Seems to me the national media has spent the last decade predicting and seemingly rooting for a Nebraska turnaround. It would be a good story, and we always seemed to be a piece or two away so it wasn't a bad bet. Even Kirk Herbstreit made Nebraska his sleeper pick a couple years ago.
But year after year we failed to live up to expectations. I don't think the 6-7 season hurt us in the eyes of prognosticators as much as going 7-0 last year, forcing our way into the Top 10, then proving the optimists wrong.
We've always gotten a little extra credit for being Nebraska, but I think it just ran out.
So we just have to win. Which is always the case.