November 30th, 2014 at 1:54 PM ^
I remember a time, early in my life, when people said the same about Minnesota. They'd had a dominant stretch, 30 years prior, when they were the premier program in the country for a decade, and they were still high on the all-time wins and percentage lists. They were still winning more than they lost but they had every reason, they thought, to expect championships.
That was nine coaches ago; they haven't won a conference championship in 47 years.
Don't think it can't happen, to you, or to us. It can happen anywhere and you won't realize it's happened until it already has.
November 30th, 2014 at 12:08 PM ^
The stats you point to are compelling. Just by the raw winning percentage and by winning 9 or more games for so many years, Pelini should not have been fired.
At the same time, at any blue blood (Michigan and Nebraska included) is the completely consistent 9-3 record every year acceptable if there never are any 11-1 years sprinkled in, at least from time to time?
Maybe the sense in Lincoln was the Pelini is in fact a good coach, but after 7 years he has shown that he will never have years where he can produce a top 5 team.
Is the standard just winning percentage? Or just wining 9 consistently? On that yardstick Pelini was very good.
Or does the standard also have to factor in whether the blue blood school thinks there is some chance of winning it all. Maybe Nebraska decided that 7 years of evidence is enough to know that with Pelini Nebraska would be very unlikley to ever win 11 or 12, or to ever make the playoff.
Richt at Georgia and Carr's later years at Michigan have/had a similar feel. Just looking at the win percentage, it is hard to see why fans are/were complaining.
But if one of the the questions is "does this coach give us a chance to win it all (or in today's languge, at least make the four team playoff) in the foreseeable future?" then fan dissatisfaction (and even firings) become understandable.
November 30th, 2014 at 12:25 PM ^
Like others have said I think his personality and not towing the company line hurt him. Especially in Nebraska where everyone are very nice folk - that act is very different than say if he played it at Miami FL for example.
And I think one 11 win season in 7 years along with being competitive (even losing by 20) vs Wisconsin would have saved him.
There are different ways to get to .700 - ironically his consistency showed a ceiling. It would have been better to have had a 7 win season offset with a 11 win season along the way to show the fans he had the ceiling of a 11 win team.
All that said, if they won their bowl they had 10 wins this year - its a harsh situation for him.
November 30th, 2014 at 1:06 PM ^
...but as you say, his consistency showed a ceiling.
Nine wins every year sounds great (especially for M fans, given recent history) until you realize that it also equals four loses every year.
It seems reasonable for Nebraksa to conclude after seven years that Peleini was so consistent in losing 4 per year that it was very unlikely that he would ever break through and lose just 1 (with the consequent conference championship and playoff spot).
Another way of putting it: For a blue blood program (OSU, Michigan, Penn State, and Nebraska, in the Big Ten), what good is 9-3 and the Outback/Citrus Bowl every year if you know that you will NEVER hit 11 wins and a conference championship?
At that point, why not take a gamble on the next guy? And if the next guy does worse than 9-3 you can always turn the roulette wheel again in 4 more years.
November 30th, 2014 at 12:45 PM ^
the same shitty non - league schedule as Nebraska instead of Notre Lame, Utah, Alabama etc. then Hoke would have been 7-5 this year and we would all be saying now he has his guys and we need to give him more time. Pellini is a dumpster fire. Winning 9 games each year beating up on shitty non conference teams and Indiana and Illinois etc - that is 5 or 6 wins right there.
November 30th, 2014 at 11:34 AM ^
He went to Nebraska...seems like a great fit.
Jim McElwain at Colorado St. and Scott Frost would be my other two calls.
My guess is they interview Bohl and Frost.
November 30th, 2014 at 11:38 AM ^
Wouldn't we save buyouts if Hoke and his staff were hired somewhere else (unlikely?). Reason enough to release him sooner rather than later
November 30th, 2014 at 11:38 AM ^
November 30th, 2014 at 12:17 PM ^
Scott Frost: Last seen on the field lobbying for the job in the post-game interviews.
November 30th, 2014 at 11:40 AM ^
November 30th, 2014 at 11:44 AM ^
November 30th, 2014 at 11:51 AM ^
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November 30th, 2014 at 12:05 PM ^
November 30th, 2014 at 11:41 AM ^
Every school is different and has a different culture.
For example, I cannot see Michigan firing a coach before the end of the season without serious extenuating circumstances. This is, first and foremost, an academic institution. It happens to also have a wonderful athletic program and history.
We are not an athletic institution that also happens to educate young people.
Every institution will have its own manner of evaluating its coaches, dismissing them, and hiring a replacement. Most will be extremely surprised if Hoke is maintained as our head coach based upon the results on the field.
Yet, by all accounts, Hoke is a truly good person who has tried his best, worked hard, and has done some good things for the football program. He deserves better than to be told of his firing on the bus ride home from Columbus. Can you imaging Michigan EVER doing such a thing? Would you WANT that? I'd be surprised if his termination occurs prior to the annual football banquet.
Frankly, assuming Hoke is fired as head coach, I'd love to see him retained in some capacity within the Athletic Department, assuming he doesn't want to be a head coach elsewhere at this point in his career.
I have no idea who Nebraska might want as their next football coach. Frost is an obvious candidate from an outsiders point of view. While I really don't care who becomes their next coach, I do care to the extent that I hope they hire someone who will be good for them. As a Big Ten fan, and a Michigan fan interested in seeing good football and good football games, I'd like to see every conference team be good. I just want us to be better.
Remember: Just because Hackett hasn't publicly announced anything other than an evaluation of Hoke is forthcoming, that doesn't mean that his evaluation hasn't started, that explorations into availability and interest of replacements hasn't started, etc.
