Let's say, just for kicks, Nebraska had beaten South Carolina in the Capital One Bowl.
Imagine the euphoria among Husker fans. Imagine the spike in expectations for the program. Top five, here we come!
Of course, Nebraska lost 30-13, and the shrill anti-Bo Pelini voices have had a heyday. They say his program is headed in the wrong direction. They see NU as a team that too often falls apart in games.
Welcome to college football, a land of wild mood swings.
"I tell our team, 'If you buy into that stuff, you run the risk of being the same way, of being too up-and-down, and you can't be that way,'" said Pelini, whose team begins spring practice Saturday. "It's about consistency."
He tries to drive home that notion. It's critical to do so.
"Especially here," said Pelini, noting that fans tend to fixate on a team's record (Nebraska was 9-4 overall, 5-3 in the Big Ten Conference last season). "Most everybody outside the program is not only results-driven, but they're so emotionally results-driven that you have to shield your team from that. That's a big challenge.
Continue Reading