. Top talent in either the coaching or playing side will not be coming to NU anytime soon.

There may be other programs that get exposed but likely none of them will carry the stench as much or for as NU will be for being the first and they way they did it

 

[hdhntr1]

You'd be in exactly the same spot to the extent that the players came to NU because of Fitz, which was the claim to which I was originally responding. I'm not saying that this situation, viewed in its entirety, is exactly the same. Of course it isn't.

The NU faculty has always seen the athletic program as problematic. They did back in my day. This is not a change, only that that party may have more influence now for obvious reasons.

Other programs have come back from worse scandals than this one. They may have been stronger than ours in the first place, of course. And it will take time and hard work by the new coaching staff once they're in place.

You are dreaming, They came to NU because of what had been built and not just because of Fitz.. The idea of family and a lot more and they did not just get rid of Fitz but the way it was done basically destroyed all the rest, It is not just replacing a guy like you suggest. We also lost everything about our identity.

Again this program will be tainted not just for a year or two but more like a decade, Every time we go after a player can you imagine the negative recruiting? MAC level recruiting for a decade and I can see NU getting rid of all D1 sports because if you get rid of FB, likely we break the bond with BIG and then there is no funding for anything else

 

[GrandRapidsCatFan]

BS, a very good coordinator will see a chance of really proving his mettle by taking the NU job. In another thread I gave my uncle as an example. He went 10-2 with the University of Tampa in 1973, his first and only year there, as he took the Iowa State HC job the year after. He brought in a young Pete Carroll as OC and after 3 4-7 seasons he turned it around and actually beat Nebraska in back to back seasons. ISU was the Northwestern of the Big Eight, but that didn't deter my uncle. He wanted the challenge and brought in a coordinator just as ambitious and innovative as he was. Earle brought Pete with him at OSU and both of them got the Buckeyes within 2 points of a natty his first year there. Both of them, along with the Purdue HC were credited with bringing the forward pass to the B1G. All you need at NU is a HC and some coordinators with ambition and vision to take it to the next level. It can be done! I appreciate Fitz and all he has done. I wholeheartedly mean that, and I understand why he chose the ball control philosophy, but the whole scheme relied too heavily on the defense, while the offense struggled horribly 3 of the last 4 seasons. Even in 2020 it wasn't exactly setting the earth on fire, but did enough to win, with that stellar Hankwitz defense. I am inclined to think maybe our new interim HC might let Bajakian fly with his scheme. It was inferred by a few other posters that Fitz might have hobbled Bajakian's scheme a bit. I want to see it run full throttle. My bottom line is this. A new era is coming to NU football, it might not be as bad as you think. In fact it might be better in the long run.

If PSU was able to recover from an arguably worse situation to return to form much more quickly than anyone expected, I see no reason to believe that NU couldn't do the same. Of course, our return to form consists of being regularly in the bowl hunt and occasionally a top tier team in the B1G. It's going to take some luck for sure though.

 

[corbi296]

If PSU was able to recover from an arguably worse situation to return to form much more quickly than anyone expected, I see no reason to believe that NU couldn't do the same. Of course, our return to form consists of being regularly in the bowl hunt and occasionally a top tier team in the B1G. It's going to take some luck for sure though.

LOL, how oblivious. You obviously have no clue about the obstacles NU faces to compete in college football that are not even a consideration for schools like Penn State.

 

[Purple Pile Driver]

If PSU was able to recover from an arguably worse situation to return to form much more quickly than anyone expected, I see no reason to believe that NU couldn't do the same. Of course, our return to form consists of being regularly in the bowl hunt and occasionally a top tier team in the B1G. It's going to take some luck for sure though.

Not seeing that. Now they have Women’s programs getting hit. Women’s Softball? WTF. Did anyone go or watch any of their games last year? It looked like they were enjoying themselves so much that I feared they weren’t serious enough about the task at hand.

This is headed in a direction that every athlete at the school will be tainted. Who wants to stick around or would enjoy that environment. Athletics aren’t going to be built back up, they will be de-emphasized. Exactly the opposite of PSU, where their sole motivation was to get back.

 

[kaTNap]

We also lost everything about our identity.

Judging by the allegations that are being made today, I'm not sure that that's not a good thing.

 

[usopen30]

Not seeing that. Now they have Women’s programs getting hit. Women’s Softball? WTF. Did anyone go or watch any of their games last year? It looked like they were enjoying themselves so much that I feared they weren’t serious enough about the task at hand.

This is headed in a direction that every athlete at the school will be tainted. Who wants to stick around or would enjoy that environment. Athletics aren’t going to be built back up, they will be de-emphasized. Exactly the opposite of PSU, where their sole motivation was to get back.

If we're smart, we should take our cue from Duke and become a basketball school. We have a Coach K offspring who wants to stay put, is coming off a wonderful overachieving season and could continue to be successful with some help from the administration. Duke admissions finds a way to enroll Zion , Tatum and Kyrie, win NCAA championships while still keeping their academic ranking on par with NU. Football matters a lot less in Durham, probably always will and we have a long, very difficult road back from our current debacle. Of course, very unsure about the future of any sport at NU including women's lacrosse with Schill/Gragg calling the shots.