Are you even trying? Just using the AP Poll with P5 teams currently 50 or fewer wins above/below Nebraska and their results from 2005-2019 - which is 15 years exactly as I stated because it includes the entire time frame Nebraska has been excluded -
(a score of 12+=75%+):
aOSU: 13
Alabama: 13
Texas: 5
Notre Dame: 3
Oklahoma: 9
(Nebraska goes here at 0/15)
Penn State: 6
Going with the median of teams not named Nebraska gives you 7.5/15.
Going with the mean of teams not named Nebraska gives you 8.2/15.
If you include Michigan (+more than 50), 2, and USC, 6, and Tennessee, 0, (-50, but not -60):
Median: 6
Mean: 6.3
Including Nebraska:
Median: 5.5
Mean: 5.7
I'm not a rocket scientist, but I see Bama and aOSU at over 75%. If you extrapolate far enough nobody is at 75%, which is why just competing in your weight bracket carries significance.
Accordingly, Nebraska should have had at least 5 Top-10 finishes just to be an average team in its win range in the last 15 years. The Huskers, like the Volunteers, are in need of a prolonged rebuild to get back on track.
If you need anymore help breaking down Nebraska and its roughly 15-year step away from the spotlight, I got you. You're gonna love it when Frost orchestrates a little regression to the mean, too. GBR.
these data do not include the 2019 season - data is exclusive to blue blood programs
I defined an elite season as minimum finishing in the top 10 or a NY6 bowl
Our last elite season was in 2001
Listed is what other blue blood programs have accomplished since that time (2001)
Texas - 7 top 10s, 5 major bowls, 1 nat title
USC - 9 top 10s, 9 major bowls, 2 nat titles
Alabama - 12 top 10s, 9 major bowls, 5 nat titles
Michigan - 5 top 10s, 6 major bowls
OSU - 15 top 10s, 14 major bowls, 2 nat titles
ND - 3 top 10s, 5 major bowls
OU - 11 top 10s, 13 major bowls
Penn State - 5 top 10s, 4 major bowls
Nebraska is the only program without an elite season in the past 5 years
Nebraska is the only program without an elite season in the past 10 years
Nebraska is the only program without an elite season in the past 15 years
when it comes to blue bloods and winning we hear things are cyclical quite often
List of longest streaks (cycles) without a top ten finish or major bowl appearance by a blue blood (+ Penn State)
1960 - current
Michigan - 4 years
Alabama - 5 years
OSU - 6 years
USC - 7 years
ND - 7 years
Texas - 8 years
PSU - 8 years
OU - 12 years
Nebraska - 17 years and counting
we are hoping that Frost gets us back to that elite status ... it didn't take very long for other blue bloods when they got their coach
Blue Blood programs and time to elite status. In parenthesis is the number of wins the program had in the 3 years prior to being hired. Jury is out for some - Harbaugh and Herman. Urban took over a team already performing at an elite level so I did not include him. Kept the list to the 90s onward.
Of the 10 coaches listed (not including Frost)
6/10 - elite season in year 2
9-10/10 - elite season by year 3 - can debate Mack Brown
6/9 had won a national title by yr 3 (excluded Herman)
7/9 had played for a national title (above 6 + Kelly)
Blue Blood + Great Coach = elite program by years 2-3 (modern era)
Mack Brown - yr 3 - 7 -1 in conference top 15 -- yr 4 top 10 - (22 combined wins the 3 yrs prior)
Tom Herman - year 2 NY6 win -- (16 wins 3 yrs prior)
Pete Carrol - year 2 top 5 -- Nat Title yrs 3-4 -- (19 wins the prior 3 yrs)
Lloyd Carr - year 3 nat title (25 wins prior 3 years)
Jim Harbaugh - year 2 - top 10 + major bowl (20 wins the prior 3 years)
Jim Tressel - year 2 nat title (25 wins the prior 3 years)
Bob Stoops - year 2 - nat title (12 wins the prior 3 years)
Lou Holtz - year 3 national title (19 wins the prior 3 years)
Brian Kelly - year 3 nat title game (16 wins the prior 3 years)
Nick Saban - year 2 ranked 6th - year 3 nat title (22 wins the prior 3 years)
Scott Frost - ????????????? (19 wins the prior 3 years)