Was Mike Riley the Biggest Miss of the Post-Osborne Era?

PROGRAMMING NOTE: This episode was recorded nearly two months ago, prior to the passing of Dee Riley. We want to extend our sincere condolences to Mike Riley and his entire family on the loss of their wife, mother and grandmother. As both Brian and Brandon point out in the episode, Mike Riley is one of the nicest and best people they have worked with. He and Dee touched countless lives during their time in Lincoln, and our thoughts and prayers are with the Riley family.

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The Common Fans bring you Episode 4 of The Reckoning series. This episode, featuring long time Nebraska reporters Brian Christopherson and Brandon Vogel, focuses on the question: Was Mike Riley the Biggest Miss of the Post-Osborne Era?

The crew looks at:

• The very brief coaching search by then Athletic Director Shawn Eichorst as he quickly zeroed in on Riley.
• The challenging environment Riley walked into - a divided locker room, extremely high expectations, and the demand to win right away. 
• The 2016 season, when the Huskers got out to a 7-0 start and were ranked in the top 10 before the bottom fell out.
• The forced firing of Mark Banker, Riley's longtime friend and defensive coordinator, and the installation of Bob Diaco as DC.  
• The Riley team's recruiting efforts: Calibraska, Friday Night Lights, and more. 
• Biggest wins of the Riley era, including the 2015 Michigan State game and the 2016 Oregon game.
• The major turning points: the end of the 2016 season, and ultimately, the 2017 loss to Northern Illinois. 
• In the end, Riley was not the right fit for Nebraska, at a time when the Big Red really needed to get it right. 

Special thanks to Brandon Vogel of the Counter Read for joining the Common Fans for all of The Reckoning episodes. Make sure to check out www.counterread.com for Brandon's excellent coverage of Nebraska football, college football, and other Nebraska sports. 

And make sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel, www.youtube.com/@commonfangbr.

GBR for LIFE!