[Husker] Great Coaches vs Unranked Teams / Polls then vs Polls now

[Skylar Dodds]

Hello Husker Fans,

  *************************** Warning ******************************
  This is not an argument for anything, I was just curious and wanted
  to post this up to the group. This is in NO WAY meant to reflect on
  the current coaching staff.
  *********************** End of Warning ***************************

  Osborne was the coach when I was born and I grew up basically with
  the understanding that NU was the best football school in the
  country.  I also rarely remember Osborne loosing to unranked teams.
  So I went back and looked at the losses against unranked teams.
  
  His overall record against unranked teams: 188-13-2  not bad.  7 of
  his losses and both ties came in the 70s (early on).

  It really amazes me how different the polls were back then and how
  'fickle' they could be.

  Here are some funny examples:

  - In 1974 we started the season ranked #7. Before we played a ranked
  team we lost to unranked Wisconsin and unranked Missouri and we were
  ranked #12 (in other words 3-2 and haven't played a ranked team).
  Then we blowout #13 Kansas 56-0 and move up to 9th and then beat
  unranked OSU 7-3 and stayed put. Weird.

  - In 1976 we were preseason #1.  We started the season 7-3-1 and
  ranked #13 (with 1 loss and 1 tie against unranked LSU and ISU).

  - MY FAVORITE.  In 1977 we were preseason #15.  We lose to unranked
  Washington State and drop out of the polls.  We turn around and beat
  #4 Alabama and jump ALL THE WAY to 14th.  I don't think we've ever
  seen anything like that recently.

  - In 1981 we were preseason #7.  We lost to unranked Iowa 10-7 and
  dropped to 17th. Climbed back to 15th the next week and lost to #3
  Penn State 30-24. and then went unranked fora few weeks to finally
  climb all the way back up to #4 playing Clemson in the Orange bowl
  (They were #1) and lost 22-15 to drop back to #9.

  - In 1984 we actually lost twice as the #1 team in the country.  The
  first time to unranked Syracuse in NY, the second time to #4
  Oklahoma after we climbed back up to #1.

  

-- 
Go Skers,
 Skylar                            mailto:Sklarbodds at cox.net