My son-in-law is the sports editor for the Falls City Journal. Yesterday I read his article picking the Husker games for the upcoming season. He has the Huskers going 9-3 and at worst 7-5. I was a little surprised because typically he doesn’t allow himself to get that stoked before the season. Evidently, he likes the Rhule-Aid. But as I reviewed his picks, I realized something. I can’t pick against the Huskers.
Do I think they can win them all? I’ll say no, because it’s unrealistic for me to think otherwise. But every game I look at, I tell myself that if they play like I think they are capable of, they’ll win. Do I worry about Colorado? Yes and no.
Do I think Rutgers will be a snot knocker? Yes.
Am I the only one concerned about Indiana and believe that they will be undefeated when Nebraska goes there? Probably.
Ohio State? If the Huskers are 7-0 going into that game like several people think, who knows? And once that Husker train gets rolling?
USC, Wisconsin, and Iowa? We can compete with USC, and we should have beat Wisconsin and Iowa last year. I believe the days of of giving games away are past us.
In reviewing, I can honestly say this is the most pivotal Husker season in my lifetime.
That’s sounds extreme. But it’s true. From 1970 to 2001 I witnessed 31 consecutive winning seasons with a record of 339-60-3 and 5 national championships. Since 2001 Nebraska has had 12 winning seasons with a record of 153-123. Until last season we were still plummeting, going 38-56 under Riley and Frost.
For years I never doubted Nebraska would compete for conference championships and occasionally national championships. Then it happened. The perfect storm brought Nebraska’s downfall.
The storm was coming whether we were ready or not. There always was a rebuild on Nebraska’s horizon, it just came early with Osborne’s retirement and Solich trying to replace an aging staff. Throw in a couple of bungling AD’s and bad fit coaches, along with a move to the BIG 10 and the storm clouds of change moved in. Then came the four-team college football playoffs and naturally, Nebraska was never close.
Nebraska’s success throughout the 90’s made them an easy target for the BIG 10 and national media. After being bullied by Texas in the BIG 12 and joining the BIG 10 at a discounted payday we looked desperate and were treated as such. We couldn’t catch a break, and it occasionally felt like our new conference worked at making sure we didn’t.
But through it all Nebraska kept their status. Even with the bowl game drought, the national media still wants to make it a big deal when someone beats Nebraska. If you don’t believe that, look at Colorado last year. After beating Nebraska and being 2-0, they acted as if they had beaten a Nebraska team from the 90’s.
Enter Matt Rhule and a New Era in College Football
Rhule stated upon his arrival, “The first thing you want to do to build a building; you gotta dig, and you have to go down. You actually have to go the wrong way to go the right way, and not everyone’s willing to do that, especially nowadays with NIL, the portal, and all that.”
Rhule may say I’m full of it, but the digging and going down work had already been done when he got here. He started with the foundation that Devaney and Osborne laid on top of bedrock. That foundation was all that kept Nebraska from going into a complete freefall. It’s what prevented us from becoming Kansas State from 1985 to 1989. They were a dismal 4-50-1 including Bill Snyders first year. Without predecessors like Devaney and Osborne and what they built, that could have easily been Nebraska.
The fan base is part of that Devaney Osborne foundation. They never gave up hope. Without them there would be no record for consecutive home sellouts. And how in the world does a program in the middle of a 38-56 record build the hundred-and fifty-million-dollar Osborne Legacy Complex without a dedicated fan base. It’s all due to the foundation that remained while the winning went away.
But I’m all in. This year feels different. It is different. We have a generational quarterback, more returning experience and young talent than we’ve had in years. A team that is hungry and has bought in and believes they can win. We have a workable schedule and a coaching staff I’ll put up against anyone.
Does that translate into wins? I believe so. Rhule has brought hope and excitement back to Nebraska football. The changes within the BIG 10 conference feel right as well. And with the expanded twelve-team playoff, it’s no longer unrealistic to believe Nebraska has a shot.
If you were to ask any one of the Husker players which game they will win or lose, they would tell you, “We’re taking it one game at a time.” But in their hearts, they believe they can win them all. How could they think otherwise? How can I think otherwise?
