So, Nebraska lost (again) today. I've lost any type of real emotional frustration win they lose. Growing up, losses were few and far between, so when we did lose, I'd be upset about it for days. After losing the 1994 Orange Bowl to Florida State for the national title, I didn't get over that loss until the next season started. Now? Nothing. I feel nothing. I'm upset but my day isn't ruined. It's just like "oh well, time to move on with my day".
I almost feel happy for the younger Husker fans who have no idea what domination looked like at Nebraska. The mounting losses don't feel as bad for them as they do for us older kids who lived through the best years in Husker history. From 1980, the year I was born, through 2001, the year we last played for a national title, Nebraska rocked a 232-40-1 record. That's an 85% winning percentage. We were 16 wins better than the next team over the course of those 21 years. From 2002 through today, we are 129-76.
Nebraska has lost as many games from 2009 through now as they did during the first 21 years of my life. We won 12 conference championships, played for 7 national championships and won 3 of those during those 21 years. Zeros across the board since then.
The last 15 years have been downright pathetic for Nebraska standards and I hope it changes soon. As much as I like Coach Mike Riley as a person and how he goes about running a program with integrity and positivity, he isn't cut out to bring us back to relevancy. We need new energy and need a guy who knows what it takes to win and win big at Nebraska. No other coach out there (that is realistically available) knows this more than Scott Frost. We need to open up the checkbook and bring him home as soon as possible. He is basically our last hope. If he cannot bring us back to the championship table, I do not know who can.
I fear we might become the next Minnesota. A once great and dominate college football program that is now average, at best. Alabama, Oklahoma, USC, Notre Dame, Penn State, Michigan and Ohio State have all had down times, some way worse than what Nebraska is currently experiencing and all have risen from the depths of mediocrity to become mainstays among the elites of college football.
Like our new athletic director, Bill Moos, said, look at the rankings 10 years ago...15 years ago...20 years ago...25 years ago...30 years ago...and compare them to 2017. For the most part, all the teams are the same. Who's absent? Nebraska. There is no reason why we cannot be back in these rankings regularly and there is no reason, with all the money and resources we have, that Nebraska should not be competing for division and conference titles almost every single year with a shot at a College Football Playoff spot once or twice in a 5 year period.
That's not an unrealistic expectation, is it? When is it our turn again? Will my kids see Nebraska dominate again or will I need to tell them stories for the rest of my days about the time Nebraska was the king of college football? It would be nice to enter a season again with the feeling we can win every, single game. I miss that feeling. It was a good feeling. The Nebraska brass need to find that feeling again.
I almost feel happy for the younger Husker fans who have no idea what domination looked like at Nebraska. The mounting losses don't feel as bad for them as they do for us older kids who lived through the best years in Husker history. From 1980, the year I was born, through 2001, the year we last played for a national title, Nebraska rocked a 232-40-1 record. That's an 85% winning percentage. We were 16 wins better than the next team over the course of those 21 years. From 2002 through today, we are 129-76.
Nebraska has lost as many games from 2009 through now as they did during the first 21 years of my life. We won 12 conference championships, played for 7 national championships and won 3 of those during those 21 years. Zeros across the board since then.
The last 15 years have been downright pathetic for Nebraska standards and I hope it changes soon. As much as I like Coach Mike Riley as a person and how he goes about running a program with integrity and positivity, he isn't cut out to bring us back to relevancy. We need new energy and need a guy who knows what it takes to win and win big at Nebraska. No other coach out there (that is realistically available) knows this more than Scott Frost. We need to open up the checkbook and bring him home as soon as possible. He is basically our last hope. If he cannot bring us back to the championship table, I do not know who can.
I fear we might become the next Minnesota. A once great and dominate college football program that is now average, at best. Alabama, Oklahoma, USC, Notre Dame, Penn State, Michigan and Ohio State have all had down times, some way worse than what Nebraska is currently experiencing and all have risen from the depths of mediocrity to become mainstays among the elites of college football.
Like our new athletic director, Bill Moos, said, look at the rankings 10 years ago...15 years ago...20 years ago...25 years ago...30 years ago...and compare them to 2017. For the most part, all the teams are the same. Who's absent? Nebraska. There is no reason why we cannot be back in these rankings regularly and there is no reason, with all the money and resources we have, that Nebraska should not be competing for division and conference titles almost every single year with a shot at a College Football Playoff spot once or twice in a 5 year period.
That's not an unrealistic expectation, is it? When is it our turn again? Will my kids see Nebraska dominate again or will I need to tell them stories for the rest of my days about the time Nebraska was the king of college football? It would be nice to enter a season again with the feeling we can win every, single game. I miss that feeling. It was a good feeling. The Nebraska brass need to find that feeling again.
