Why is "Going to a Bowl" such a mark of accomplishment around here?

[Peoples H]

First off, any answer that is along the lines of "well, it's IU and it's hard to win here" is nothing more than a lame excuse.

A team can win just 6 games and make a bowl, if I'm not mistaken. Winning just 6 games is not the mark of a good football team. It's average.

Yet if we made a bowl game, I'm sure there would be quite a few people that would be delighted, and feeling like the program is doing well.

The reality is that we haven't even hit the "average team" marker for a long, long time. Heck, after losing a home game recently, some folks were giddy with excitement and even mentioned contract extension regarding our head coach. As in "oooohhhh, we almost beat Ohio State - and didn't even lose by much at home!"

Now we're 0-3 in the Big Ten.

Aside from Terry Hoeppner who doesn't deserve to be criticized, the other coaches here have simply failed. This keeps on repeating itself. Could it be that as IU fans we're way more accepting of mediocrity - and that's why our administration keeps trotting out these coaches that can't get it done?

 

[ufo33]

Soccer is real Football

 

[Kylehornsbyrules]

Bowl game = sweet 16

 

[oldcougar77]

First off, any answer that is along the lines of "well, it's IU and it's hard to win here" is nothing more than a lame excuse.

A team can win just 6 games and make a bowl, if I'm not mistaken. Winning just 6 games is not the mark of a good football team. It's average.

Yet if we made a bowl game, I'm sure there would be quite a few people that would be delighted, and feeling like the program is doing well.

The reality is that we haven't even hit the "average team" marker for a long, long time. Heck, after losing a home game recently, some folks were giddy with excitement and even mentioned contract extension regarding our head coach. As in "oooohhhh, we almost beat Ohio State - and didn't even lose by much at home!"

Now we're 0-3 in the Big Ten.

Aside from Terry Hoeppner who doesn't deserve to be criticized, the other coaches here have simply failed. This keeps on repeating itself. Could it be that as IU fans we're way more accepting of mediocrity - and that's why our administration keeps trotting out these coaches that can't get it done?

Are you seriously suggesting that there is a coach out there somewhere willing to come to IU who can make us a contender for a conference championship immediately? Good luck with that. If such a guy is really available, I'm sure EVERY IU fan on the planet would be fine with that hire.

As for your suggestion that IU fans and the administration are fine with mediocrity, haven't all those previous coaches been fired? How is that settling for mediocrity ? Mallory was fired for not elevating the program to an elite level. Cameron was fired after year five in spite of obvious progress, DiNardo got three years and was fired, Lynch was fired after four years, Wilson would be five years as well.

If it's so easy to grab a guy who can turn you into an immediate top-twenty program when you never have been before, I'm sure a whole lot of programs would like to know the secret. Why don't you just find that guy and send Fred Glass and the BOT the name.

Baby steps, dude. You gotta crawl, then walk, then run. Nobody is suggesting that we would be thrilled with a lifetime of 6-wins seasons but for this program at this time a bowl would be a hell of a big deal. Extra practice, more appealing to recruits, fan excitement, attendance, alumni support all take a leap with a bowl bid. I'll take that for now and leave kicking OSU's ass every year for a couple of years down the road. If that's settling for mediocrity, I guess I'm guilty.

 

[82hoosier]

bowl game = NCAA tournament.

 

[Big Red Crimson Buffalo]

You guys want to know the secret to the dilemma above?
You hire a head coach. With some staff. That he can bring with him. Many of the coaches we have gotten were left to scramble around and try to piece together a staff. You want to talk continuity? Bring in somebody who already is established with some staff and true connections.

 

[Peoples H]

bowl game = NCAA tournament.

Bottom-rung Bowl Game = NIT tournament

 

[SRIV94]

Beats having the final game of the season be against PUR every freaking year.

 

[oldcougar77]

You guys want to know the secret to the dilemma above?
You hire a head coach. With some staff. That he can bring with him. Many of the coaches we have gotten were left to scramble around and try to piece together a staff. You want to talk continuity? Bring in somebody who already is established with some staff and true connections.

