fightingsioux4life

The expectations for MBB should be the same as they are for WBB. Brewster and his staff are setting a good example of what is not only possible, but probable as a mid-major basketball program. I for one do not want to exist as a bargain basement, run-of-the-mill school that has the Division I name and not much else. FB is now on the right track with Bubba and WBB is on the right track with Brewster. Now it's time for MBB to get on the right track. Whether Jones is the man to take us there has not been determined.

You are correct sir. 1994, 1995 and 1997. Three out of four is still pretty good. And something Pelini wasn't going to fulfill.

Really? You are comparing Osborne to Pelini? That's like comparing a Porsche to a Yugo.

The Blackhawks use the same guy all the time and it works for them. And, for the record, I am not a Blackhawks fan.

The 24 year gap was disconcerting for Husker fans (which I am not one), but unlike with Pelini, Nebraska was in big-time bowl games almost every year and was playing for the national title often. In the 1990's, they finally broke through and won three consecutive national titles. After Osborne retired, they slipped out of the upper echelon and really haven't gotten back. Pelini had 7 years to get his systems and players into place and they just didn't seem like they were moving back into the upper echelon of programs with him in charge. Nebraska is a program that should be perennial contenders in both the B1G and nationally, so I don't blame the suits in Lincoln for doing what they did.

He was there for 7 years and, like darell1976 said, beat bad teams and lost to good teams. They likely weren't going to rise any higher than that, so you either make a change or accept winning seasons that end in lower to mid-tier bowl games. A program with a long history of winning conference titles and contending for national titles like Nebraska isn't going to accept what Pelini accomplished for the long-term. Do you think Florida should have kept Muschamp around since they finished with a winning record this year, with the potential of doing better next year? That just isn't how programs with a championship tradition operate.

1994

Couldn't have said it better myself. Cut the crap and stick to the topic.

Thanks to Mark, we don't have to put up with all those "glee clubs" butchering the national anthem anymore. If we are going to sing it at the start of every game, let's do it right. Stick with Mark.

Um, I think the Seahawks will have something to say about that; their defense was nasty on Thanksgiving night against the 49ers. They've had some struggles this year, but I think they'll get into the playoffs and be very dangerous.

I'll stick to what I have said about this in the past. Dump the shootouts and go with a 4 x 4, 10 minute OT period. That would eliminate a lot of ties. And I really don't care if other leagues do the same thing or not. The shootout is not universal in NCAA hockey, so this shouldn't have to be either.

Yeah, I am getting tired of the split personality thing at home. We have two road sweeps this year, do we even have ONE at home? I don't think so.

In the NCHC, I don't think anyone is going to have a "dominant home record". But having such a tough schedule will pay off come NCAA tournament time.

Wrong. I hate shootouts as a matter of principle. But since we are stuck with them, we need to win them.

And the "casual fan" would probably love to decide basketball games with a slam dunk contest or baseball games with a home-run hitting contest. But that doesn't change the fact that they are exhibitions of individual talent being used to decide the outcome of a team game. And that is why the shootout has no place in hockey.

This is only the second year of the NCHC and the infernal shootout. People will catch on sooner or later.

The shootout in general is pathetic. But according to Hak, Montreal Canadiens fans like it so we are supposed to like it too. I have no problem settling for a tie in a league as tough as this. That would be better than deciding precious league points via a cute little skills competition.

I don't think that will happen this weekend, but I could be wrong.

I think this will be a low scoring series all around.

If there wasn't so much PR baggage involved, imagine the power of an Adrian Peterson-Ray Rice dual backfield? Heck, Bridgewater wouldn't have to do much of anything if the Vikings had those two in the backfield at the same time. But the damage to the team's reputation is not worth it. Better to get rid of Peterson and re-design the offense during the off-season before the draft.

I think the same rule applies to Red Berenson and Michigan. All they really care about in Ann Arbor is "The Big House" for FB and recreating the "Fab Five" in MBB.

And WMU is looking like one of the bottom-feeders in the NCHC this year. What that says about the B1G, I think we all know.

Alvarez was a big-time cheerleader for the B1G Hockey Conference. Minnesota, on the other hand, hated the idea and probably still does. One of the few times I will ever side with Minnesota vs. anybody else.

I just think that there aren't enough schools in the B1G that put a premium on hockey. Minnesota does; it's their best sport for both men and women. Wisconsin has a loyal fan base, but most people in Madison seem to care way more about FB and MBB. Michigan is a FB school first and MBB school second, same for Ohio State. Michigan State seems to be MBB 1st and FB 2nd. Penn State is just starting their program and MH might catch on as a popular winter sport whenever FB is not playing, but we'll just have to wait and see. In order for the current incarnation of the B1G to be solid year in and year out, at least 3 of their 6 teams will have to be good on a perennial basis. My thinking is that hockey doesn't rank high enough on the food chain at 4 out of the 6 schools (Minnesota and Wisconsin being the exceptions). We'll just have to wait and see what happens.

Nice write-up in Goon's blog on the B1G Hockey Conference: http://ndgoon.blogspot.com/2014/11/what-to-make-of-big-10.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+blogspot%2FZTZqA+%28Goon%27s+World%29 I suppose their comeback would be: "But our games are on the all-powerful BTN, so it doesn't matter." I strongly suspected that this conference would be mediocre before it got started. It sure looks that way so far.