It's O.K. to expect the best!

[bhamHusker]

Others have said as much, but it's worth repeating. It's perfectly OK to want those things - every fan should, but to expect them is just irrational. Expectations have to be grounded in reality based on so many factors. If you expect these things every year, you're just setting yourself up for disappointment.

 

[CornHunka]

As a Nebraska fan I find it irritating when fans are down on Nebraska. No matter the season, no matter the level of talent, no matter what I think the football teams realistic capabilities are and despite how I might express that to others, when I sit down to watch a game I expect Nebraska to win it. No matter the fo. Call me unrealistic, call me a homer, call me delusional I still expect perfection. I think it's fine to have expectations of greatness every season. This is after all Nebraska and we should expect nothing less than the best every season.

Expectations I have for every season.

Win Every game.

Win the Conference Championship

Win the actual National Championship (not the mythical one)

A minimum of 1 all American team member.

A minimum of 3 all conference team members.

Humiliation of rivals and their fans.

Some of you may think this is too much to ask but like Steve Pedersen falsely claimed, I actually do refuse to accept mediocrity. So I'm never " happy" with a nine win season. I will admit it better than an 8 win season, but the only true happiness is winning them all.

AMEN BROTHER!!!

 

[Foppa]

As a Nebraska fan I find it irritating when fans are down on Nebraska. No matter the season, no matter the level of talent, no matter what I think the football teams realistic capabilities are and despite how I might express that to others, when I sit down to watch a game I expect Nebraska to win it. No matter the fo. Call me unrealistic, call me a homer, call me delusional I still expect perfection. I think it's fine to have expectations of greatness every season. This is after all Nebraska and we should expect nothing less than the best every season.

Expectations I have for every season.

Win Every game.

Win the Conference Championship

Win the actual National Championship (not the mythical one)

A minimum of 1 all American team member.

A minimum of 3 all conference team members.

Humiliation of rivals and their fans.

Some of you may think this is too much to ask but like Steve Pedersen falsely claimed, I actually do refuse to accept mediocrity. So I'm never " happy" with a nine win season. I will admit it better than an 8 win season, but the only true happiness is winning them all.

Yes it is okay to expect the best. But if the only way you derive true happiness is from Nebraska winning all their games then you're rarely going to be happy. If winning all the games were easy we'd be Boise State.

:clap

Although that could change now that they're planning on playing in the scary Big East...

:rollin

 

[NUinID]

For me NU is getting back to where they should be. My expectations are that we should at least have a 50/50 chance to win every game they play. I think BP has brought NU back to that point. So many of you guys came of age during the run in the 90's and all you can remember is NU being completely dominant.

Well it was not always that way. In the 70's and 80's Nebraska was always very good and could really beat up on lesser teams. That is the real difference between then and now. There were a lot fewer haves and a lot of have nots. Unless you lived through it you just don't understand. In the 80's KU, KSU, MU, ISU, and for a lot of the time OSU, and CU until the late 80's were awful. I mean really bad. Go look up their records. KSU went years where they only one 1-2 games. One year in the 80's KU and KSU the only win the other team had was against the other. All of those games were gimmies on NU's record.

What's my point? My point is that back in the 70's and 80's there really were only about 10 teams that were really good year in and year out. In the 70's it was OU, USC, Alabama, Michigan, ND, Nebraska, OSU, PSU, UCLA sometimes thats about it. In the 80's you had PSU, FSU, Miami, Nebraska, Michigan, Washington, ND at the tell end of 80's they sucked for about 5 years, OU, UCLA and that is about it. I am sure I have missed some team but that is pretty close. USC was really very average for about 20 years before PC.

Look at all the good teams now OU, OKie Light, Texas, USC, Oregon, VaTech, Alabama, LSU, Florida, OSU, PSU, Michigan, Mich St. Georgia, BSU, Nebraska. Now think of all the teams that arn't gimmies. How many gimmies in the Big 10? Maybe Indiana and Minnesota? HOw bout the SEC? None right now.

