Your irrational hatred for lifelong Huskers is noted. Also please note that the SOS for that year was ranked mainly between 30 and 40 and at least this site lists NU as 18th in the country that year. http://www.collegefootballpoll.com/2003_archive_computer_rankings.html Sagran had them at 23rd. Again, they take into account SOS.Or a schedule that easy either. NU beat zero ranked teams and lost badly to the three ranked teams that they did play. Frank's "staff" wasn't better, they played a historically easy schedule. How can it be considered a "good" staff when Barney is the OC?We haven't had a season with only 3 loses since then either.We live in a tops turvy world when people start thinking they know more about football than Osborne. I reckon these same people argue techniques with their brain surgeons too.
That said, me pointing out two (of many) examples of knowledgable people who thought it was a bad call isn't saying those two are infallible as much as just refuting a silly suggestion that it was a no brainer to fire Frank after he revamped his staff and went 9-3.
We haven't had a top to bottom group of assistants as good as the '03 staff since then.
http://espn.go.com/college-football/rankings/_/year/2003/seasontype/3
The funny thing is, when NU beats a team, it can knock them out of the rankings (e.g., that year, Oklahoma State finished just outside the top 25 in part because of their loss to NU).
It's what makes the "record against ranked opponents" potentially deceptive.
Anyway, applying your methodology, NU never played a tough schedule under Callahan, because I don't think he ever beat a team that finished ranked, did he? Certainly not in '07, which some claim was a very difficult schedule (though, by historical comparison, it wasn't.... Callahan just made those teams look real good and helped them on their way to rankings).