While I'm not at all opposed to hiring a head coach with a staff accompanying him, there is no magic formula for success. Darrell Hazell had been a head coach. Pat Narduzzi had not. Whom would you rather have at the helm at IU ? You have to find the right guy, period. Unfortunately, I don't think anybody is an automatic slam dunk except those guys who are already having success at a high level and are moving to another already-elite program (Urban Meyer, Jim Harbaugh). Who do you know that views IU in that light ? There's going to be some risk factor in anyone we hire.

 

[oldcougar77]

Bottom-rung Bowl Game = NIT tournament

And for a team that has a losing record 19 of the past 20 years, making the NIT is a huge first step. Maybe not a long-term goal but something to build on. That's where we are at the moment. What makes you so damn sure that anybody views a lower-tier bowl as an end point long-term ? If you're ugly and nerdy and socially awkward, any date to the prom is a step up. Once you've matured into a suave and handsome young stud, you can set your sights on the head cheerleader.

Right now, we are the ugliest, nerdiest program in the history of college football. This year, any date to the prom is a good date.

 

[FL33]

Are you seriously suggesting that there is a coach out there somewhere willing to come to IU who can make us a contender for a conference championship immediately? Good luck with that. If such a guy is really available, I'm sure EVERY IU fan on the planet would be fine with that hire.

As for your suggestion that IU fans and the administration are fine with mediocrity, haven't all those previous coaches been fired? How is that settling for mediocrity ? Mallory was fired for not elevating the program to an elite level. Cameron was fired after year five in spite of obvious progress, DiNardo got three years and was fired, Lynch was fired after four years, Wilson would be five years as well.

If it's so easy to grab a guy who can turn you into an immediate top-twenty program when you never have been before, I'm sure a whole lot of programs would like to know the secret. Why don't you just find that guy and send Fred Glass and the BOT the name.

Baby steps, dude. You gotta crawl, then walk, then run. Nobody is suggesting that we would be thrilled with a lifetime of 6-wins seasons but for this program at this time a bowl would be a hell of a big deal. Extra practice, more appealing to recruits, fan excitement, attendance, alumni support all take a leap with a bowl bid. I'll take that for now and leave kicking OSU's ass every year for a couple of years down the road. If that's settling for mediocrity, I guess I'm guilty.

Yes. There is.

Only dumb IU fans believe there isn't.

 

[oldcougar77]

Yes. There is.

Only dumb IU fans believe there isn't.

Give me the name. I'll call Fred Glass personally.

 

[Lujo1986]

You guys want to know the secret to the dilemma above?
You hire a head coach. With some staff. That he can bring with him. Many of the coaches we have gotten were left to scramble around and try to piece together a staff. You want to talk continuity? Bring in somebody who already is established with some staff and true connections.

Really? And who is that guy?

 

[Rangeline Fan]

Yes. There is.

Only dumb IU fans believe there isn't.

Who is it?

 

[Bligedy]

Yes. There is.

Only dumb IU fans believe there isn't.

This is silly.

No established winner would want to come into a division where you play Ohio State, Michigan, MSU and Penn State every year.

IU will have to continue to take flyers on coaches and hope it works out.

 

[Hoosiers Rising]

Money talks. A very big name is the only way we are going to turn things around quickly. It would cost a whole lot of money. 5 to 7 per for the HC and probably several million for the assistants.

 

[GregA]

Going to a bowl game means you made it to the top 70 of 120 teams. It's baffling this program can't make the top 70. That said, 6 wins are still out there with Maryland and Purdue to finish the season.

 

[VarsityClub47]

Bowl game = sweet 16

I dare say IU with Lynch could have won as many games as Wilson has over the past five years. For him to blather on in postgame comments about the good things he saw in the game, with a few correctable mistakes is laughable and clueless.

 

[HOOSIER JOE]

First off, any answer that is along the lines of "well, it's IU and it's hard to win here" is nothing more than a lame excuse.

A team can win just 6 games and make a bowl, if I'm not mistaken. Winning just 6 games is not the mark of a good football team. It's average.

