| Coaching Changes For 2015 Season | ||
|---|---|---|
| Team | Out | In |
| Buffalo | Jeff Quinn (3-4) (i)-Alex Wood (2-2) | Lance Leipold |
| Central Michigan | Dan Enos (7-6) | ? |
| Colorado State | Jim McElwain (10-2) (b)-Dave Baldwin (0-1) | Mike Bobo |
| Florida | Will Muschamp (6-5) (b)-D.J. Durkin (1-0) | Jim McElwain |
| Houston | Tony Levine (7-5) (b)-David Gibbs (1-0) | Tom Herman |
| Kansas | Charlie Weis (2-2) (i)-Clint Bowen (1-7) | David Beaty |
| Michigan | Brady Hoke (5-7) | Jim Harbaugh |
| Nebraska | Bo Pelini (9-3) (b)-Barney Cotton (0-1) | Mike Riley |
| Oregon State | Mike Riley (5-7) | Gary Andersen |
| Pittsburgh | Paul Chryst (6-6) (b)-Joe Rudolph (0-1) | Pat Narduzzi |
| SMU | June Jones (0-2) (i)-Tom Mason (1-9) | Chad Morris |
| Troy | Larry Blakeney (3-9) | Neal Brown |
| Tulsa | Bill Blankenship (2-10) | Philip Montgomery |
| UNLV | Bobby Hauck (2-11) | Tony Sanchez |
| Wisconsin | Gary Andersen (10-3) (b)-Barry Alvarez (1-0) | Paul Chryst |
| (i) - Interim head coach regular season (b) - bowl game interim coach |
Division III UW-Whitewater, his alma mater. He didn't build the program, the guy before him, Bob Berowitz (sp?) was there 20 years or so. Most of the time they were a so-so team, but retired with back to back Championships (his only two, though). Leipold came in and pushed the momentum to 7 title appearances (winning 6). Not really a lot of impressive assistant work before that either. Was a GA at Wisconsin, did some assistant work at three different schools in Nebraska (including a couple years at NU) then on to Whitewater....that resume is probably why he hasn't gotten any bigger offers.
Mike Riley's biggest problem at OS was getting any kind of consistency out of the Beaver's running game. He also had a few bad years defensively however his loss of starters was huge for a few years running. He was constantly rebuilding towards the end of his 14 years as HC. I like Gary Andersen his replacement, who starts basically from scratch. He's brings in some new energy that seemed to be lacking overall in the Beaver's game.
On the other side of Riley's move he lands at Nebraska with a much more affluent program and a reputation for their ground game. I think he should do well depending on the talent at his disposal. Oregon State was pretty successful with the Rogers brothers (and a few others over his career there) and their defense was pretty stout, though often overlooked. It will be interesting to see what he can do with the extra latitude in the recruiting department and how much success he will have with it at Nebraska.
On the other side of Riley's move he lands at Nebraska with a much more affluent program and a reputation for their ground game. I think he should do well depending on the talent at his disposal. Oregon State was pretty successful with the Rogers brothers (and a few others over his career there) and their defense was pretty stout, though often overlooked. It will be interesting to see what he can do with the extra latitude in the recruiting department and how much success he will have with it at Nebraska.
Mile Riley will not last 4 years, and it is NOT his fault. If Nebraska can fire a head coach who never won less than 9 games a season in 7 seasons, Riley, who has won 9 games just once in the past 6 years, has little chance of lasting as long as Pelini did.. Pelini also won two Divisional titles at Nebraska (one in the Big 10 and one in the Big 12) and played in several major bowls. Riley has never won a Pac 10/12 championship or ever played in a major bowl game. He is 0-7 agaisnt rival Oregon, 1-6 against Stanford, 1-4 against USC, and 5-10 against non-con power 5 Conference teams plus Notre Dame and BYU. Riley simply takes too long to build a team, and Nebraska fans want wins NOW.
I agree with Clover. Chryst starts the season with a loss against Alabama. Wisconsin plays at Nebraska and at Minnesota and those are realistically the only other two games they may have a problem with until they lose to Ohio State in the CC game. Their crossover games are Rutgers and at Maryland.
If you understood the finances in Oregon, you would know how much the Ducks have depended on Nike money to build the football program. There is no comparison. This state is not a wealthy one however it does sport a few very well off benefactors, Phil Knight being the best known of all with his Nike brand at the heart of his empire valued at over 19 billion. But Oregon State depends largely on the state of Oregon budgeting committees for its life blood. Riley never had the spending power enjoyed by UofO; his austere budget proved to be his biggest obstacle. The fact is that in the first 10 years after the millennium, OS was the 3rd winningest football program in the Pac despite the disadvantage. Numerous NFL stars sent their kids to play for Riley because he was one of the best at coaching football and training up his players. Only lately with very few returning starters 3 or 4 years running and the infusion of new and more expensive coaches in the conference over the past few years did Oregon State sink down in conference standings. Clearly Oregon State needs to make more of itself with all the new TV money like the rest of the conference. He is well respected around the sport. His system closely resembles a pro set.
