Katie Nov 28 06

I guess I don't get this? He is such a "HOT" name right now, I would have expected him to get a shot at a better program.

I bet Missouri is kicking themselves!! They didn't know he was for sale to the Big 12 North!!

Good Luck Gene.. you'll need it. Ames is NOT Austin!

Stan the Man Nov 28 06

Y'all have no idea. Welcome to Texas North, Husker fans. I'm not exactly sure you realize what this indicates over in Ames.

The $135 million campaign is already underway. There's no way a VW bug gets Chizik: ISU is traditionally a budget-strict program, but that has changed considerably since the ascent of Pollard.

A lot has changed in Pollard's 15 months - aggressive moves to get McDermott, Cael Sanderson and now Chizik are simply shots across the bow. Conference championships are the table stakes now in all four major programs at ISU: Men's/Women's BBall, Wrestling and now Football.

Time, of course, will tell, but I think Nebraskans have a real hang-up about the always ephemeral notion of "recruiting." Solich couldn't recruit, but Callahan could, yet somehow the results on the field are almost identical so far. Solich is also playing for his conference championship this weekend. I think that was a lateral move at best to replace Solich with Callahan.

There is a reason why ISU didn't want Jay Norvell. They were looking to aggressively trade up. There's not even a question that this was a clear trade up. Whether it pans out or not is to be seen, but it intrigues me that Nebraska fans are so quick to denigrate this move.

He was on everyone's short list and he's not an idiot and he STILL picked ISU. Read into that a bit more. Maybe the thing you are missing is that ISU doesn't intend to be NU's doormat anymore, or Texas', for that matter.

And maybe that scares you just a bit. Maybe.

cyfan Nov 28 06

We shall see where choke Callahan is after 5 years "if" NU goes gangbusters. It's the nature of college fb coaches, not ISU.

So far, Callahan was an even trade for Solich when looking at wins and loses, not implied program direction.

Oh yeah, I'll take the Big XII championships in MBB, WBB, and Wrestling. Please note that ISU is also on the rise in VB as well.

Good luck in the Big XII championship game...GO SOONERS!!! :)

Staci Nov 28 06

I completely agree with Darren on this one.

Recruiting is huge in college football. I don't think that recruiting 2 out of 48 players is anything to be happy about. Of course, the thing with recruiting is that you have to be able to coach the players and use them to their full potential. I think we are starting to see this with Callahan.

It's always interesting to see how assistant coaches fair as head coaches, some make it others don't. Look at Solich, he was a great assistant coach for NU, but he didn't cut it as a head coach. If Chizik does make it, he'll be off to greener pastures in a few years and then ISU will back to where they are right now.

To say that we are scared, come on!! NU will never be afraid of ISU. If they are able to improve, I say bring it on! It will make an NU win even better!

cyfan Nov 28 06

Piling on here, but I can't help it...

"At its very BEST ISU would become a "staging" program for coaches, sort of like the way OSU has been in the south, with the likes of Jimmy Johnson and Les Miles."

Is this the same OSU?
OCT 28 @ Oklahoma State 29 41

qb14 Nov 28 06

At Texas the coordinators do very little recruiting. Check how Coach Chizik did at Auburn, UCF, and Stephen F. Austin with his recruiting responsibilties. if he gets to sit down and talk to Grandmothers and/or Mothers (A.K.A " the Bear") the other schools do not have a chance. It will take severals years, however,to make a serious impact in his recruiting classes. It will take a lot of hard work by the school's admin.(raise the capital and get approved the upgrading of the program ), the coaches (put in the hours that it takes to have a first rate program,) the boosters and alumni ( support the program in every way possible espectially saying positive things about the team and the choaches. Just as it takes a whole town to raise a child, it takes the wHole fb family pulling together to have a first class, winning program.

Coach Chizik is the man to lead such a team. He will make some mistaes along the way, however, he will more make if for the mistakes with his sincere dedicationand hard work.

Allen Williams Nov 28 06

Do some homework. He wasn't asked to recruit much at Texas. The guy is a winner. He will be just fine closing on recruits. I'd send my kid to play for him in half a heartbeat. He's a strong man of character and integrity and values. And he knows how to coach the game of football. Most importantly, ISU's support of football as a university has never been stronger and continues to grow. $1.5 million for assistant coaches is a great example of that. Sorry kid, Iowa State has decided winning is important.

