The tradition laden Nebraska Cornhuskers still consider themselves to be among the blue blood class in college football. But as is the case with such programs as Michigan, Oklahoma, and Notre Dame, today’s reality is much different from the days of glory for the Big Red under Bob Devaney and Tom Osborne.
Former head man Bo Pelini was good for nine wins per year but could not win a conference championship and saw his teams get dominated by the nation’s elite. Pelini paid for those shortcomings with his job and was immediately replaced by Mike Riley, who had moderate success at Oregon State. The change is seen by many as peculiar and curious, if not an outright reach.
Personality Flip
Bo Pelini was well known for his explosive temper, tirades, rants, and defiance towards the Nebraska administration. Mike Riley could not possibly be more of a mirror opposite. Riley is regarded as the ultimate “nice guy” and one of the game’s true gentlemen. Riley’s compliant personality is an important factor in his getting the Nebraska job as Athletic Director Shawn Eichorst and Pelini were barely on speaking terms and University President Harvey Pearlman long ago grew tired of Pelini’s antics.
Underestimated?
The 61-year-old Riley is a native of Idaho and played his college ball at the University of Alabama for legendary head coach Paul “Bear” Bryant. He has a career college head coaching record of 93-80 and led Oregon State to a total of eight bowl games. Riley also has prior experience in the NFL as an assistant and a head coach with the San Diego Chargers. He won two Grey Cup championships with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League. His pro connections are an obvious asset in selling himself with recruits.
Riley’s success at Oregon State should not be discounted. It is a difficult challenge to recruit top talent to Corvallis, Ore. in the best of circumstances, but with the Nike funded Oregon Ducks playing just a half hour away in Eugene, the task to remain competitive became impossible.
Well Respected by Peers
Riley is universally respected by his coaching peers as one of the best in the game. They virtually revere him for the job that he did while at Oregon State. He was named Pac 12 Coach of the Year in 2008 and won at least nine games four times since 2006. Prior to his arrival Oregon State had floundered as a coaching graveyard and perennial Pac 12 Conference doormat.
Longtime observers of college football believe that Riley will succeed at Nebraska because he will have all of the bells and whistles that he lacked while at Oregon State. Unlike Oregon State, Nebraska has the unlimited budget needed for success at the national level. It also doesn’t hurt that the Big Red plays in the very winnable Big Ten West Division, which is far less daunting than the East Division that includes Ohio State, Michigan State, Penn State and sleeping giant Michigan.
The Big Ten West is comprised of top teams Wisconsin, Iowa, and Minnesota. Riley inherits a great opportunity to compete for berths at the Big Ten Championship Game virtually every year.
New Challenges and Reality
Nebraska last won the national championship in Tom Osborne’s last year as head coach in 1997 and has not been ranked in the top ten of the nation since 2001. Osborne was able to get numerous “partial qualifier” players into school before academic standards were raised after his departure. Since that time Nebraska has struggled to maintain its former level of national dominance as budgets have increased for competing programs thanks to record amounts of TV money and such outlets as the Big Ten Network.
Life of Riley
Riley should not be discounted as a quality coach because he lacks the marquee appeal of other better known coaches who have had the advantages of running big time programs. This is Riley’s first shot at an elite college job. Don’t be surprised if he makes the most of it.
