[Husker] We're #60!

[Bapi Gupta]

As of today, in my Gupta Power Ratings ( www.bapi.net/football ), we're 
#60 out of 117 division 1-A teams.  Given that my ratings use information 
from the past two seasons to establish early ratings, I'm pretty sure this 
is the worse rating I've ever given our beloved Huskers.

Since being #36 after the Missouri win, we've slipped to #50 (ISU loss), 
#54 (OU loss) and now #60 (CU loss).

On the positive side, we're ranked above the following storied programs:

#62 BYU (5-6) - 3rd losing season in a row, after 28 winning seasons from 
1974 to 2001

#67 Washington State (5-6) - after 3 straight 10-win seasons 2001-2003

#69 Maryland (4-6) - after 31 wins in 2001-2003

#70 Oregon (5-6) - after 11 straight winning seasons (since 1993)

#71 Penn State (4-7) - 4th losing season in the last 5 after going .500 or 
better every season since 1938 (52 years)!

#72 Kansas State (4-7) - first losing season since 1992, including 11 wins 
in 5 of the last 6 season.

#79 Colorado State (4-7) - after 10 straight winning seasons 1994-2003

#88 Mississippi (3-7) - after 7 straight winning seasons 1997-2003

#114 Washington (1-10) - first losing season since 1976 and only beat San 
Jose State this season.

I think I can honestly say Penn State and Washington fans must be in more 
agony over this season than we are.  But that's the *really* positive way 
to look at things.

I guess the real question now is "Where do we go from here?"  Do we start 
a continuing collapse like Penn State or BYU?  Do we become completely 
unpredictable year to year like Alabama?  Do we settle into year-in, 
your-out mediocrity like Notre Dame?  I think those are worse case 
scenarios.

Or do we fall off the map for a few years before OU rising from the ashes 
like OU, who went .500 or worse from 1994 to 1998?  USC was also a 37-35 
team from 1996-2001.  Our best fate would be to mirror Miami, who went 5-6 
in 1997, but has posted winning season in each of the other seasons since 
1980 (25 years).

I have a feeling we're in for a few years like USC or OU had and likely 
won't come back with Callahan, Cosgrove and Pederson running the show. 
The excuses people make up about recruiting, and Frank leaving the 
cupboard bare just don't make sense.

In Solich's last year we were still 10-3 and had improved most due to 
wholesale coaching changes.  His recruiting classes were no worse than the 
typical ratings for Osborne's classes.  On defense players like Titus 
Adams, Demorrio Williams, Le Kevin Smith and the Bullocks brothers were 
all very highly rated Blue Chip players.  The myth of a lack of talent on 
defense always frustrates me.  On offense, Solich's players were talented 
and prepared enough to play the form of offense he ran.  Cory Ross and 
David Horne were rated as high as guys like Ahman Green or Lawrence 
Phillips.  And I've always believed our QBs and OLs were well selected for 
our offense, despite not rating as high prospects for the WCO.

I think a better coach would have optimized his team based on its current
resources more wisely.  A better AD would have rewarded last season's 
improvement and respected the tradition that Frank continued in his 
tenure.  We have no identity as a program now.  I think that's the real 
loss.  Solich may not help left the cupboard as heaping full as Osborne 
did, but he didn't leave it nearly as bare as Callahan has it now.

This year's recruiting is positive, but who are we now?  I think we've 
lost our personality and become a poor imitation of the next waves of 
fads.  We're not a leader and innovator anymore, just a member of the 
following flock.

Bapi