2. Mike Riley
Even with a more skilled team than Nebraska has had in years, former Oregon State head coach Mike Riley could not put together a double-digit win season. This is Riley’s third year as Nebraska’s head coach and the improvement that he saw with the Huskers in 2016 should allow him to keep his job for at least another season.
Riley had a brutal finish in his coaching career with the Beavers, posting losing records in four of his final five seasons in Corvallis. It was somewhat surprising when Nebraska decided to hire him before the 2015 season.
Seeing what Riley does with this Nebraska team will truly decide how worthy he is of coaching a blue blood program. The job he did at Oregon State started off good but started tailing off in 2009. Nebraska fans should hope the same does not happen during his tenure in Lincoln.