Holiday Bowl: Nebraska vs Arizona

[BigDofBA]

Quote: Originally Posted by Spooky

Let's call it what it was. Arizona didn't belong in the Holiday bowl (probably should have been Stanford), and Nebraska didn't either (at a minimum we should have been in the Cotton, and are clearly a BCS caliber team).

BCS caliber teams don't lose at home to Iowa State and they don't lose at home by 21 points to Texas Tech. Texas Tech took Nebraksa to the woodshed. Can I say that?

I'm happy Nebraska won the game. They were clearly the better team.

[Spooky]

Quote: Originally Posted by BigDofBA

BCS caliber teams don't lose at home to Iowa State and they don't lose at home by 21 points to Texas Tech. Texas Tech took Nebraksa to the woodshed. Can I say that? I'm happy Nebraska won the game. They were clearly the better team.

Uh, yeah they do, all the time. Here is a sampling of BCS teams this year and who they lost to:

Iowa- lost to Northwestern at home, nearly lost to Northern Iowa.
Georgia Tech- lost to a bad Georgia at home.
Ohio State- lost to Purdue

That's just this year. So what are you talking about? I'm not saying Nebraska is a BCS national championship caliber team, but we are certainly a BCS bowl level team.

[BigDofBA]

Quote: Originally Posted by Spooky

Uh, yeah they do, all the time. Here is a sampling of BCS teams this year and who they lost to: Iowa- lost to Northwestern at home, nearly lost to Northern Iowa. Georgia Tech- lost to a bad Georgia at home. Ohio State- lost to Purdue That's just this year. So what are you talking about? I'm not saying Nebraska is a BCS national championship caliber team, but we are certainly a BCS bowl level team.

Did any of those teams lose by 21 at home or lose at home to Iowa State.

Nebraska has a top 10 defense. Heck, I would say it's probably a top 5 defense and one of the best in the country. Suh is dominating. That being said, the team as a whole probably isn't as good as you're making them out to be. I think you're putting way to much stock in last night's win. Nebraska's offense is horrible. If they had a good offense then yeah, I could see it but as of now, Nebraska only has half of the equation.

Look what Nebraksa's offense did against the Big 12 south this year.

10 points against Tech.
10 points against OU.
12 points again Texas

Heck, Iowa State held Nebraska to 7 points when they won in Lincoln. Recruit some more skill players on offense and Nebraska will be back to being Nebraska.

[BigDofBA]

Quote: Originally Posted by Herbsinator

“Nebraska is back and we’re here to stay”-Bo Pelini That's the way I see it.

In 2003 Nebraska went 10-3 while winning a bowl game and fired Frank Solich because that type of season was unacceptable.

This season Nebraska went 10-4 with a loss at home to Iowa State and a 21 point home defeat at the hands of Texas Tech. Now Nebraska is back?

I think Nebraska will be back. Pelini is doing a great job. I respect your tradition and program but I would like to see a little more than a Holiday Bowl vicotry before I bye into the Huskers being back.

Nebraska should be a top 15 team next year so we shall see.

[bkrich83]

Yeah we need to pump the brakes on the Nebraska is back, or is a BCS caliber team nonsense.

They play in possibly the worse BCS division in football, they really didn't beat anyone big time this year, and their best win was a close loss to Texas.

They are much improved, but they still have much to prove before we start declaring them one of the big boys again.

This reminds me of the Nebraska is back talk we had here right before they played USC. Sam Keller was going to lead them to the promise land.

[Tovarich]

I love how many people are acting like this one bowl game, where you haven't played in a month sometimes, is the be all, end all of their opinion of a team and erases the entire 12-13 game regular season.

The Nebraska-Oregon State comparison doesn't work, for the same reason that Oregon State comparisons between this year and last year don't work. Nebraska got screwed, that's easy to get mad about, just like Oregon State getting demolished by Oregon last year was easy to get mad about for the bowl game. And a Holiday Bowl is easier to get up for than a Las Vegas Bowl. Nebraska was better than Arizona last night in an exhibition game, leave it at that.

There's a reason EVERYONE on the mothership brings up motivation for just about every single bowl game. The team who wants to be there for more is winning the overwhelming majority of the games. It's one game of 13 or 14, and it comes with a month long break. Look at our bowl mania records, NO ONE knows what college kids are going to do with a month off and how much any of them want to be there. Most people are right around .500. This is guesswork. It's about 7% of the season, stop trying to make it more than that.

[Spooky]

Hey, I make no apologies, I'm definitely a Husker homer.

But the fact that people on here think all the teams playing in BCS bowls are that much better than Nebraska are just as "right wing" as I am "left wing".

Iowa State is at least bowling, which is more than I can say for Purdue, who Ohio State lost to. Don't sit here and tell me any of Nebraska's losses were worse than that one.

[BigDofBA]

Quote: Originally Posted by Spooky

Hey, I make no apologies, I'm definitely a Husker homer. But the fact that people on here think all the teams playing in BCS bowls are that much better than Nebraska are just as "right wing" as I am "left wing". Iowa State is at least bowling, which is more than I can say for Purdue, who Ohio State lost to. Don't sit here and tell me any of Nebraska's losses were worse than that one.

What's your excuse for losing by 21 at home to Tech?

I'm not dogging on Nebraska by any means. I want them to be good. It's good for the Big 12.

Do I think Nebraska is much improved? Yes. Do I think Nebraska is headed up? Of course. That being said, I don't want to hear Nebraska is back after a Holiday bowl victory. String a few 10 win seasons together, win the Big 12, or goto the Fiesta Bowl before making that claim.

Solich got fired after going 10-3 and winning his bowl game. Now all of the sudden Nebraska is back because they went 10-4 and won the Holiday Bowl?

I just need to see more. I remember hearing Nebraska was back in 2006 after they lost to OU in the Big 12 title game. I was hearing that Nebraska would continue competing for Big 12 titles. As it turned out, Nebraska was third fiddle behind Mizzou and KU for the next few years.

Nebraska will be back when they consider a 10-4 season a rebuilding year.