I would give him 2-3 years to make his mark. His talent level will be much improved compared to his typical players at OS. Personally I believe that he has a few surprises still left in him. How anyone could draw a comparison between his resources at OS and Nebraska escapes me, but so will go his achievements. One thing I truly believe you will see at Nebraska is a better road warrior mentality. That quality is a carryover from his teams at OS. They were very dangerous to take for granted on the road.
This just occurred to me, one of Riley's favorite plays to spring on his opponents a few times per game was the "fly sweep." The flanking back starts in motion and just as he approaches the QB, the ball is snapped and the QB gives him the ball... then he continues running behind his line towards the outside but might make a cut before that if he sees a hole. It happens very fast and it takes a pretty quick receiver to pull it off (like James Rogers.)
The play has become almost a trademark of Riley's at Oregon State... which brings me to think ahead to Nebraska's immediate future. What will their fly sweep look like? Who will run it? It seems that about ½ of the time the play is good for anywhere between 10 and 20 yards (or more.) Nebraska might have a few shocking plays to zap people with as Mike Riley did when he was the Beaver's HC. On the whole, I'd have to say that watching Oregon State in most every game going back a number of years, it was very entertaining.
The play has become almost a trademark of Riley's at Oregon State... which brings me to think ahead to Nebraska's immediate future. What will their fly sweep look like? Who will run it? It seems that about ½ of the time the play is good for anywhere between 10 and 20 yards (or more.) Nebraska might have a few shocking plays to zap people with as Mike Riley did when he was the Beaver's HC. On the whole, I'd have to say that watching Oregon State in most every game going back a number of years, it was very entertaining.
Disagree. I think Riley will be at Nebraska until he hangs it up. After not knowing much about him, he's such a good fit for the temperment of Nebraska. I feel like Im listening to Tom Osborne when he speaks. He'll get plenty of leeway. Nobody expects a run of dominance and quite contrary to what the outside perception is, Nebraska fans are VERY patient with a few losses if some of the other pieces are in place. I mean, staying competitive and not getting a guaranteed yearly boatrace, keeping the team clean and invested in the academic part (that might surprise people, but there is alot more to it than just football), opening up to the fan base and embracing former players, which he has. This Riley guys gets it, and lets face it, with Nebrasks's schedule, I see 8 wins With a chance to coach out another....maybe two. Nebraska embraced a lot of warts with Pelini, he cursed the fans, seemed easily angered by the magnifying glass culture, and slowy created a divide between team and fan. And still, people went to bat for him till near the very end. It also took Pelini 5 years to learn to be an average recruiter (His best teams werent his guys). Riley is so clearly above him in that area, its such a breath of crisp air and eye opening at the same time.
I've been watching and reading up. Oddly enough, Nebraska will be pretty good at WR....the TE position needs some bodies......the kid to watch on the jet sweep very well may be named Demornay Pierson-El..a freshman sensation, i belive he was all-american as a punt returner. take a look at his highlight reel if he get a chance.
Well I do know that the kind of speed that your kid can put out is about what it takes. More and more speed at every position on the field is one of the major goals in this state. I can't think of any B1G teams that showcase speed the same way they do in the Pac and other conferences around the country. Riley has been training his players in an environment that stresses speed as much as anyone anywhere.
And don't forget about Riley's defenses. They often led the conference or they were a top 10 finisher nationally in one or more categories such as rushing yards allowed. Their backfield starting with their Corners were key to (DC) Mark Banker's passing defenses at Oregon State under Riley. A couple of lock-down corners that could play a tight man defense anchored his entire scheme. Interestingly, Banker also just signed with Nebraska as their new DC. Everything that has happened was neither by accident nor coincidence.
Oregon St has had some really good run defenses. As I understand, they run that Cover 4 scheme that Michigan St has gotten noticed for. That attacking style is better suited for the Big Ten than the previous scheme, which was really a perfect fit for the Big 12.
I think Riley brought about 7 guys he's coached with before.
I get the "what has he ever done" argument. But its Oregon St and he had them humming above expectations before the bottom fell out. It's not a program that's going to reload year to year, unless it were to get some major support from above, and Im told at the peak, when it was needed most to for momentum, it wasnt there. Shame. They must have thought Riley was superhuman and would just always be able to develop his team to peak potential.
I think Riley brought about 7 guys he's coached with before.
I get the "what has he ever done" argument. But its Oregon St and he had them humming above expectations before the bottom fell out. It's not a program that's going to reload year to year, unless it were to get some major support from above, and Im told at the peak, when it was needed most to for momentum, it wasnt there. Shame. They must have thought Riley was superhuman and would just always be able to develop his team to peak potential.
I remember last year or the year before, 18 freshman on the team made at least one start, most of them on a regular basis. In one particular game as I recall it, 7 starters in one game were freshmen out of of which may have been a couple of red shirts from the previous season. Their DL was for all intents and purposes brand new, just one with starting experience from a previous year. But among the new players was guy named Arik Armstead who will probably get drafted in the first round of the NFL draft in a couple of months. He was well introduced to Oregon State fans as a future star and he didn't disappoint. Within 3-4 weeks, Riley's new DL was turning in performances equivalent to any top rushing defense in the country... (credit his DC Mark Banker for coaching up young players.) But after a few years of attrition, new starters especially on the D-line but on the O-line too were present en masse.
