Nebraska: The Spoiled, not the Spoiler

[GM_Tood]

So if you're the higher ranked team 90% of the time, you get upset more than you do the upsetting. This is a second-grade math problem.

 

-insert Anchorman quote here-

[VA Husker Fan]

So if you're the higher ranked team 90% of the time, you get upset more than you do the upsetting. This is a second-grade math problem.

Except that's not the point being made at all. WHEN we are in the position of being a spoiler, we haven't done too well.

[JTrain]

Undefeated and 7th ranked Missouri is coming to town to take on our 14th ranked Huskers. The opportunity to knock off a Top 10 team comes around once or twice a season, but how often is it that Nebraska plays the role of spoiler in that a Husker team ranked below 10th has defeated an opponent ranked 10th or higher? I did a little research, and think I found the answer.

 

Bo Pelini hasn't done it yet. Last week's victory over then #14 Oklahoma State was the highest ranked opponent he has defeated since becoming head coach.

 

Bill Callahan? Yeah, definitely didn't happen.

 

Frank Solich? Surely he had some spoilers. Nope. Nebraska was usually ranked higher than 10th at the prime of his coaching career in 1999-2001, but after that, no victories against 10th ranked teams or better.

 

So yes, the last time a Nebraska team ranked lower than 10th defeated a team ranked higher than 10th was during the Osborne era. So it had to have happened during our decade of dominance in the 1990's, yes? No. Nebraska was seldom ranked below 10th during the 1990's. And in the seldom times they weren't ranked that high, they would get dominated by either an Oklahoma team or in a bowl game. The 80's? Nope.

 

The last time this phenomenon occurred was October 22, 1977 against 7th ranked Colorado. The #18 Husker team licking its wounds from an Iowa State upset the week prior took down the Buffalos 33-15.

 

Blame many things for this long streak continuing. The fact Nebraska was in the Top 10 for many weeks of this streak doesn't help, but there are also many weeks Nebraska was not in the Top 10 and had a chance to break the streak. The most recent opportunity was last year's game against Texas. Who, by the way, have done this to the Huskers four times since the Big 12 started. Since the 1977 win versus Colorado, a sub-10th ranked Nebraska team has had 12 chances to end this streak. The streak has seen some good games and others that were just lousy. Yes, the Huskers played tough against those high-ranked Longhorns last year. The Texas Tech game in 2008 went into OT. The 2006 Texas game was also victory within our grasp. And in 1998, Nebraska was a blind referee missing Eric Crouch getting his head twisted 270 degrees by Kansas State from possibly ending the streak.

 

 

 

 

It is time Nebraska ended this streak. They can do that with a victory over Missouri--in my opinion, a very winnable Missouri team.

 

All interesting data, but I don't think a win Saturday ends the streak. Yes they are ranked a little higher than us, but it's real tough to call yourself the spoiler as a 7.5-point favorite. I mean, I guess we're "spoiling" their (slim) chance at a national title, but still...