I'd rather Hackett make a good decision than a rushed decision.
Patience ... let's see how it works out.
November 30th, 2014 at 12:48 PM ^
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November 30th, 2014 at 11:44 AM ^
...and make a prediction about his successor, whoever he might be.,
Week 5 of his first year is the last time he will ever have a career record at Nebraska better than Pelini's.
November 30th, 2014 at 11:46 AM ^
The Nebraska AD wanted to switch to a cheaper kitty litter, and Bo wasn't having any of that.
November 30th, 2014 at 11:50 AM ^
yet, somehow hoke is still employed. That tells you everything you need to know about the Good Ol Boy network in Ann Arbor. I have zero confidence in Hacket. He is a Bo good ol boy that will protect Brady from the mean ol season ticket holders that actually demand results. Welcome to irrelevance.
November 30th, 2014 at 11:57 AM ^
The season ended less than 24 hours ago. Relax.
November 30th, 2014 at 12:06 PM ^
November 30th, 2014 at 12:16 PM ^
watching the shit show that is our program is all the evaluation you need. Hoke is a clown, just like Hacket, just like Brandon
November 30th, 2014 at 12:20 PM ^
November 30th, 2014 at 12:27 PM ^
the fact that at every opportunity he been covering Brady's ass. All he needs to do when asked about Brady is say no comment.
I would have canned Brady after the Shane Morris incident for failing to protect his players.
November 30th, 2014 at 8:49 PM ^
November 30th, 2014 at 12:39 PM ^
Athletic Directors - Michigan just fired theirs and has had an interim for about 10 minutes - give the guy a chance, he will pull the trigger soon enough
November 30th, 2014 at 12:50 PM ^
You're right. That's the problem. Our Bo probably would've been fired at Alabama, or USC, or Nebraska because he didn't win national championships. We need to stop drinking the koolade that espouses the notion that winning the Big Ten is sufficient. It isn't. It wasn't. It never was.
To me, the whole "Bo good ol' boy" network is fraught with the fact that not winning a national championship is okay. Michigan needs to clean house in the athletic program and drag itself into relevancy -- even if its kicking and screaming. That means hiring a real AD and letting him bring in his own people.
If Hacket is staying, I bet Hoke stays another year.
November 30th, 2014 at 2:28 PM ^
November 30th, 2014 at 11:55 AM ^
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November 30th, 2014 at 11:56 AM ^
Scott Frost (most likely) or Craig Bohl will be his replacement if I had to guess.
Scott Frost was a very successful QB there and is OC for the high-powered Oregon Offense.
November 30th, 2014 at 12:02 PM ^
Frost or Bohl...two anti-Pelini's in terms of personality. Both are Nebraska guys so it'll rally the fan base. Both are successful NOW.
I really don't see this as a downgrade if I'm Nebraska. You don't even have to change your system that much.
If I'm a Huskers fan, I'm ready to roll if one of those two are named head coach. Perfect fits in the way Jim and John Harbaugh are perfect fits for Michigan.
For the same reasons too. Michigan guys, don't have to change the system, will rally the fan base, both are successful NOW.
If Nebraska gets Bohl or Frost and Michigan gets Harbaugh or Harbaugh...both teams come out big time winners in my eyes.
November 30th, 2014 at 12:29 PM ^
" Scott Frost was a very successful QB there and is OC for the high-powered Oregon Offense."
That Scott Frost? ! ! Now I remember watching him play- home town hero? Pretty popular choice I would think- brings an "era" with him
November 30th, 2014 at 11:58 AM ^
November 30th, 2014 at 12:10 PM ^
November 30th, 2014 at 12:55 PM ^
November 30th, 2014 at 12:55 PM ^
RR's not going anywhere. He's one game away from being in the first playoff.
November 30th, 2014 at 11:59 AM ^
Jim has already offered Bo the Defensive Coordinator position at Michigan.
November 30th, 2014 at 12:03 PM ^
Just to say that?
November 30th, 2014 at 12:05 PM ^
Remember how that went for Les Miles? San Fran is on the fringe of being almost mathematically out of the playoffs and I believe that Hackett is trying to hold off to see if that happens and then the dominos can begin to fall.
November 30th, 2014 at 12:06 PM ^
I'm so very sad. The press confernences will be missed. Stay strong, Bo.
November 30th, 2014 at 12:07 PM ^
I am reading Bo had a 7.65 million buyout. Damn.
That should erase McElwain from consideration since he has a 7.5 million buyout at CSU.
Someone wrote Craig Bohl and I think that is a very smart one, he is 56 but if you want a guy from the "upper plains" who was Tressel like at alower division that is the guy. But he doesnt have much of a connection with Texas which Nebraska needs to be win "big". Frost if the obvious other choice but do they go for a coordinator with no HC experience twice in a row?
November 30th, 2014 at 12:10 PM ^
#StittHappensinNebraska
November 30th, 2014 at 12:43 PM ^
November 30th, 2014 at 12:12 PM ^
November 30th, 2014 at 12:18 PM ^
Im going to say this after every firing until Hoke is one of them.
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November 30th, 2014 at 12:21 PM ^
November 30th, 2014 at 12:22 PM ^
November 30th, 2014 at 12:48 PM ^
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November 30th, 2014 at 12:52 PM ^
Hackett won't fire Hoke: he knows he's not qualified to pick an AD, let alone a good coach. So typical to corporate dynamics, it's easier for him to retain Hoke and spew nonsense about the tradition of Michigan and how Hoke upholds the values of Michigan....ad nauseum.