Tim Nov 28 06

He reportedly was a good to great recruiter while at Auburn. As in the article, he will need to be a closer. The assistants he puts in place will need to be the great recruiters. Assuming he pulls Assitants from aquaintances made at Auburn, Texas and Florida, we feel comfortable that the doors will be open.

Ted Nov 28 06

Darren,
ISU hasn't shown institutional and fan commitment?

- ISU set a record for season tickets last year.
- National Cyclone Club membership and Gridiron Club membership are on the rise, and from what I'm hearing after this hire, will increase even more.
- One of the selling points to Chizik, was that he is allotted $1.5M to pay his assistants per year, which ranks 3rd in the Big 12 for assistant pay.
- Already mentioned was the $135M stadium improvements and additional suites.

Now, what were you talking about? What more can Pollard do at this point?

Katie Nov 28 06

Agreed!

You are taking the steps to get there, but it will be a rough ride, if you think it is going to "magically" happen you are crazy. I am not sure you have the fan base to wait around. Get ready for it! Recruiting with tradition and a winning program is hard, I can only imagine how hard it will be without those two things.

It's practically drive thru recruiting in Texas.

One last thing....

Stan THE MAN: I can't believe an Iowa State fan is calling the move from Solich to Callahan a lateral move! I am not going to argue wins and losses with an Iowa State fan, it would just be a waste of time. You are the team that made up special T-shirts to "beat Nebraska" right? Yep you don't get it!

ISU is not Texas and Nebraska's doormat, somehow you guys seem to take care of your demise (choking chances away)ALL BY YOURSELF!

Good Luck to you and your program!

Ryan Nov 28 06

Seriously, does this pass as journalism in Nebraska? Does the writer of this article consider making a couple clicks with his mouse on Rivals research?

Judging a coaches ability to recruit as a head coach by how many recruits Rivals credited to him is beyond asinine. First of all, the Defensive Coordinator at Texas (and most schools for that matter) is not going to be the lead recruiter on many recruits at all, as most schools use position coaches as their "point men" in recruiting.

The assistant coaches Chizik hires will be the real key to recruiting. And with a $1.5 Million budget (3rd in the Big 12) to spend on assistants, to go along with Chizik's outstanding reputation, he should be able to hire some young, energetic, well-connected recruiters to find him players.

The assistant coaches hired by Chizik will largely dictate how well he recruits (not some list on Rivals), and he is being given the tools to hire some excellent ones.

Staci Nov 28 06

Ryan,
Seriously, does this pass as journalism in Nebraska?

Did you really ask this question? This is a BLOG! Apparently some take that more seriously than others. These guys don't get paid to write these stories, they do it out of their love for the Huskers.

GO BIG RED!!!!

laughing in omaha Nov 28 06

Chizik will stay for a max of 5 years, then it will be back to the dumps for the Tornado Twisters.

Stan the Man Nov 28 06

Let's see here - Callahan wins the weakest North in Big 12 history, Solich wins a MAC Divisional title the same year.

Solich beats Pitt by a whisker his first year at Ohio. What did Cally do vs. the 'stache? Oh yeah, same thing. And that his 2nd year.

Huskers can't beat a down Texas team at home. Can't beat a barely bowl eligible Oklahoma State away.

Not sure how 9-3 in 2006 isn't anything but lateral from 10-3 in 03. When was the last time that 6-2 in the North ever got an outright championship? I'm asking a serious question here, because my point is that the North fell far more than Nebraska has risen under Callahan, and Colorado, KSU and Iowa State seem to be making moves to correct that. Are you really going to tell me that Pinkel has become a genius, too? His record benefits the same way that Callahan's does - the competition thinned miraculously.

But Moses didn't part the Red Sea, God did. We'll learn a little bit more about the Huskers this week, but it seems to me that the current success has more to do with the fact that the stars have aligned for Callahan, not that he hung the moon.

He's a competent enough coach to have taken some advantage of the thin field in the north, but I fail to see how Solich wouldn't have done the same, considering that he actually did do the same, almost the exact same (except for the 5-6 season) as Callahan.

Staci Nov 28 06

Solich got lucky, he still had leftover recruits from Osborne. Callahan was not so lucky, he had leftover recruits from Solich.

We are finally starting to see what Callahan can do with the kids that he brings in. So far, I like what I see!

We'll chat next year and see how Chizik does with talent that is at ISU.

