Neb. is a top 30-60 team: now and forever

[Jeff Lebowski]

Nebraska lets us down one more time.

[Omaha 680]

We are a long way from being relevant in the Big Ten let alone the national conversation. But I see incremental progress and am happy we are winning these close games that we were so good at losing for the last 7 years.

6-2 with I think an expected finish if 8-4 and a realistic shot at 9-3. That's good progress with all the key offensive players coming back next year. If they can get some semblance of pass protection next year could be the big step forward back to relevance.

All the above being said, Matt Rhule will probably take the Penn State job and take all our best assistants and some of our best players with him. Then we will have to start over yet again. I think the football gods will never forgive us for firing Frank Solich and throwing away 30 years of tradition over a 3 loss season.

[Jeff Lebowski]

I am sad.

So close.

[Omaha 680]

I am sad.

[Omaha 680]

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Ok sure. But how have we done in close games that DIDN'T go to overtime recently?

[Jeff Lebowski]

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[Omaha 680]

Huskers picked a real good time to have maybe the worst offensive series in the history of football.

What you have never seen a 3rd and 42 in overtime before?

[Clark Addison]

Huskers picked a real good time to have maybe the worst offensive series in the history of football.

[Omaha 680]

The least surprising thing coming out of Nebraska fall camp has happened: Raiola is officially the starting QB as a true freshman.

Nebraska officially names Dylan Raiola starting quarterback | FOX Sports

This is only the second true freshman to start the opening game at Nebraska. The other, Adrian Martinez, was a mixed bag at best but hindsight reveals the Frost era was chaos in general. Another Martinez (Taylor) started all four years (except for the second half of his senior year 2013 due to injury) including the opening game of his redshirt freshman season. This was the last QB that had Nebraska regularly ranked and marginally contending for division and conference championships. Other notable redshirt freshmen who battled to win the job and (mostly) retain it the rest of their careers, leading to some of the greatest years in Nebraska history are Tommie Frazier and Eric Crouch.

At this point I would be ecstatic with a Taylor Martinez career. But this son of a Husker legend who spurned the back-to-back national title winner to come home HAS to be the one to finally lead us out of the wilderness, right? RIGHT???

[Paperback Writer]

I hope you make a bowl game....but if you do he might just transfer to a football blue blood

Maybe the saving grace is that QB Dylan Raiola is the son of an All-American lineman who played on the last Nebraska team to play in a national championship game. But then again, Nebraska already fired Scott Frost who was the QB on Nebraska's last championship team. Hard to believe this generation of players don't know a Nebraska that were perennial contenders during the first half of my lifetime. Like Omaha 680, just hoping for a bowl game for Nebraska in 2024.

[Moliere]

Well, we have a QB now. #8 overall recruit from last year's class, transferring from Georgia.

Dylan Raiola, No. 8 recruit for 2024, flips from Georgia to Nebraska - ESPN

I hope you make a bowl game....but if you do he might just transfer to a football blue blood

[Omaha 680]

Well, we have a QB now. #8 overall recruit from last year's class, transferring from Georgia.

Dylan Raiola, No. 8 recruit for 2024, flips from Georgia to Nebraska - ESPN

[Omaha 680]

Hmm, sounds vaguely familiar.

Yes. I choose to cheer for football teams that torture me.

[BigFatMeanie]

So if you are referring to Scott Frost, we cut him loose after starting last season 1-2 with the loss to mighty Georgia Southern at home being the straw that broke all backs. Interesting to note that they fired him immediately after that loss instead of waiting 3 more weeks for the buyout to drop from $15 Million to $7.5 million per his previously restructured contract. Apparently the right boosters said get him out now and here is the extra $7.5 million you need to do it.

If you are referring to our new fearless leader, Matt Rhule, I have no idea how long of a rope he will get. Even in this insane world of modern college football, I have to think everyone gets 2 years unless they are just not competing or have a reason outside of team performance to be fired, right? And at a place like Nebraska that hasn't been relevant in literally 20 years, I don't think we can afford to hire a new coach every 2 years. If we every want any chance of building back a fraction of what we had, we have to give up and coming coaches the confidence that Nebraska is a place they will be given a chance to succeed. So I think we have Matt for four years. We will accept any progress at this point. A sixth win and a bowl game would have been a huge celebration. But we lost four in a row to end the season when stuck on 5 wins. Again with two of those being a FG as time expired, one overtime loss, and a loss against Michigain State where we fumbled the ball when driving for the tying FG.

Hmm, sounds vaguely familiar.

[Jeff Lebowski]

Oh, sorry. I forgot Frost was already gone.

Still losing close games. Brutal.