I don't usually post these kinds of things...

DaveH

DaveH

Team HuskerBoard
I found this elsewhere. I didn't want to put this in Husker Football, because I think these kinds of dicussions never end right.

HUSKER NATION'S SHORT-TERM MEMORY

I've noticed an interesting disconnect on this board between fans who came of age during the 1990s and those who have followed Husker football since the 1970s. Sadly, many of us believe that the true mark of a successful Husker program is the ability to consistently beat top ten teams. And so with #1 USC coming to town, we perk up, rub our hands together, and anticipate this big "test" for the Big Red.

I decided to compile a season by season analysis of NU football since

1973 when Osborne took over. I looked in particular at four criteria for each

season: (1) the record against teams ranked in the FINAL AP poll, (2) the record against teams ranked in the top ten of the FINAL AP poll, (3) the number of wins the Huskers had against opponents with losing records, and

(4) number of losses the Husker's sustained from teams with a losing record.

Osborne was 49-40 against ranked opponents (55%). He was 16-33 against top ten teams (33%). He only suffered one loss to a team with a losing record (Iowa State 1992).

Solich was 9-15 against ranked opponents (38%). He was 3-8 against top ten teams (27%). He suffered no losses to teams with losing records.

In his first three years Callahan was 1-6 against ranked opponents (14%). He was 0-3 against top ten teams (0%). He has suffered one loss to a team with a losing record (K-State 2005).

But here is where it gets very interesting. If one examines Osborne's record from 1973-1992, his numbers look far worse. During this period he was 31-37 against ranked opponents (46%), but more importantly, he was a pathetic 7-30 against top ten ranked teams (19%). From 1988-1992 we faced 9 top ten opponents and lost to all of them.

I don't bring this up to tarnish Osborne. On the contrary, he was one of the greatest coaches in college football history. My point, though, is that people who think we should be beating top ten teams regularly are living in a mid 1990s fantasyland. Osborne didn't beat a top ten team until his fifth year of coaching. His success was built upon beating lesser opponents and then taking a share of big games.

I also hate to say it, but if you go back and look at the Big 8 standings during those years, the conference had nowhere near the depth and balance that the Big 12 does today. You won't believe how many 1-10 seasons Kansas, Kansas St., and Iowa St. had back then. And yes, some of the best Husker teams have had squeakers against weak opponents.

So please, if we lose this week to USC, don't rush the board and declare that the Husker program isn't going anywhere. Only a handful of Husker teams from the past would be favored against the Trojans. The heart of Husker football was never going out and beating top ten teams-it was consistently getting the job done against teams we should beat. I can only imagine what would have happened if there were internet message boards in the 1970s and 1980s.
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My parents always told me about how Osborne "could never beat Oklahoma." This, of course, blew me away because Oklahoma was terrible for the better part of the 90s.

Now Callahan "needs to go" because he can't get a "signature win." Give me a break.

TO is lucky there wasn't an internet for people to register firetomosborne.com and get online petitions started.

 
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Yeah, I remember when I was a kid back in the late 70s. The consensus opinion of Osborne was that he couldn't win big games and that we should get another coach. It took Osborne a long time to win over the fans, and lot of those people are now calling him the greatest coach ever. There is a fine line between greatness and losing your job. When a coach shows promise, you have to have faith and give him time to succeed.

 
HuskerExpat said:
Yeah, I remember when I was a kid back in the late 70s. The consensus opinion of Osborne was that he couldn't win big games and that we should get another coach. It took Osborne a long time to win over the fans, and lot of those people are now calling him the greatest coach ever. There is a fine line between greatness and losing your job. When a coach shows promise, you have to have faith and give him time to succeed.
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Great post.

 
Nebraska fans just expect nothing but perfection. I am 24 years old, and losing more than 3 games a year was never talked about until Callahan came to town. I was, and still in favor of BC becoming the coach and I believe that he has this program heading into the right direction. It's just a matter of time to when Nebraska will be a top 5 team year in and year out. USC is going down!!!!!!!!!!

 
Of course, if Nebraska loses to USC tonight, we are going to hear exactly the same sort of cries from fans about Callahan that were said about Osborne in the 70s and 80s...

 
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