Each year, Nebraska Cornhuskers fans gird themselves for the next football season, embellishing any positives while simultaneously repressing memory of any weaknesses manifested the previous year. Hope springs eternal. I say this every time I write one of these. Some things never change.
How We Got Here
It had been U-G-L-Y on the football front in Lincoln before finally reaching a bowl (and winning!) last year. The Huskers ended a streak of seven consecutive losing seasons. After having a total of two head coaches
from 1962-1997, the program is on its sixth head coach in the last quarter century.
Who instigated the decline? The quick answer is Steve Pedersen. Not since Attila, who left 500 years of darkness in his wake, had there been such a man (now there are plenty). The 2003 regular season concluded, and Pedersen fired Coach Frank Solich with a 9-3 record.
‘’I refuse to let the program gravitate into mediocrity,’’ Pederson said. ‘’We won’t surrender the Big 12 to Oklahoma and Texas.’’
After that statement, Nebraska embodied mediocrity. The Huskers have not lost fewer than four games in any subsequent season. In 2011, Nebraska surrendered the Big 12 completely by moving to the Big Ten. In 2024, Frank Solich was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame for his contributions at Nebraska and Ohio. Sometimes it really is that easy to find turning points in history.
The bowl win was a sign that things began to turn around for the Big Red. Will the progress continue? Nobody really knows, but I hope so.
As any Nebraska fan can tell you...it is the hope that kills you.
The 2024 Season
Nebraska finished the season with a 7-6 record in 2024. Considering the team was lead by true freshman Dylan Raiola, this is a significant step forward. The defense was aggressive, and did much more to help the team than hurt it. These are assets that can be built upon.
God knows there are things that need to be corrected.
First, the special teams were grabasstic amphibian shit, as has become tradition. The blocked kicks and punts sort of run together at this point, as does the poor kick/punt coverage, not to mention erratic specialist play. There is a new special teams coach. It has to improve, right? Right?
Second, Nebraska continues to lose close games, Nebraska was involved in six one-score games last year. The Big Red found a way to lose five of them. I do not know what else to say on this subject. Fans have saged the stadium, sent good vibes, and tried tough love. The athletic department even named the locker room after Frankie Solich to lift any residual curse. The underperformance is spectacular, and I am practicing self-care by not looking any deeper into this trend. I find myself praying for “reversion to the mean.” It is not a good place to be as a football fan. I mean, what the hell is that?
Third, any game that goes to overtime should just be chalked up as a loss. Nebraska has not scored in overtime since the Obama administration. Since 2015, Nebraska has been outscored 39-0 in overtime. Across eight overtime games, Nebraska has lost each game, failed to score, and failed to notch a single first down. This is supernaturally inept shit. Animal sacrifice may be required, and I am open to it.
The mindset of inevitable collapse was still evident in the program last year, but there seems to be some progress. Perhaps another offseason will put the demons to rest.
I hope so.
The Coach
Matt Rhule is in his third year at Nebraska. In his stays at Temple and Baylor, his teams were 6-6 and 7-6, respectively, in the second year. The third year at each stop was a ten-win season. If the pattern holds, this is the year for a substantial step forward.
There is a Cornhusker industrial complex in Nebraska, which includes websites, newspapers, and TV stations. The prevailing attitude is positive, and I get the impression that the staff and program are actually doing the work required to win. This is a nice change of pace.
As a Lincoln resident, I can affirm that he has a good reputation across town. The wild Scott Frost rumor mill has been retired, and there are no stories of angry fan interactions like those with Pelini.
To sum up, the toxic atmosphere around the program has evaporated, and the feeling is we have a good guy. Perhaps Husker fans are not doomed to eternal torment.
I hope so.
So what’s the schedule like?
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The schedule is manageable, if not optimal. The toughest non-conference game is against Cincy, but that game is being played at Arrowhead. The close proximity to Lincoln and Omaha could make it feel like a home game. There are some tough games against Michigan, USC, and Penn State. Two of these are at home, as is the season finale against Iowa. No team can be overlooked. Recent history tells us the Huskers are more than capable of losing any of these games. Yes, even Houston Baptist could knock us off.
If the team gets all their stuff in a pile, and a few bounces go Nebby’s way, this could be the year that Nebraska has fewer than four losses.
If.
I hope so.
So how do we sum this all up:
When talking to a Nebraska fan, do mention: The endless possibilities of a young starting quarterback, any and all women’s sports, the new football complex, and the radiant future that lies before Huskerdom.
When talking to a Nebraska fan, do not mention: How the radiant future year-by-year recedes before us. Patrick Mahomes cosplay. Literally the entire Riley era, a not-insignificant portion of the Pelini era, the Frost era...wait, why are we talking about the bad stuff? NEBRASKA IS WINNING THE CHAMPIONSHIP AND YOU CAN’T STOP US.