It is a lot tougher to be really good than it used to be. I don't look at NU's scedule and see any game they can't win. I also don't see a lot of gimmies. That what makes it fun.

 

[HuskerLuke]

I'm with NUinID above. If we achieve the following, I'll be happy:

1. No more embarassing meltdowns in big games that make us look far worse than we are.

2. No more mindblowing losses to inferior teams at home.

3. Go into every game with the mindset: "If Nebraska plays like it can, we'll be just fine."

I think we've already got #3. #'s 1 and 2 are my only reservations about the current regime. If/when they get that figured out (and I think they will), then sign Bo up for life. The 90's are gone and aren't coming back. But if we can get to the point where we were in Osborne's first 20 years, looking at the schedule, see 7-8 games where we're heavily favored and then hanging tough in the remaining 4-5 games, sooner or later the stars will align and we'll be looking at a 1 or 0 loss season.

 

[MT949597]

Nebraska fans should expect more from their program and why shouldn't they...

 

[It'sNotAFakeID]

Every fan should expect those things. It's the absolute overboard meltdown that goes on here when we don't get what we expect that's the crazy thing.

 

[MT949597]

Every fan should expect those things. It's the absolute overboard meltdown that goes on here when we don't get what we expect that's the crazy thing.

Can't you aruge at time it's justified?

 

[sd'sker]

i just want the kids to have fun.

really, i do not want the team to get embarrassed (wiscy, mich.) and beat the teams they should beat (nw).

 

[gin_32]

It's a matter of expectation versus desire. Every fan of any team wants the things you mentioned and I don't fault anyone for it. Given Nebraska's history you could even go so far as to say that, broadly speaking, you should expect those things to happen frequently however I'd say that there are only two or three fanbases that can reasonably expect those things this year as in they see them as being very likely to happen. None of those teams are in the Big Ten.

Thanks Bucky for sharing your opinion on this post. However, I totally agree with the OP, you see....being a US Veteran and serving overseas, certain things I miss....Husker football was near the top. I do believe that Nebraska has the ability to beat any team. They will make mistakes and might fall behind but I expect the best out my team. Some call it arrogant....I call it pride for a team that I will loose faith. Yes, I will get mad if they make mistakes, but I will never expect the least....I expect the best of the young men that play this game. Being Adopted 34 years ago from El Salvador makes me appreciate this countrry more and find a grasp of something that I can call home. The Huskers gives me that feeling.....I do believe this Big Ten Team can win...even if you don't believe in your own team

 

[JJ Husker]

I'm with NUinID above. If we achieve the following, I'll be happy:

1. No more embarassing meltdowns in big games that make us look far worse than we are.

2. No more mindblowing losses to inferior teams at home.

3. Go into every game with the mindset: "If Nebraska plays like it can, we'll be just fine."

I think we've already got #3. #'s 1 and 2 are my only reservations about the current regime. If/when they get that figured out (and I think they will), then sign Bo up for life. The 90's are gone and aren't coming back. But if we can get to the point where we were in Osborne's first 20 years, looking at the schedule, see 7-8 games where we're heavily favored and then hanging tough in the remaining 4-5 games, sooner or later the stars will align and we'll be looking at a 1 or 0 loss season.

I boil it down to one simple thing; I want them to play up to their ability. When they don't, I get down on them a little. When they do, I am happy. The W-L record or championships have very little to do with it. If they play to their ability it will almost always take care of eliminating embarrassing meltdowns and mindblowing losses. I may not be real happy if they play great and still lose but at least I understand that the better team won the game and I view that as better than playing poorly and getting a W over an inferior opponent. Execution is what I want to see. If you get that, those other things will take care of themselves 99% of the time.

