Nebraska set for a return to the national spotlight

By Terry Dombkowski  |   Friday, May 12, 2006  |  Comments( 41 )

Nebraska Cornhuskers
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When the Nebraska Cornhuskers came off the field victorious in last season's Alamo Bowl game against Michigan, it capped a string of three straight victories and helped the team regain entry into the national polls (24th in the AP rankings). With the recent announcements regarding the Huskers' upcoming season schedules, the Big Red faithful have every reason to believe that a return to national prominence could be right around the corner.

For the 2006 season, it has already been announced that the September 16th trip to USC will be televised in primetime on ABC. This game represents a tremendous opportunity for Nebraska to re-introduce themselves to pundits and skeptics alike. And while some may feel that the Huskers' first two opponents (La. Tech and Nicholls St.) won't provide the team with a stiff enough test before heading into The Coliseum, players and coaches know better. Sure, it's easy enough to overlook opponents midseason, but the two openers in front of the home crowd? Even if the team's thoughts are on USC, they will come out with strong performances in Lincoln and then let preparation and execution take over out West. In what should be a closely contested battle between the Huskers and Trojans, a victory for Nebraska would certainly garner positive national attention.

Looking further ahead in the season, the Huskers' November 24th tilt against Colorado will also be televised nationally by ABC. While the Buffaloes have several questions heading into this season, there is still a good chance that the North could be decided between these two clubs. If all goes well in '06, Big Red could use this game to showcase the continued progress made by the Nebraska football program. Let us not forget that the Huskers will also host the defending national champions on October 21st, when Texas rolls into Lincoln. Depending on how the first half of the season goes for both teams, this matchup could also find its way onto the national scene.

The odds are good that Nebraska football will be noticed beyond 2006 as well. Earlier this week, it was announced that perennial power Virginia Tech will play Nebraska in 2008 and 2009. "This will be an outstanding and challenging home-and-home series for our football program." Coach Callahan was quoted as saying. It could also be one that continues to build Nebraska's status in the national fold.

Currently, there are several teams that represent national media darlings, with Texas, USC, Ohio St., Notre Dame, Penn State, and Miami being just a few. It seems that these programs are constantly on the lips of college fans across the nation. Now that the stage has been set for this Cornhusker team to make a national impression, the only thing left to do is to give football nation something else to talk about.

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CommentsComments: 41  |  Sign Up  View all comments
No.1
Nathan		08:17 PM
05/13/2006
Are you forgetting that this is the team that won three national titles in the 90s and was 1:18 away from a third in 1993? Are...
No.2
Terry		08:35 PM
05/13/2006
First of all Nathan, thanks for reading. You kind of summed up the article for me. The Huskers enjoyed great success in the...
No.3
todd		10:58 PM
05/13/2006
i agree with nathan, although the huskers havent been a hot topic of conversation, go back and look at history, the only mistake...
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