It. Does. Not. Matter.

[B.B. Hemingway]

2 minutes ago, knapplc said:

 

I know we would lose, and the only reason it would go better is I bet Day pulls his starters a LOT earlier. If Ohio State goes undefeated - which looks like the most likely scenario - they're going to the playoff. No way Day wants to risk a season-ending injury to anyone.

 

I think we can keep their backups under 48 points. 

 

On the way out of the stadium I heard a optimistic/delusional fan say "It would of been really hard beating them twice in a season, so maybe it's best to lose now and get them in the B1G Championship."

[KingBlank]

On 9/28/2019 at 10:03 PM, It'sNotAFakeID said:

I stated before the game that win or lose, the result of this game won't be as instructive as the results of other games this year.

 

As a program, Nebraska is 26-29 in their last 55 games. Ohio State is 53-6 in their last 59 games. Nebraska is trying to pull itself out of a funk created by inept coaching and dismal recruiting. Ohio State is transitioning its program from one of the best coaches and recruiters of all time, but is always supremely-talented. Justin Fields made Ohio State so much better than the team that scraped by Nebraska 36-31 last year. This was a mismatch. 

 

Anticipating this game and getting hyped for what it could mean was fun. But, honestly, we had more chance of winning the Powerball than beating Ohio State and thinking of the possibilities of winning was very similar to imagining what you would do with your jackpot winnings. Nebraska didn't win tonight and they looked awful. But they were playing Ohio State - who is going to make a lot of teams look awful. 

 

What's more instructive, and what will matter more, is how they play next week against Northwestern, the following week at Minnesota, against Indiana after the bye, and at Purdue the week after that. Those are the teams that, Nebraska will beat if they're as talented and well-coached as we think, and those are the wins that will signal a step forward from last year, albeit not as big a step as we want to take. 

 

Then another chance to prove ourselves will come when Wisconsin makes their way to Lincoln. Then another opportunity when Iowa visits on Black Friday. There are a lot of games left to be played, and the West is still left to be won. As a program, Nebraska is no further back than we were at the start of today. 48-7 hurts, as it should, but in the grand scheme, it's virtually meaningless. I hope the coaches and players learn what they can, focus on getting better, and move on to the next game. 

That is not true at all, every single game means something.  That is a terrible fan attitude and what has kept this program relevant in our own state is the exact opposite of that.   Every single play matters every single week.  Makes me half sick that this is an actual take. 

[swmohusker]

1 hour ago, KingBlank said:

That is not true at all, every single game means something.  That is a terrible fan attitude and what has kept this program relevant in our own state is the exact opposite of that.   Every single play matters every single week.  Makes me half sick that this is an actual take. 

In the grand scheme it doesnt mean much.  The loss to Michigan last year was worse, bc that Michigan team wasnt as good as this OSU team and most Husker fans felt pretty good by the end of the season.  It just solidifies the fact we are not a top tier team.  Not many realistic Husker fans thought we were a top tier team going into the year.  How you should judge this team is how we compete against the B1G West this year.   Can we stop the run against Iowa and Wiscy?  Can we win games we should win against NW, Minny, and Purdue?   If we can do that, then we made significant gains from where we were at last year.  

[Hooked on Huskers]

 

[It'sNotAFakeID]

4 hours ago, KingBlank said:

That is not true at all, every single game means something.  That is a terrible fan attitude and what has kept this program relevant in our own state is the exact opposite of that.   Every single play matters every single week.  Makes me half sick that this is an actual take. 

 

Well it won't surprise you that I disagree. 

 

That isn't to say I'm no less upset at the loss. I wanted so much for this game to be the moment Nebraska announced its return on the national stage. I'm pretty sure my reaction to the first half was just as negative as yours.

 

Media and fans alike were keen to point out Ohio State's stumbles in games like the one played last Saturday night. They lost 55-24 in Iowa City in 2017. They lost 49-20 in West Lafayette in 2018. Certainly monumental wins. But if you want to understand my point, you need to look at what happened for both programs after their victory. 

 

In 2017, Iowa would lose the next two games after that "monumental" win. They finished the regular season 7-5 and defeated Boston College in the Pinstripe Bowl. Purdue would lose 4 of their next 6 after conquering the Buckeyes, ending the year 6-7. 

 

So why, if this single game is perceived to be so meaningful, did wins by similar programs not propel them to the heights we thought Nebraska would reach had they won? Because college football is weird and random and the results of a single game do not mean much in the grand course of a season.

 

That's why this loss doesn't matter. Not because it was another embarrassment, but because it says nothing of Nebraska's ability to beat their next four opponents. 

 

I'd much rather see Nebraska beat the teams they're supposed to beat consistently than have a flash in the pan moment against a title contender every once in a while. And I think that's where progress starts. Build a consistent winner and then let the chips fall where they do against the big teams.

[It'sNotAFakeID]

3 hours ago, swmohusker said:

In the grand scheme it doesnt mean much.  The loss to Michigan last year was worse, bc that Michigan team wasnt as good as this OSU team and most Husker fans felt pretty good by the end of the season.  It just solidifies the fact we are not a top tier team.  Not many realistic Husker fans thought we were a top tier team going into the year.  How you should judge this team is how we compete against the B1G West this year.   Can we stop the run against Iowa and Wiscy?  Can we win games we should win against NW, Minny, and Purdue?   If we can do that, then we made significant gains from where we were at last year.  

 

Hell I just want Nebraska to beat all of Northwestern, Purdue, Minnesota, and Indiana.