What a sad state of affairs we are in. Every other article about Nebraska football (possibly being kind) is about the firing of Mike Riley or the hiring of Scott Frost. Rumors abound, especially about Frost.

There are rumors that Frost has already been offered the job but has to respond by December 2^nd or 3rd depending upon which version you might've seen via text, social media, or smoke signal. There are rumors that Scott Frost won't come here – his wife has never lived in a cold weather state. There's a rumor that Frost was already offered the job when Dave Rimington was the interim A.D. There are so many rumors that there has to have been every variation covered by now.

There is even the line from Husker recruit Mario Goodrich indicating that Riley will not be fired and nor will Donte Williams.

There's also the rumor that not only will Mike Riley and his staff not be back next year but that the athletic department itself will see a massive purge.

The beauty about most rumors is that the ones you grab onto are the ones you want to believe. Confirmation bias, remember, isn’t just a myth. It’s who we are.

All the rumors are past the point you don't know what to believe anymore, so why bother? We will know most likely in a little more than two weeks… Which in real-life terms isn't that long, but when you're paying attention to it day by day, it's two more weeks that this program can devolve into even more of a shitshow than it already is.

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Is that too strong a condemnation? Because I don't think it is.

Go back to the beginning of the season and I made a case about why Bob Diaco (or any coach at Nebraska who isn’t the head coach) shouldn't be forced to talk to the media. I still think that's true – coaches can be good coaches without being good media people, just like you can be good at whatever it is that you do what about ever having to answer to the public. You can argue about whether or not it goes with the job description, but you are limiting the number of people you're going to allow to assume the coordinator position if that's the case.

Diaco sounds like a fool. His defense isn't good this year and it sounds like he's making excuses. Que our Nebraska media to contact the previous coach, Mark Banker, and stir the pot. Hence, a shitshow for clicks - at least that is one way to look at it. You could also make the case that the media is doing their job by presenting both sides to the tackling debate, and you could go back and forth about the issue.

There are two points that are more pertinent than who is right between Diaco and Banker, those two points being:

• Did someone within Nebraska’s administration dictate how the coaches would teach tackling?
• Are we going to see the same type of media orchestrated in the future, that is, when Nebraska does hire a new football coach will members of our media contact the former coaches to see if they can get their side of the story?

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Minnesota Events

There is a game going on this weekend! It’s up here in beautiful Minnesota!

The Minnesotans for Nebraska group is gathering at the Mall Of America on Friday evening as they have done in the past. They’ll have a pep band and since they’ll be meeting at a bar on the fourth floor there will be libations and food. I typically show up so it must be fun.

Note that the Minnesotans for Nebraska typically gather in three separate locations for Nebraska football games. These are the Lyons Pub in downtown Minneapolis, Joe Senser’s in Bloomington, and the Prairie Tap House in Eden Prairie. I typically do not get out to these events since I am concerned about the safety of others.

I have noticed Husker fans asking about places to go and typically what they mean is places to eat. Truth is, any restaurant in downtown Minneapolis is going to be a decent place to get food – you simply don’t survive down there if you run a poor restaurant.

It’s always interesting people request or recommend the same food they’d eat somewhere else. I have no idea why you’d come to Minnesota and get a good steak when you can get the same in Nebraska, for example.

Husker Fans to Gather Friday Night in Minnesota - Huskers.com - Nebraska Athletics Official Web Site
The Huskers Sports Network will be broadcasting live from downtown Minneapolis the night before Nebraska faces the Gophers.

$5 Bits of Broken Chair-ity Fundraiser Event - The Daily Gopher
The Chair makes its triumphant return

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Carriker Chronicles: Bill Moos on Mike Riley, Scott Frost, impressions of Nebraska and more | Carriker Chronicles | omaha.com

Especially in the Big Ten, I think the game hasn’t changed in a hundred years. You have to run the ball and stop the run.

Adam Carriker has done a great job with his videos and interviews. Bill Moos seems to be the anti-Eichorst. He does well with the media and so far he’s made the rounds although he has not come on the Big Red Cobcast.

A point though – it will be at least three years before we know whether or not he is straight talking or just saying all the things that we want to hear, such as the text I quoted above. The best in the business are typically those that are the best at saying the things you want to hear – just a word of caution.

NEWS

Lee expecting Lindsey to find great things due to his approach
Husker O-coordinator Langsdorf notes Lindsey is having a similar freshman season to other wideouts he's coached who eventually became big-time playmakers.

Nothing Extra: An Evaluation of Overtime Under Mike Riley | Hail Varsity
Nebraska has gone to overtime three times during the Mike Riley era. The Huskers' offense has a 0-percent success rate while Nebraska's opponents have yet to call a pass play.

Gordon Captures Fifth Gold Glove - Huskers.com - Nebraska Athletics Official Web Site
Gordon's five Gold Gloves were the most among all American League winners in 2017, and tied for the most among all 2017 MLB Gold Glove winners with Nolan Arenado (Colorado Rockies) and Jason Heyward (Chicago Cubs). Gordon, who made 135 starts in left field, four starts in center field and one start in right field in 2017, also won Gold Gloves in 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014.

