Probably the recruits their unis have gotten them!!! (TIC)
For the first 8 years or so, Tiller owned Northwestern. We weren't on par with them, we were better than them. Fitz has made them good again, after they had a couple of bad years. I don't think they will remain in the Top 20 for long. They are playing great defense, but their offense is still suspect. They aren't beating themselves, but they have a FR QB who cannot win games for them if necessary. They don't turn the ball over, run effectively, and play good defense to win games.
Are you serious? I strongly recommend you review the metrics before you make such statements. History will judge where the program is and is going, but this Akers was very frustrating, Colleto was bringing in talent and gave away opportunity, but the program and adminstration seems to have taken this football and womens basketball program to entirely new levels.
Mr C. certainly recruiting talent is subjective, but if your assertion is that the Colletto talent was on par with Hazell's lets not forget that Mike Alstott was a Colletto recuit along with numerous Offensive and Defensive lineman which made the NFL. Thus far, I don't think the recruits from the last 3 yrs had many NFL likely folks.
Remember that Tiller started with Colletto recruits so he really wasn't starting with a completely bare cupboard either. Colletto wasn't a terrible recruiter. Just couldn't get it done on game day.
I know many on here blame Burke for everything that is wrong with Purdue, but this statement seems more frustration than fact. Northwestern has not dramatically increased football spending, upgraded facilities, brought in outside big name coaches, or built a new stadium in the past 10 years. They promoted an on-staff assistant to head coach and have been patient with him through good and bad years. They have plans (and may have broken ground???) on new training facilities, but that is not enough to bring them to this point.
Mr FFL I do not get your thought that "Tiller was his guy and many hated the decision at the time"? With the exception of game 1, (Holy Toledo) Tiller proved to be a winner from game 2 forward. The hatred you speak of must have been the "hate the bald crowd" because from the Notre Dame game forward, it was a fan love affair through the end of the Brees era. Tiller did more with his inheritance than most anyone of his predecessors. I recalll his 2nd and 3 recruiting classes were great as well.
I agree about their stadium, last week Teddy Greenspan had an article in the Tribune ranking BIG10 stadiums and he had RA dead last.
Greenstein is an NU alum and I don't recall him ever writing a positive sentence about Purdue. Regardless of the ranking criteria, he would bias toward NU and against PU.
Greenstein is a hack. I hate it when they have him on BTN. He's nothing more than a cheerleader for Northwestern. He also seems to like Wisky, and because he's in Chitown he rarely goes negative on Illinois. Even when they totally deserve it. You're right - he seems to be biased against Purdue.
Dang I hate it when we're so much in agreement.. where is the hate, where is the vitriol, where is the gnashing of teeth..
LongBoat get the credit..and you get the prize for giving the most academic answer...
Coulda, woulda, shoulda. IF we'd outscored our opponents in each game we'd be 5-0 right now.
I think NW has had three good coaches in a row (Gary Barnett, Randy Walker, Pat Fitzgerald) which has helped with recuiting and fanbase. I also think that their athetic department was an advocate for the football program, something that Purdue really has not had with Morgan Burke or Joe King.