Yet if we made a bowl game, I'm sure there would be quite a few people that would be delighted, and feeling like the program is doing well.

The reality is that we haven't even hit the "average team" marker for a long, long time. Heck, after losing a home game recently, some folks were giddy with excitement and even mentioned contract extension regarding our head coach. As in "oooohhhh, we almost beat Ohio State - and didn't even lose by much at home!"

Now we're 0-3 in the Big Ten.

Aside from Terry Hoeppner who doesn't deserve to be criticized, the other coaches here have simply failed. This keeps on repeating itself. Could it be that as IU fans we're way more accepting of mediocrity - and that's why our administration keeps trotting out these coaches that can't get it done?

God, People H is blathering on in the football board now....heaven help us. Maybe he can start a campaign over here like he does constantly on the bball forum for Bob Knight to come back and coach football....

 

[Lujo1986]

IU will never pay that much for a football coach. It would be too much of a hit to the AD budget. You're talking Saban/Harbaugh/Meyer type coaches at 5-7 mil a year. Not sure any coach making that kind of money would leave their current situation for IU. Would be great if there was some former IU player or coach out there willing to 'come home'. Or a deep pocket alum willing to underwrite the football coaching staff for 4 years.

 

[IUHarselCo]

Yes. There is.

Only dumb IU fans believe there isn't.

Dude you're striking out at every level. I know you're venting but come on. No...there is not one winning coach willing to come to IU and have his career reversed...period. Even money won't get one. I wish we had hired an experienced HC but we didn't. The history of IU FB is unique, the job may be impossible in the modern media world. Bad rep is broadcast everywhere. I said from beginning of this season 2015 would not be our breakout year. Maybe the only way to break our bad streak decades long is to just shut it down a couple of years then restart from complete scratch. Firing Wilson will only find us less of a coach than he is. No White Knight is out there. Cameron was supposed to be that...remember? Don't have an answer but neither do you. The players have to win these games. Coaches just prepare them. Next season will have hopefully a more experienced team defense....but no Nat, so here we go again. We seem never to get the three phases playing together at once. But thinking a new coach is solution is getting too old.

 

[FL33]

Really? And who is that guy?

Who is it?

Pay me Fred Glass' s salary, and I'll find him. Otherwise, keep who ya' got.

This is silly.

No established winner would want to come into a division where you play Ohio State, Michigan, MSU and Penn State every year.

IU will have to continue to take flyers on coaches and hope it works out.

Who said anything about an established winner?

This fanbase's mindset is so far removed from reality, it really does bring me comic relief. IU football fans take being losers as a fait accompli moreso than ND football fans feel entitled to winning. Ridiculous.

Wilson is 75% of a very good football coach; he just has no clue on the defensive side. It happens with a lot of coordinators turned head coach. Muschamp is a decent example at a school better than us. It happens.

Point is....don't dwell on your mistakes. Cut bait and move on. That's what winners do.

I was fine with giving Wilson this year. But Glass should have spent the last 1-2 years shaking the bush for upgrades in football and basketball coaches (he whiffed on bball, btw). I bet he spent that time fundraising and thinking up cool new handshakes to do with the coaches instead.

 

[FL33]

Dude you're striking out at every level. I know you're venting but come on. No...there is not one winning coach willing to come to IU and have his career reversed...period. Even money won't get one. I wish we had hired an experienced HC but we didn't. The history of IU FB is unique, the job may be impossible in the modern media world. Bad rep is broadcast everywhere. I said from beginning of this season 2015 would not be our breakout year. Maybe the only way to break our bad streak decades long is to just shut it down a couple of years then restart from complete scratch. Firing Wilson will only find us less of a coach than he is. No White Knight is out there. Cameron was supposed to be that...remember? Don't have an answer but neither do you. The players have to win these games. Coaches just prepare them. Next season will have hopefully a more team defense....but no Nat, so here we go again. We seem never to get the three phases playing together at once. But thinking a new coach is solution is getting too old.

Clueless....