Eventually OS lost control of too much during games where their rushing game suffered from non-production. I can't help myself but laugh at people that consider Sean Canfield a pocket passing prodigy, 5000 yards and a top 10 college QB's passing career. HE HAD NO CHOICE BUT TO THROW THE BALL 75% OF THE TIME (or more.) And there are those who are scratching their heads trying to understand how he did it !! LOL Just give a guy that can throw the ball pretty well an OL that can't open up any holes for its RB's. That might work.
Well I suppose that there are sportswriters and TV people that get paid to create excitement and a lot of hype for a paycheck. They are busy hyping teams and players without having any roots in the bigger picture... aka: reality. It's like they are a bunch of shills working for a book to help out the real players and their bosses by running their own snow job on average fans until there's a popular party side in a game. The players that make out well are the sports bettors who aren't paying any attention to the public party mouthpieces.
Riley is the type of coach that seems to lack popularity with the general public... or at least garner a decent amount or respect. He may earn the love of his team's fan base but it would not surprise me if he eventually fooled the masses by showing up with a much better team than expected, especially for big games. But if his team is in a rut, keep your distance... just be mindful that he may pull his team out of it's rut on a moments notice, however don't expect it. I think that in about 2-3 years, the Huskers will wipe the board clean for a season or possibly longer and end up with a 9-3 (or better) record ATS depending how how well the rest of the conference is doing. I have seen other coaches pull that one off a few times by dogging it one year but then coming back as the terror they were meant to be but overlooked and forgotten a year later. Jim Harbaugh and Mike MacIntyre have pulled that one off in recent years. Kyle Wittingham too if you take a 2 or 3 year snapshot of the Utes.
By the way, Utah ran up a great record ATS last year but don't expect that to continue -- in fact it wouldn't come as a surprise to me if the Utes pulled a 180 in 2015 and lost many Ute bettor's asses this year. The AD at Utah and Coach Wittingham have not been on friendly terms for a while, especially now that Utah's AD Chris Hill ran off 3 of Kyle Wittinghams AC's. FWIW, sabatoge in high places often means doom is just around the corner for the team and players. Too bad if it's true here. I was beginning to like Utah's way of getting things done.
Eventually OS lost control of too much during games where their rushing game suffered from non-production. I can't help myself but laugh at people that consider Sean Canfield a pocket passing prodigy, 5000 yards and a top 10 college QB's passing career. HE HAD NO CHOICE BUT TO THROW THE BALL 75% OF THE TIME (or more.) And there are those who are scratching their heads trying to understand how he did it !! LOL Just give a guy that can throw the ball pretty well an OL that can't open up any holes for its RB's. That might work.
Well I suppose that there are sportswriters and TV people that get paid to create excitement and a lot of hype for a paycheck. They are busy hyping teams and players without having any roots in the bigger picture... aka: reality. It's like they are a bunch of shills working for a book to help out the real players and their bosses by running their own snow job on average fans until there's a popular party side in a game. The players that make out well are the sports bettors who aren't paying any attention to the public party mouthpieces.
Riley is the type of coach that seems to lack popularity with the general public... or at least garner a decent amount or respect. He may earn the love of his team's fan base but it would not surprise me if he eventually fooled the masses by showing up with a much better team than expected, especially for big games. But if his team is in a rut, keep your distance... just be mindful that he may pull his team out of it's rut on a moments notice, however don't expect it. I think that in about 2-3 years, the Huskers will wipe the board clean for a season or possibly longer and end up with a 9-3 (or better) record ATS depending how how well the rest of the conference is doing. I have seen other coaches pull that one off a few times by dogging it one year but then coming back as the terror they were meant to be but overlooked and forgotten a year later. Jim Harbaugh and Mike MacIntyre have pulled that one off in recent years. Kyle Wittingham too if you take a 2 or 3 year snapshot of the Utes.
By the way, Utah ran up a great record ATS last year but don't expect that to continue -- in fact it wouldn't come as a surprise to me if the Utes pulled a 180 in 2015 and lost many Ute bettor's asses this year. The AD at Utah and Coach Wittingham have not been on friendly terms for a while, especially now that Utah's AD Chris Hill ran off 3 of Kyle Wittinghams AC's. FWIW, sabatoge in high places often means doom is just around the corner for the team and players. Too bad if it's true here. I was beginning to like Utah's way of getting things done.
I'm surprised Chad Morris took the SMU job. But now that he's there I'm hearing he's doing a pretty good job putting that team back together again. I don't think it will be quite as hard of a job doing it as people think. June Jones took them to 4 bowls with some half ass recruiting and a lazy staff. He should be able to field a winning team just off of the DFW recruits alone. I think Morris will surprise some people, and it will be a good stepping stone job on his way to much bigger things. He's off to a pretty good start using some of his Clemson recruiting tactics, including this sharp new recruiting website. Pretty cool site for a non-Power 5 program. http://www.ponyuptempo.com/football-life