Grant Nov 28 06

Next year's post for the ISU game should bring about some intersting responses.

Yes, Pollard is being aggressive and is doing a good job to this point. But, Darren is right....the $135M is playing catchup in the arms race of college football. Pollard's moves won't be good or bad for another 3-4 years when we see what Chizik can do with his own staff and recruits and how the updated facilities will assist in all of that. Until then, take a pill ISU fans. Your season is over.

As far as ISU being a stepping stone...I'm not so sure. Any school in the Big 12(except maybe Baylor) is a great opportunity for a head coach. They get national exposure in a major conference and with a down team like ISU he can recruit big time players with the promise of playing right away (see the KSU recruiting manual). That's a powerful club to have in your bag these days with kids getting 5 stars, unlimited media exposure, blogs, etc thinking they can win Heisman trophies in their sophomore year. Being connected in the South with high school coaches in Texas, OK, Alabama can't hurt. Chizik's assistants will make the difference here. Most of NU and OU's recruits are recruited by assistants, not the head coach.

Til next year.

DT Nov 28 06

"The weakest North in Big 12 History..." (whatever that means, as such a statement is neither measurable, provable, or quantifiable; and is one that's only made via subjective hyperbole.) But if there is a ranking of such, I'm sure that Mr. Journalism Ryan would be able to cite a source for us to peruse.
But whatever the case, if you take a look at one quantifiable source relating to this year (the USA Today Sagarin power rankings) you'll find that "the weakest North in Big 12 history" is still quite a ways ahead of either the east or west division of the MAC this season. Therefore, any representation of Solich's 2006 success at Ohio as being equal to the accomplishments of Callahan, again, clearly lacks objectivity. Such a simple-minded approach just goes to show that the understanding of Nebraska's situation, on the part of fans of other teams, is about on par with the typical, 200-year-old Husker "fan"/Solich apologist.
The bottom line is that NU will be making it's first trip to the Big 12 title game since Tom Osborne's players constituted over half the roster (and about 90% of the 2-deep) That fact kind of sums up the reason why Frank was freed up to enjoy the flabbergasting success that he has in Athens, Ohio.
It must hurt (did someone mention scary?!) to know that it's NU who's on the way up and that it's painfully obvious that the window is closing on henny penny-style doomsday predictions of the Huskers' demise. You'd think that NU sweeping the North for the first time since 1999, might actually get them to shut up for a bit. But all we continue to hear is that:
-the only reason the Huskers are going to KC is because how terrible everyone they played is.
-we should be petrified of CU, k-state & Mizzou...three teams that lost by an average score of 32-12 against the Huskers this year.

and now:
-we'd all better be scared to death of ISU, too...Chizik will build them into a powerhouse and will be there for decades--sure he will.

And to answer Stan's question: in 2003, K-state lost to Texas & Okie State, went 6-2 in conference play...and killed OU in Kansas City.
Is any of this sounding familiar?

Also laughing in Omaha Nov 28 06

All I gotta say is you gotta love those Creighton Husker fans! wait or is it Nebraska Bluejays what a bunch of bandwagon cry babies Nebraska fans are. You crucify your coach and team one week and praise and embrace them the next. Prime example is your basketball team, last in big 12 attendance, no support what so ever but the Creighton Bluejays are good so you will buy season tickets and cheer them on if you are a real fan of your school support it all around and not just the teams who win

gtg Nov 28 06

sorry, got to say it. Frank Solich couldnt make it as a head coach? Give me a break. His record at Nebraska was stellar. One bad year, followed by a strong comeback, and he gets canned. Replaced by a guy who screwed up the Raiders so bad they have still not recovered. In the mean time, Solich in one year turns around a perenial bottom feeder in a mid major conference. ONE YEAR. He fails as head coach? I dont think so.

Jeremy Benson Nov 28 06

The opinion of a Nebraska fan about the future state of ISU football means absolutely nothing to me. Your opinions will have zero percent impact on how ISU does, whether Chizik suceeds and whether he stays. Go ahead and spout off how you think ISU will always be a doormat for Nebraska. It makes for good entertainment, but means nothing.

Scott Nov 29 06

Hey Jeremy Benson,

This is entertainment, and that is all this is meant to be. Thanks for your own opinion on this matter.

As for the future of ISU football, I really don't know what other direction it can go. I'm not sure how far $135 million will go in that stadium, which needs a LOT of renovating.