 

[lgee]

Bowl game = sweet 16

And if you truly believe that, you are an idiot.

Making a sweet 16 is an actual accomplishment. And if you you believe the bowl game IU would make is equal to a sweet 16, you're an even bigger idiot. But hey, we all know your intent was, even on the football board, to get in a shot at Crean.

 

[82hoosier]

No established winner would want to come into a division where you play Ohio State, Michigan, MSU and Penn State every year.

This is the reality that will chase potential coaches away. The deck is unfairly stacked.

 

[IU_Cramer]

Pay me Fred Glass' s salary, and I'll find him. Otherwise, keep who ya' got.



Who said anything about an established winner?

This fanbase's mindset is so far removed from reality, it really does bring me comic relief. IU football fans take being losers as a fait accompli moreso than ND football fans feel entitled to winning. Ridiculous.

Wilson is 75% of a very good football coach; he just has no clue on the defensive side. It happens with a lot of coordinators turned head coach. Muschamp is a decent example at a school better than us. It happens.

Point is....don't dwell on your mistakes. Cut bait and move on. That's what winners do.

I was fine with giving Wilson this year. But Glass should have spent the last 1-2 years shaking the bush for upgrades in football and basketball coaches (he whiffed on bball, btw). I bet he spent that time fundraising and thinking up cool new handshakes to do with the coaches instead.

So basically you're taking the Donald Trump approach here, right? You're going to "Make IU Football Great (Again)" but not offer any substance on how you're going to do it. Cut bait and move on? That's what winners do? That's what IU has done as well with it's football program since Mallory was fired and it's yielded one winning season since. The reality of the situation is that the path to success at IU in football is not a simple one. You've got to overcome history, a lack-luster fan-base, a lack-luster amount of support from the administration, and one of the most complex and competitive recruiting footprints in the country. There's no easy path and no easy hire that makes this program turn around quickly unless all those things are addressed at the same time. That's the reality of the IU Football situation.

 

[ovaltine]

And if you truly believe that, you are an idiot.

Making a sweet 16 is an actual accomplishment. And if you you believe the bowl game IU would make is equal to a sweet 16, you're an even bigger idiot. But hey, we all know your intent was, even on the football board, to get in a shot at Crean.

Did he say TC should be fired?

Now THAT would be getting in a shot at TC.

 

[Rangeline Fan]

...Making a sweet 16 is an actual accomplishment...

For teams that are happy with just making the tournament. For teams that expect to compete for championships, the sweet 16 is just another step.

Just like Texas, Michigan, OSU, half of the SEC, Oklahoma, etc. You want to tell their fanbases that the Pulon Weedeater Bowl is an accomplishment? What about the Little Ceaser's Bowl or the Idaho Potato Bowl? I know Bama fans would be ok with making the Blue Diamond Almonds Bowl.

For IU Football...making a bowl, any bowl, is an accomplishment.

For IU Basketball...making the sweet 16 is an expectation, not an accomplishment.

 

[Iudanapoint]

Pay me Fred Glass' s salary, and I'll find him. Otherwise, keep who ya' got.



Who said anything about an established winner?

This fanbase's mindset is so far removed from reality, it really does bring me comic relief. IU football fans take being losers as a fait accompli moreso than ND football fans feel entitled to winning. Ridiculous.

Wilson is 75% of a very good football coach; he just has no clue on the defensive side. It happens with a lot of coordinators turned head coach. Muschamp is a decent example at a school better than us. It happens.

Point is....don't dwell on your mistakes. Cut bait and move on. That's what winners do.

I was fine with giving Wilson this year. But Glass should have spent the last 1-2 years shaking the bush for upgrades in football and basketball coaches (he whiffed on bball, btw). I bet he spent that time fundraising and thinking up cool new handshakes to do with the coaches instead.

Dumber, Part II. And not surprised that you can't provide a name. I'm sure you're looking at coaching rosters now so you can pretend you know who the hot coaches are. We'll never be the wiser!

