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Nebraska Syndrome

Posted on 11/20/15 at 9:31 am
Posted by Maderan
Member since Feb 2005
806 posts
Posted on 11/20/15 at 9:31 am
I worry about us having what I am going to call "Nebraska Syndrome". Nebraska fired Frank Solich in 2003 after a 10-3 season. He had a 75% win percentage in his tenure of 6 years. The fan base believed that he couldn't get them past the mediocrity of not having a perfect record. Since then the have not had a season with less than 4 losses.

I am not a big Miles supporter and think that he will never allow a dynamic offense at LSU but we might want to be careful what we wish for. Trying to keep up with the Joneses (Alabama) isn't a reason to fire a good coach. After all who are you going to replace him with, as there aren't many coaches capable of getting results like Saban (maybe none).
Posted by yomamak
Member since Feb 2008
586 posts
Posted on 11/20/15 at 9:34 am to
Sure that could happen, just like anything could happen. I feel it's a risk that must be taken.
Posted by ellessuuuu
Member since Sep 2004
8533 posts
Posted on 11/20/15 at 9:34 am to
We have an 8-6 Conference record the last two years, we're not keeping up with Joneses, we are trying to regain relevancy in our conference. If you are good with 8-6 in the conference, go buy an Ole Miss hat and jump on that bandwagon.
Posted by DamnStrong1860
The Second City
Member since Oct 2012
3000 posts
Posted on 11/20/15 at 9:36 am to
Nebraska did it twice. Bo was winning 9/10 games a year there and then they brought in Mike Riley to stink up the joint. That is the concern. They let go an above average coach without having a sure thing. Frankly I'd be disappointed if we let Les go given his track record. But if we let him go without a plan, I'll lose my shite. If Les walks out the door it better be an A lister walking in behind him not some has been, possible up and comer or journeyman
Posted by DamnStrong1860
The Second City
Member since Oct 2012
3000 posts
Posted on 11/20/15 at 9:36 am to
(no message)
This post was edited on 11/20/15 at 9:38 am
Posted by Nuts4LSU
Washington, DC
Member since Oct 2003
25468 posts
Posted on 11/20/15 at 9:38 am to
quote:

Trying to keep up with the Joneses (Alabama) isn't a reason to fire a good coach. After all who are you going to replace him with, as there aren't many coaches capable of getting results like Saban (maybe none).


Ole Miss and Auburn hired coaches from Arkansas State who had two and one year, respectively, of head coaching experience. Both of them beat Alabama within their first two years, one has beaten them twice in a row and the other one went to the NC game in his first year.

If Ole Miss and Auburn can raid a Sun Belt school for two coaches that can do more in their first two years than Miles has done in the last four, why is it so impossible that we could actually find a good coach?
Posted by atltiger6487
Member since May 2011
18131 posts
Posted on 11/20/15 at 9:38 am to
you can't run a program paralyzed by fear of making a mistake. The status quo is unacceptable and a change is needed. No guarantee that the next guy will be better, but what we have now is unacceptable, so do your diligence, hire the best guy we can find, and move forward.
Posted by TheCaterpillar
Member since Jan 2004
76774 posts
Posted on 11/20/15 at 9:39 am to
We have FAR more talent in our state.

Not really comparable IMO.

Posted by HamBone14
Covington
Member since Jun 2011
1896 posts
Posted on 11/20/15 at 9:40 am to
The difference is that the state of Nebraska doesn't have the kind of ridiculous talent that Louisiana, Texas, Mississippi, and Alabama have.

Now LSU has a national brand and a reputation for getting phenomenal recruits. It isn't far fetched to think that someone with a coaching mindset that isn't in the Mesozoic Era could get more out of the talent we get.
Posted by Tigerstark
Parts unknown
Member since Aug 2011
5973 posts
Posted on 11/20/15 at 9:40 am to
I don't think the "fear" of making a bad hire should influence a decision - if you think LSU can be great, and Miles isn't the guy to do it, then you have to move on to someone else. Can there be bad decisions along the way? Sure. But we are a FAR different program than in the late '80s and '90s. Back then, Joe Dean was only concerned about making sure the bottom line was ok, not in how much he could grow the overall revenue stream.

Besides, Nebraska is in a completely different situation -

No in state talent
They aren't able to take the partial academic qualifiers that they used to (from Texas high schools in particular)
They no longer play in Texas regularly due to the conference change, so they aren't able to recruit their quite as well

Posted by lsuhunt555
Teakwood Village Breh
Member since Nov 2008
38405 posts
Posted on 11/20/15 at 9:42 am to
Well heres the thing, Nebraska as a state doesn't have the recruits that Louisiana does. By the nature of its geographical location alone, Nebraska was due for a lull.
Posted by RealityTiger
Geismar, LA
Member since Jan 2010
20437 posts
Posted on 11/20/15 at 9:42 am to
quote:


you can't run a program paralyzed by fear of making a mistake. The status quo is unacceptable


I've been hearing a lot of this since Monday. Thank you! My sentiment exactly. Some spineless mf's around here when it comes to change.
Posted by ChunkyLover54
Member since Apr 2015
6528 posts
Posted on 11/20/15 at 9:43 am to
The bottom line is that it could happen to anyone and LSU is not immune.

