Mostly recruiting rankings. While far from perfect, they are the best gauge we have to compare programs. There is a reason there is a strong correlation between the teams in the Top 10 any given year and the teams in the Top 10 recruiting rankings the previous 4-5 years.
There are simply too many variables - and biases - to make an accurate judgement about the players based on what we see once they get on campus. Not the least of which is some coaches are very good at putting players in a position to succeed such that they can play "better" than their talent level would indicate (Wisconsin and Kansas State come to mind). Conversely, if coaches aren't putting players in a position to succeed, they may appear to be not very talented (I'll just stick to Banker as an example).
And all of that is before you get to things like injuries, academic issues and players being sent home for smoking dope.
According to 247's numbers, Nebraska has been in the mid-20s each of the last three years in talent on the roster - using rankings out of high school but adjusting for attrition. That usually means that we are at a talent deficit compared to one team on our schedule, similarly talented to 1-2 teams on our schedule and noticeably more talented than the rest of our schedule. I wouldn't say that is talented enough to win national championships. I'd say that's fringe talent for a B1G championship. But compared to our conference/schedule, I'd say we are talented.
There are simply too many variables - and biases - to make an accurate judgement about the players based on what we see once they get on campus. Not the least of which is some coaches are very good at putting players in a position to succeed such that they can play "better" than their talent level would indicate (Wisconsin and Kansas State come to mind). Conversely, if coaches aren't putting players in a position to succeed, they may appear to be not very talented (I'll just stick to Banker as an example).
And all of that is before you get to things like injuries, academic issues and players being sent home for smoking dope.
According to 247's numbers, Nebraska has been in the mid-20s each of the last three years in talent on the roster - using rankings out of high school but adjusting for attrition. That usually means that we are at a talent deficit compared to one team on our schedule, similarly talented to 1-2 teams on our schedule and noticeably more talented than the rest of our schedule. I wouldn't say that is talented enough to win national championships. I'd say that's fringe talent for a B1G championship. But compared to our conference/schedule, I'd say we are talented.
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