 

[IUNY]

I agree there's nothing special about it. The only thing it says is that you won as many games as you lost. But for us, it's our only measure of progress. Plus, a team needs to go to a bowl consistently, so once every 20 years is not an accomplishment. But the notion that we can never be successful because we never have been, I don't agree with that. When I was at IU in the '80s, we could beat a Wisconsin. Why is Wisconsin now a national power?

 

[Bligedy]

Pay me Fred Glass' s salary, and I'll find him. Otherwise, keep who ya' got.



Who said anything about an established winner?

This fanbase's mindset is so far removed from reality, it really does bring me comic relief. IU football fans take being losers as a fait accompli moreso than ND football fans feel entitled to winning. Ridiculous.

Wilson is 75% of a very good football coach; he just has no clue on the defensive side. It happens with a lot of coordinators turned head coach. Muschamp is a decent example at a school better than us. It happens.

Point is....don't dwell on your mistakes. Cut bait and move on. That's what winners do.

I was fine with giving Wilson this year. But Glass should have spent the last 1-2 years shaking the bush for upgrades in football and basketball coaches (he whiffed on bball, btw). I bet he spent that time fundraising and thinking up cool new handshakes to do with the coaches instead.

I guess I just assumed you were referring to someone who has had success somewhere.

Not sure you can lure an ambitious guy with this schedule.

Given that I think you keep what you've got. They're 1 horses**t quarter from being 5-2

 

[IUNY]

It really was in-game decisions. We scored 52 points on a Big Ten defense that over the years has been pretty tough, so it shows we have some talent. Again, I would like someone to address how we can go for it on fourth down in our end of the field (in the first half, no less) but not go for it in our opponent's end of the field at a point in the game where they were gaining momentum and we needed something positive to happen.

 

[Fro]

One of our alumni has a record of 27-9 as a head coach and has coached in a BCS Bowl game with 1 conference title and a conference division title in his 2 full years as a coach.

It's just a matter of hiring the right person.

 

[oldcougar77]

One of our alumni has a record of 27-9 as a head coach and has coached in a BCS Bowl game with 1 conference title and a conference division title in his 2 full years as a coach.

It's just a matter of hiring the right person.

And he definitely should be on the short list if a new hire is to be made. My only concern is that he inherited a very good program and won with the other guy's recruits. Can he do that with his own guys and could he sustain it ? Not at all saying he couldn't but walking into a new program that has had no success is different than being handed the reigns of one that is already successful.

I think you also would have to take a hard look at Matt Campbell and Dino Babers. Both of those guys have been impressive so far as well. I think it's safe to say that all three of those guys are going to be head coaches in a power 5 conference rather soon.

 

[IU Scott]

Bowl game = sweet 16

No it doesn't because making some of these lower tier bowls is like making the NIT or other lower tier tournaments.

 

[Iudanapoint]

And he definitely should be on the short list if a new hire is to be made. My only concern is that he inherited a very good program and won with the other guy's recruits. Can he do that with his own guys and could he sustain it ? Not at all saying he couldn't but walking into a new program that has had no success is different than being handed the reigns of one that is already successful.

I think you also would have to take a hard look at Matt Campbell and Dino Babers. Both of those guys have been impressive so far as well. I think it's safe to say that all three of those guys are going to be head coaches in a power 5 conference rather soon.

I like RC, but NIU and his situation is as you described it. He's not the answer. Campbell and Babers would be better fits, but I think you have to wonder about their defensive chops.

 

[Iudanapoint]

No it doesn't because making some of these lower tier bowls is like making the NIT or other lower tier tournaments.

It's the extra practices and recruiting cache that is valuable, along with the additional exposure.

 

[Lujo1986]

One of our alumni has a record of 27-9 as a head coach and has coached in a BCS Bowl game with 1 conference title and a conference division title in his 2 full years as a coach.

It's just a matter of hiring the right person.

Who is the coach you're talking about?

 

[ufo33]

No D. No Wins. No Bowl. No change.

 

[Iudanapoint]

Who is the coach you're talking about?

Rod Carey at Northern Illinois, most likely. But he didn't build that program and he wouldn't have the advantages at IU that he has there.