Look back at the last 20 years at several blue bloods who have have had at least 4-5 years runs of legit mediocrity: Nebraska, Oklahoma, USC, Michigan, Alabama, Notre Dame, Florida, Texas, Tennessee (maybe not blue blood) etc.

Sure, not all of them happened after a long-term coach left but it still happened. LSU was garbage in the 1990s, and there is no reason to think it can't happen again under the right conditions.

Look at Texas: good school, good city, history, money, TV network, tradition, in state recruits (with competition admittedly, but still a ton of talent) and they likely won't win 6 games. No one is safe from mediocrity.

....that said, you have to do what you have to do. If Miles leaves or is nudged out, LSU better have their shite together and have a viable alternative.
This post was edited on 11/20/15 at 12:38 pm
Posted by higgins
flowery branch, ga
Member since Dec 2009
7918 posts
Posted on 11/20/15 at 9:43 am to
we could also keep our mike shula
Posted by Ace Midnight
Between sanity and madness
Member since Dec 2006
89477 posts
Posted on 11/20/15 at 9:45 am to
quote:

he will never allow a dynamic offense at LSU


2013 was 2 years ago.
Posted by saint amant steve
Baton Rouge
Member since Aug 2008
5695 posts
Posted on 11/20/15 at 9:46 am to
quote:

I worry about us having what I am going to call "Nebraska Syndrome". Nebraska fired Frank Solich in 2003 after a 10-3 season. He had a 75% win percentage in his tenure of 6 years. The fan base believed that he couldn't get them past the mediocrity of not having a perfect record. Since then the have not had a season with less than 4 losses.


I liked Frank Solich, and I agree that his firing might have been a tad bit haste.

However, if he was truly as good of a coach as you assert and I believed, then logic would dictate that he should have won something of significance since he left Lincoln.

But the truth is that he was just fortunate enough to be handed over one of the most dominant and successful college football programs of the '90s.

Solich is 79-60 (52-35 in conference) in 11 years at Ohio University. He has won three division titles but has never succeeded in winning the MAC and only has one 10-win season during his tenure in Athens, OH. Considering the abundance of talent in the state of Ohio and the general turnover for head coach positions in the conference, you would think that he would have eventually won a conference championship.

Solich's '02 Nebraska team finished 7-7. Could you imagine how much LSU fans would riot if a team in the modern era either finished with .500 winning percentage or, even worse, lost seven games in a single season?

The "Nebraska Syndrome", as you so aptly label it, was more of a direct result of hiring from within with Solich and then making several poor subsequent hires.

Solich was a position coach, not even a coordinator, but a position coach under Osbourne for 15 years. He had no significant coaching experience and therefore was a dud from the beginning.

Bill Callahan just didn't translate well to the culture in Lincoln. He tried to employ a pro-style offense and passing attack with an offense known for dominance executing the option. Callahan operated as an NFL head coach for two seasons prior to accepting the job at Nebraska, but he was never a head coach at the collegiate level prior to his arrival. His success in his first season in the NFL parallels Jim Caldwell at Indianapolis. He inherited a talent-rich roster from a superior coach, Gruden, and benefited from having a phenomenal QB under center (Gannon). He bottomed out the following year and got the boot as a result.

Regardless of what you people think, Pelini had no business being awarded that Nebraska gig. He was yet another hire with zero collegiate head coaching experience and was arguably an overrated defensive coordinator who benefited from having NFL-caliber players at both LSU, Nebraska, and Oklahoma.

Finally, Mike Riley is a West Coast guy who, again, is not necessarily akin to the culture in Lincoln. The word inconsistent has never been more appropriate in describing something as his tenure at Oregon State. He had 9 wins or better in four seasons, but he also had four losing seasons (six if you count his initial tenure in Corvalis).

If LSU hypothetically follows Nebraska's plan and hires someone with zero head coaching experience, then yes, it will probably be a monumental disaster.

However, the scenarios are not as similar as you might believe and Nebraska's problems were the direct result of poor decision after poor decision.

This post was edited on 11/20/15 at 9:59 am
Posted by RealityTiger
Geismar, LA
Member since Jan 2010
20437 posts
Posted on 11/20/15 at 9:49 am to
Steve how dare you connect the dots for him!
Posted by Solo Cam
Member since Sep 2015
32624 posts
Posted on 11/20/15 at 9:49 am to
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Posted by blowmeauburn
Baton Rouge
Member since Sep 2006
7885 posts
Posted on 11/20/15 at 9:50 am to
Do you want to win a title?

Les has proven he can't beat Bama and if you can't beat Bama then you can't win a title.

Time to give someone else a shot.
Posted by T
Member since Jan 2004
9889 posts
Posted on 11/20/15 at 9:51 am to
This situation is more like jon cooper getting fired from ohio st because the program was becoming mediocre and he couldn't beat their rival.
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