Nebraska IS back!

[skersfan]

Being back to me is having every team on the scheduled dreading to play us. Knowing they have a good chance of losing when they set foot on the field.

 

One game does not make a return.

 

Are we headed in the right direction to make a return to me is the question. I think we are, but the task is still at hand. Thinking we are back makes little difference until the proof is there. There is no proof of return at this point, just a mind set by fans that will buy anything at this point in time.

 

We have a good coach that is making his way through the learning stages. He has done a good job this year, but by losing to Iowa State, the coment being back just does not ring well.

 

Did we make strides over the last few weeks of the season, yes. We will have a little better idea of where we are after tomorrow night. If Texas whips Alabama and does it big time, we have made major steps. If they get killed, the steps are not so great.

 

Texas beat Oklahoma State, who got embarassed by Oklahoma and Ole Miss. They really played no one else this year. How they fare says a lot about our return. They are ranked high, but is Texas a good barometer, was Arizona?

 

Going into the game with Arizona they looked pretty good, but with the failure of the Pac 10 in bowl games how good were they?

 

Just looking at things with comon sense and not through the Husker glasses.

 

Being back to me means not worrying about every team with a pulse. I did it every game this year, as I will next year is my guess. When I think we have a better than average chance of winning most of our games I will think we are back, not there yet.

[HuskerT]

Let's start with a conference title

I'm still waiting for that elusive signature win.

[huskermaniac]

It's not really our perception that defines it. The outside world does. We can think we're a decent offense away from being back but the other teams are starting to fear our defense. I started feeling the same way about miami this season until they got whooped by VT. Pick the one game on the schedule that concerns you most next season. You better believe we're on a few teams' lists.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Being "back" is a mindset.

 

Yes. A mindset that has been missing, the numbers and stats people are looking for will follow.. Kind of what i got from "Nebraska is back."

 

You guys get my point!

[chamrocck]

The mindset of being back is definitely getting there. I won't say we are truly back until we win the conference championship and/or win a BCS bowl. That is what we need to be doing consistently every year and having the chance to do every year...if we do this, we will have our cracks at the crystal football and will be "back" for good. Next season is a big opportunity.

[REDSTEEL]

Being back to me is having every team on the scheduled dreading to play us. Knowing they have a good chance of losing when they set foot on the field.

One game does not make a return.

 

Are we headed in the right direction to make a return to me is the question. I think we are, but the task is still at hand. Thinking we are back makes little difference until the proof is there. There is no proof of return at this point, just a mind set by fans that will buy anything at this point in time.

 

We have a good coach that is making his way through the learning stages. He has done a good job this year, but by losing to Iowa State, the coment being back just does not ring well.

 

Did we make strides over the last few weeks of the season, yes. We will have a little better idea of where we are after tomorrow night. If Texas whips Alabama and does it big time, we have made major steps. If they get killed, the steps are not so great.

 

Texas beat Oklahoma State, who got embarassed by Oklahoma and Ole Miss. They really played no one else this year. How they fare says a lot about our return. They are ranked high, but is Texas a good barometer, was Arizona?

 

Going into the game with Arizona they looked pretty good, but with the failure of the Pac 10 in bowl games how good were they?

 

Just looking at things with comon sense and not through the Husker glasses.

 

Being back to me means not worrying about every team with a pulse. I did it every game this year, as I will next year is my guess. When I think we have a better than average chance of winning most of our games I will think we are back, not there yet.

 

Yes, that when you'll know Nebraska back is when teams enter the game thinking they already lost before the first snap. After the first mistake and their already done.

 

To having teams coming into Lincoln and thinking they had a chance to win in the last 6 years was almost unbearable.

 

[helu4heisman]

 

(Nebraska fans getting ready to release the balloon)

 

We have to beat a Top 10 team to be "Back" IMO

 

 

I agree totally! In order to be back we need to beat a Top 10 team. We will have the chance next year and if and when we do, we will be back!

[carlfense]

We truly did not beat anyone this year.

 

Really?

Oklahoma. (I don't care that they were down. That was a HUGE win for the program.)

Missouri.

Arizona.

 

If we didn't beat "anyone" this year, most teams did not beat anyone. We'll probably end the season ranked around 15.

 

Edit: Not to mention being about 6 points from 13-1 . . . and 1 second away from Big 12 champions. I think Nebraska fans have a good reason to be excited. We are closer to the top than we have been for years . . . and we seem to be heading up.

[knapplc]

"Back" or "not Back yet" is so unquantifiable that it's a never-ending debate. Maybe when we've won two out of three MNCs or something like that everyone will agree that we're "Back," but short of that we're always going to have people saying we are or we aren't.