‘Everything’s on the table’ — including academic programs — as NU campuses brace for cuts | Education | omaha.com
At UNL, Chancellor Ronnie Green has said he expects to make up to $8.5 million in cuts in the months to come. Proposals will go to the Academic Planning Committee on Nov. 15 and Dec. 6, said UNL spokesman Steve Smith. Cuts will go into effect in mid-2018.

How Brian Lewerke, Nathan Stanley took Big Ten by surprise | SI.com

After he lit up the Buckeyes for five touchdown passes, the word is getting out about Stanley: He has a sterling 22–4 touchdown-to-interception ratio, including 12 TDs and no picks in four games against ranked opponents this season.

In the past two weeks, Lewerke has thrown for 845 yards, including a fantastic 400-yard performance to upset No. 7 Penn State in miserable conditions last Saturday. He became just the third Big Ten quarterback in the last 20 years to throw for 400 yards in two consecutive games, joining Purdue’s Drew Brees and Northwestern’s C.J. Bacher. It’s like the Air Raid came to East Lansing.

BUT OH MY GOD WE HAVE TO RUN IN THIS CONFERENCE TO WIN IT. RUN RUN RUN RUN RUN. ESPECIALLY IN NOVEMBER WHEN THE WIND OH THE WIND AND THE COLD OH THE COLD.

MSU basketball: Are high expectations too high? Or just right? - The Only Colors
We look at both sides of the question

Getting to know Maryland: Michigan should dominate the Terrapins - Maize n Brew
Michigan is a much better team, now they have to go out and prove it

Michigan State has everything to gain Saturday against Ohio State - Land-Grant Holy Land
The Spartans come to town hoping to once again spoil Ohio State’s hopes of a conference championship.

Key Matchups: Illinois vs Indiana - The Champaign Room
The Illini must contain wideout Simmie Cobbs Jr. if they hope to end a losing streak.

Wisconsin football: Badgers forced to rely on young receivers in 2017 - Bucky's 5th Quarter
Injuries have forced youth into the forefront.

Michigan State vs. Ohio State: Basically the Big Ten East championship - SBNation.com
Yeah, it’s gonna be Wisconsin vs. the Ohio State-Michigan State winner, but that’s just one part.

UConn vs. UCF: Knights still poking fun at Civil ConFLiCT trophy - SBNation.com
"I've eliminated it from my mind," Diaco said via the Hartford Courant. "I put the experience in a chest, locked it, dumped it into the ocean and I threw away the key. That's the important thing. I've thrown the key away. I don't even know 'it" or what you're talking about. Because I've eliminated that whole painful part from my mind."

College Football Playoff rankings drastically underrate UCF - SBNation.com
The top-ranked non-power being a longshot? That’s fair. The top-ranked non-power annually having no hope at all? Getting pretty old.

Ric Flair's 30 for 30 ESPN documentary, Nature Boy, review - SBNation.com
Thirteen thoughts on the big, messy life of one of wrestling’s greats.

Woman gets accidentally added to soccer mom group chat and trolls them into self-destruction - SBNation.com
This is only funny when it doesn't happen to be your team and your kid.

Michigan State vs. Ohio State: Mark Dantonio smiles at being an underdog - SBNation.com
He won the last time his team was an underdog in Columbus.

Les Miles to Oregon State? Let’s at least consider the idea. - SBNation.com
One job Miles is apparently interested in: Oregon State’s. The Corvallis Gazette-Times reported Wednesday that “multiple sources” confirmed Miles’ interest. It’s not clear if Oregon State athletic director Scott Barnes shares Miles’ interest in the idea. Gary Andersen resigned in October and left $12 million in buyout money on the table.

Bob Costas on future of football: 'This game destroys people's brains'

“The reality is that this game destroys people’s brains," he said Tuesday night.

Speaking at a roundtable discussion at the University of Maryland, Costas, who hosted Football Night in America on NBC for more than a decade, said the sport could collapse over time, barring a development in technology to make it reasonably safe. He said the decline of football, which was once “a cash machine,” is the most significant story in American sports.

Do you think this is true? The future is doomed? The game destroys people’s brains?

Then There’s This

Alcohol and cancer: What does a '500% increase' in risk really mean? - HealthNewsReview.org

The NBC piece was produced by physician medical correspondent John Torres, MD — the latest in a long line of such MD-journalists at the network. But those MD credentials don’t seem to add much when it comes to reporting the news in a credible, nuanced fashion. We’ve cataloged many examples of problematic MD-journalist stories over the years at NBC and other networks.

The upshot: viewers who think an MD byline ensures the ultimate in accurate and balanced TV reporting should think again.

Healthcare reporting is pretty shady stuff these days, as in - Purposefully misleading.

U of Iowa responds to our criticism of oregano 'cure' -- and reveals a broken process for promoting its research - HealthNewsReview.org

Critics blast the University of Iowa for polices described as "utterly irresponsible" and "jumping the shark." We call for an investigation.

I linked this because they’re going after Iowa. WOOOOOOOOOO

Facebook tests combating revenge porn in Australia with nude photos
The pilot program offers to categorize photos a user is worried may be shared without their consent.

And This