Tuesday, August 29, 2006

You can just smell the pigskin in the air - even from South America

Buffalo faithful,

As Spring approaches in the southern hemisphere, my thoughts drift northerly to a place nestled near the mountains. A place of bright sunshine and crisp air. A place where friends gather in celebration and brotherhood. A place where throngs cheer and children sing. A place where Thaddaeus Washington knocks some punk into next week. A place called Folsom.

Sadly, I will not be present as the Buffs take the field for their first contest of the season and the inauguration of the Hawkins era. Though my body may not be present, know that my spirit is with you.

The new chapter begins with something very new indeed - a game against a Division 1-AA opponent. While the likes of Nebraska schedule such no-names on a regular basis, this is a first for CU. The Montana State Bobcats come to town to tee it up. So take the kids out to dear old Folsom, congratulate the Bobcats on their gumption and observe as Hawk begins to work out the bugs in his new machine.

I'm told that our beloved B-School lot is currently under construction. So the southern beach front is no longer available. Hamid has vowed to arrive early on Saturday and stake out a grassy spot for the posse to reunite. He and Donny will provide further menu and logistical information.

Roll up that mighty score, friends. Roll it up.
Buffalover

Friday, August 18, 2006

The case for hating the Huskers

Might as well get this topic started already.

With a late season surge last year that included a painful beating of the Buffs, signs are that NU's comeback is underway. I dreamed that the recent downfall of the Fuskers would be permanent but evidence suggests that it might not be so. That sucks. That is annoying.

The reasons to dislike NU are numerous and well documented. But putting nearly all of those things aside, and forgetting for the moment that they are the Buffs big rival, here is the reason why I hate them... Because there is no logical reason that they should be good!

Consider other traditional college football powerhouses. USC, Miami, Notre Dame, Michigan, Florida, Texas. Their success is well understood. They all possess one or more of the following attributes: lovely or temperate locale that attracts top talent, excellent academic reputation, wealthy alumni and supporters who donate liberally to the athletic department, large local talent rich population from which to recruit. No real surprises there.

Nebraska has not one of those attributes. Their location is certainly not a draw - it's a flat and aesthetically unremarkable locale with pretty crappy weather. As an academic institution it's a joke - basically a community college with dorms and a football stadium. The hayseeds who are the alumni are hardly top salary earners - though it is commendable that they all seem to donate a full 85% of their $25K annual salaries to their beloved alma mater. And they are not exactly sitting on top of a mountain of football talent - the state is sparsely populated by folks of, shall we say, questionable pedigree.

So why have they been able to build a sustainably successful program? Well, they do get a lot of support. The state's population comes to all of the games and does willingly give generously of their meager wealth. While you might be tempted to declare, "Why, those are commendable qualities. Good for you, plucky country folk!", I suggest that you look a bit deeper first.

Why exactly do Nebraskans turn out in such high numbers and give more generously than their counterparts in other states and other universities? Simple. What else are they going to do? Seriously. There is not a single other D1 university in the state, there is not a single pro sports franchise, not a beach/mountain/ocean/forest/city/museum within 2 days drive. Simply put, nothing ever happens there. The state's very pathetic-ness is the engine that makes NU football a success. It's why Gomer sits around for 8 months out of the year just pining away to see the Bugeaters tear Weber State a new one.

God, that's lame! And that's why you should despise that institution as I do. Sure, they may continue to be successful but I hope that you now understand that that is no reason to respect them. Instead it is the very reason that all thinking people should vote this Fall to permanently revoke Nebraska's statehood. Give Iowa and South Dakota some breathing room, for christ sakes.

Friday, August 11, 2006

The Hawkins era begins

It's true that Hawk has won exactly zero games as of now. However, he seems to be a hit already. He has an excellent track record. He's charismatic, a straight shooter and little goofy. He's not slick but he's somehow suave with the press and fans. More importantly, the players seem to be buying in to his plan.

Still, questions abound. Boulder ain't Boise and the Big XII is not the WAC. Can he get it done here in prime time? Does his creative offense work against defenses as big and fast as he'll now face? Can he recruit the right talent? Can he build cohesion amongst a somewhat fragile team and fan base? Only time will tell. And in reality, the time required to transition is 2 or 3 years.

So what to expect this year? I have no Earthly clue except that our place-kicking should be the finest in the land. I suspect that the defense should be pretty good considering the experience and depth there. The offense is the biggest wild card. With a new, yet to be named QB and a brand new offensive scheme one can't expect too much. It should be exciting though.

In conclusion, welcome Dan Hawkins. We're glad you're here, we support you and we're excited to see what sort of program you'll build. We'll give you time to get your new machine built and tuned... as long as you don't lose to CSU!

Barnett era review

This one will be short and sweet.

Gary is a Buff. He spent much of his career living and coaching in our great state. He grew up as a coach under the tutilage of McCartney.

He left to be head coach of Northwestern where he performed some genuine miracles. As a result he became the hottest coaching prospect in the country. But he shunned interest from the likes of Georgia, Notre Dame and Texas. He asked to have an escape clause written into his contract that would allow him to leave without penalty to coach at Colorado, should the opportunity arrise. When it did he bolted to his dream job. I love him for this.

Gary had some success at CU. He was a good guy, who loved the school and his team. The so called CU scandal cast a shadow over him though I truly believe that he tried everything in his power to run a clean and disciplined program. The biggest mistake he made was making stupid (yet accurate) comments about Katie Hnida in front of a news camera. The media blitz lasted longer than it should have and he survived it and his Hnida comment suspension stoically. Many called for his head but none of them could enunciate with credibility what he had done wrong.

I said many times during the "scandal" that those who want to talk about firing the coach should base that discussion on on-the-field performance. They were falling all over themselves looking for some other smoking gun that didn't exist. In the end, in a weird way I was pleased that he was dismissed for failure to produce the type of on-field performance that the Univerity expects.

I'm also glad that he got a fair settlement. I wish Gary well. He is a good man who lost his dream job. But that's the way the business works. I hope that he regains his reputation.