 

Maybe the easier thing to say is, we're on our way to being back. We've got some swagger (the most over-used phrase in college football commentary right now), and our kids are believing we could/should win every game, regardless of opponent. That's a huge step.

 

Another huge step is national buzz. We're being talked about again like I haven't seen since the 2001 season. Not even in the Solich firing/Callahan meltdown years have we gotten so much press, only this time, it all seems to be good.

 

Here's just one example I ran across today. CNN/SI have their MNC section of stories all written up by Stewart Mandel and Andy Staples. Of the eight or nine articles, five of them mention Nebraska prominently, and all in a good way:

 

BCS Title Game Preview

 

* MANDEL: Five reasons 'Bama will win

* STAPLES: Five reasons Texas will win

* MANDEL: Will Heisman curse hit Ingram?

* STAPLES: UT O-line must protect McCoy

* MANDEL: The one thing in Texas' way

 

That's the kind of buzz we haven't had since the Golden Era in the mid- to late-90s.

 

Does that mean we're "Back?" Probably not. But it's a step in the right direction.

[junior4949]

We truly did not beat anyone this year.

 

Really?

Oklahoma. (I don't care that they were down. That was a HUGE win for the program.)

Missouri.

Arizona.

 

If we didn't beat "anyone" this year, most teams did not beat anyone. We'll probably end the season ranked around 15.

 

Edit: Not to mention being about 6 points from 13-1 . . . and 1 second away from Big 12 champions. I think Nebraska fans have a good reason to be excited. We are closer to the top than we have been for years . . . and we seem to be heading up.

 

 

None of those teams mentioned will finish the season ranked.

[skersfan]

Names do not mean squat. If they are not ranked, they are not playing to the level they once did.

 

I know Oklahoma fell on hard times this year, and are a way better team than their record. But they lost to every ranked team they played other than Okie Lite.

 

They beat Stanford, but beating a pac 10 team somehow after the bowl season does not seem as important. I think SC was the only one to win correct.

 

We are grabbing at straws it seems to me. Lets give it the time to really turn the corner before we start sounding like delusional Nebraska fans.

 

I am excited that Bo feels we are back, and I think he is right, it just has not been proven, and until it is, I am in the Show me the Money Boat.

 

Again we beat absolutely no one this year, and the one team we are hanging our hat on beat Okie Lite. If Texas is for real, can play with the SEC champ, then we will have more proof of our movement.

 

Right now I think Texas will give Alabama a game. But if it turns into a rout, how good was our competition?

 

To be back we have to be able to beat the best, we did not do that this year. Period.

 

Carlfense,

 

Not saying we should not be excited. I was on top of the world when Bo made his coments, because he just does not do that type of thing. But saying and delivering are two different things.

 

When we do it on the field, then we are back. We have not done, no matter how close it was.

[junior4949]

UCLA won, but it wasn't really very impressive.

[skersfan]

Yea thats right they beat Temple correct?

 

I am not being negative in any way. I think we are on our way, but I want to see results before I say it is done deal. I think we will see a much better team next year. I love the fire and determination the team displays. And I am sure the kids believe they are back or very close to it. And that attitude will help no question.

[carlfense]

We truly did not beat anyone this year.

 

Really?

Oklahoma. (I don't care that they were down. That was a HUGE win for the program.)

Missouri.

Arizona.

 

If we didn't beat "anyone" this year, most teams did not beat anyone. We'll probably end the season ranked around 15.

 

Edit: Not to mention being about 6 points from 13-1 . . . and 1 second away from Big 12 champions. I think Nebraska fans have a good reason to be excited. We are closer to the top than we have been for years . . . and we seem to be heading up.

 

 

None of those teams mentioned will finish the season ranked.

At least partially because WE beat them. Arizona wins, they end up ranked 15ish. Oklahoma wins . . . they could well be ranked. Missouri wins . . . 9 wins . . . probably ranked 20 something.

 

Edit: I guess I'm saying that they were ranked before we beat them. Had they beat us they would have moved up further.

[HuskerBruin]

[rawhide-jr]

While I still believe the '95 Huskers are the best team of all time, I think the competition and parity did not exist in that time, as it does now... Back then you had a handful of guarenteed conference champions. Now it's anybodys game because everyone has great players and everyone has great coaches.

 

Have we won a National Championship or Conference Championship? No. Can we compete with the best teams in the nation? Yes. Do teams now fear the Blackshirts? Yes. Do teams come to Lincoln expecting a win? No.

 

I believe we are back. The competition is a lot stiffer, so I don't expect an undefeated season (especially with the parity in the Big 12). My definition of "back" is simple: We can compete with anyone, anywhere; And we are feared by those who have to play us.