I'm also not sure how Solich, Osborne, Callahan, Creighton Bluejays, Pinkel, and Moses of all people get mentioned in all of these blogs without one mention of who put this program where it is now...Dan Mccarney. I think I remember hearing how this guy is a Hayden Fry kind of a coach and if anyone can bring the Cyclones up, he can. Yes, ISU did beat NU in some down years and even pulled off an upset or two. But if this is the weakest Big 12 North in history, how does this ISU team not become bowl eligible??? (Raising Hand) I know!! Because it's not wrestling or women's basketball.

People said hiring Callahan was a bad move. Ask any good football analyst or coach and they'll tell you that they need 4-5 years to get their system in with the right kind of players. I think Callahan is on the right track. Has anyone seen Joe Dailey's stats lately? Frank is in a good place. Ohio is a good team that needed a GOOD coach. Frank is a good coach but is not the guy to lead NU back to the top.

To Stan the Man--

If the competition is thinning, then why are the cyclones losing more games??

We've got a caller....

"Pipe Dream in Ames you're on the line...."

cory Nov 29 06

Solich was fired three years ago. I was sorry to see him go, but sometimes that's how things work out. I wish him the best of luck, go Bobcats or Bearcats or whatever they call Ohio. He wasn't a bad recruiter, but was really unlucky with it. Almost half his recruits didn't make two years because of injuries and disciplinary reasons.
Anyway, all though I wasn't a fan of that firing, I will always support the new guy, no matter who is. Callahan is doing fine.
Speaking of fan support, how well is Chizik going to recruit when he brings recruits to games and the fans are bolting with the team down by only two scores and almost an entire quarter left. You know, like the ISU fans did against NU this year. When half the stadium left with ten minutes to go and there were more husker fans left, I bet those guys were ready to sign on the dotted line right then and there.....with NU.
Thanks for adding seats to your stadium. Now more Husker fans can have a real seat instead if sitting on the grassy knoll.

Stan the Man Dec 04 06

Uh-huh. Just like those Husker fans heading for the exits this weekend were such a huge indictment of Bill Callahan, right? In football, fans often leave when it is over. This years Cyclone team was comparable to Callahan's 5-6 team - the die-hards hung on, and the "realists" tried to beat traffic.

The Nebraska game would have set an all-time stadium record had the Cyclones not done it the week before, versus a I-AA opponent, so don't think that the old "Nebraska East" paradigm is ever coming back. The problem was that ISU had a bad team this year. Not a sickeningly horrible one, but a bad one nonetheless.

The fact of it is that Nebraska will not have such an easy time of it in the future, if you can call a 14 point win with poor officiating an easy time of it (Note to Husker nation - Colorado, Texas Tech, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas State AND Kansas ALL had an easier time with ISU than NU did, so I don't know that I'd use your game with us as anything resembling a decent measuring stick for your own program, especially considering that we took you to overtime in Lincoln last year and have just upgraded to the coach that schooled the bugeaters on defense this year.)

Please be realistic about this - the North was a cakewalk this year (which is why the Cyclone season was SO disappointing), possibly the easiest it has ever been.

Zac Taylor is a nice quarterback, but when he's the conference offensive player of the year, and Texas is playing in the Alamo Bowl, and our head-and-shoulders best league team is playing Boise State in an also-ran BCS game, you've got to realize that Nebrasaka did what a decent team should do - take advantage of the schedule (although that game against Okie State was atrocious)

Nebraska didn't get better (as evidenced this weekend) - we all got worse, ISU included. This is an offense that couldn't score on UNLV and Northern Iowa! If ISU didn't contribute to the further dilution of the North, then just slap an N upside my head. Look, from what I can tell, Nebraska and Mizzou held court from last year, KSU had a spotty uptick once they got rolling, and Colorado, KU and ISU ALL got worse. I suppose there can be some debate on KU, but their early and late losses simply can't be seen as upgrades. So you've got your six teams, two of which downgraded significantly, one that weakened, and three that played at about their usual level. I'm not counting on that holding true next year.

Neither should you. That is, if the vaunted NU's proverbial "drift toward mediocrity" is to be avoided.

Maybe NU simply plays to the level of the opposition. If that's the case, the improvement of Colorado and ISU can only be a good thing, right? Because I can't fathom them getting any worse.