 

[NUinID]

I'm with NUinID above. If we achieve the following, I'll be happy:

1. No more embarassing meltdowns in big games that make us look far worse than we are.

2. No more mindblowing losses to inferior teams at home.

3. Go into every game with the mindset: "If Nebraska plays like it can, we'll be just fine."

I think we've already got #3. #'s 1 and 2 are my only reservations about the current regime. If/when they get that figured out (and I think they will), then sign Bo up for life. The 90's are gone and aren't coming back. But if we can get to the point where we were in Osborne's first 20 years, looking at the schedule, see 7-8 games where we're heavily favored and then hanging tough in the remaining 4-5 games, sooner or later the stars will align and we'll be looking at a 1 or 0 loss season.

I boil it down to one simple thing; I want them to play up to their ability. When they don't, I get down on them a little. When they do, I am happy. The W-L record or championships have very little to do with it. If they play to their ability it will almost always take care of eliminating embarrassing meltdowns and mindblowing losses. I may not be real happy if they play great and still lose but at least I understand that the better team won the game and I view that as better than playing poorly and getting a W over an inferior opponent. Execution is what I want to see. If you get that, those other things will take care of themselves 99% of the time.

Well see that is the problem. No football team brings their A game every week it just doesn't happen. As I said earlier there are a lot fewer gimmies on anyone's schedule. If you don't bring your A game you have a chance to get beat. Nebraska lost to NW because NW was good enough that if the other team doesn't bring the A game and they do than it will be a dog fight. Nebraska under TO played plenty of games where they didn't play that great, but the competition was so bad that they didn't need their A game to win. It is just a different world in College football than it used to be.

 

[JJ Husker]

I'm with NUinID above. If we achieve the following, I'll be happy:

1. No more embarassing meltdowns in big games that make us look far worse than we are.

2. No more mindblowing losses to inferior teams at home.

3. Go into every game with the mindset: "If Nebraska plays like it can, we'll be just fine."

I think we've already got #3. #'s 1 and 2 are my only reservations about the current regime. If/when they get that figured out (and I think they will), then sign Bo up for life. The 90's are gone and aren't coming back. But if we can get to the point where we were in Osborne's first 20 years, looking at the schedule, see 7-8 games where we're heavily favored and then hanging tough in the remaining 4-5 games, sooner or later the stars will align and we'll be looking at a 1 or 0 loss season.

I boil it down to one simple thing; I want them to play up to their ability. When they don't, I get down on them a little. When they do, I am happy. The W-L record or championships have very little to do with it. If they play to their ability it will almost always take care of eliminating embarrassing meltdowns and mindblowing losses. I may not be real happy if they play great and still lose but at least I understand that the better team won the game and I view that as better than playing poorly and getting a W over an inferior opponent. Execution is what I want to see. If you get that, those other things will take care of themselves 99% of the time.

Well see that is the problem. No football team brings their A game every week it just doesn't happen. As I said earlier there are a lot fewer gimmies on anyone's schedule. If you don't bring your A game you have a chance to get beat. Nebraska lost to NW because NW was good enough that if the other team doesn't bring the A game and they do than it will be a dog fight. Nebraska under TO played plenty of games where they didn't play that great, but the competition was so bad that they didn't need their A game to win. It is just a different world in College football than it used to be.

It's not a problem for me. Realistically, I don't expect them to win every week or even to play at 100% peak each and every week. However, I do expect them to show up and not look like some div II school. I agree there are fewer gimies and there is a lot more parity than in the good ole days but, I don't think it is that much of a different CF world. There were plenty of teams back in the TO days that could've knocked us off if we weren't prepared or if we didn't play well. The biggest difference is that I believe those TO teams were prepared a little better and did perform better week in and week out. Most notably, the line play was almost always above reproach. If you dominate the LOS, you can win a lot of games even when other aspects of the team are off. I expect things like the NW game last year will happen from time to time. That game did not bother me near as much as the Wiscy or Michigan games or even the Wyoming game. Like I said, the wins and losses and titles don't mean near as much to me as it does for the team and coaches to show up and play ball at the level of their capability.