FanSided 250: Nebraska Cornhuskers should be ranked higher

The FanSided 250 had the Nebraska Cornhuskers ranked at No. 178, which is way too low.

It’s been tough sledding for the Nebraska Cornhuskers, especially considering this program was a powerhouse in the 1990s. Since Tom Osborne retired following the Huskers’ 1997 National Championship, the team has had a tough time finding a head coach who can lead them to the promised land (Frank Solich did so in 1999, but was relieved of his duties in 2003).

Nebraska moved to the Big Ten in 2011 and things haven’t gone according to plan. They’ve made it to just one Big Ten Championship Game where they were blown out by Wisconsin (back in the Legends and Leaders days) and since then have struggled to stay relevant.

Former Huskers quarterback Scott Frost took over as the head coach in 2018 and things haven’t turned around yet. Nebraska has yet to have a winning season under Frost and has been wildly inconsistent since the alum became the head coach.

Why am I bringing this all up? Well because despite all that’s been thrown at them, Nebraska fans have remained the best fan base in all of college football but their ranking on the FanSided 250 doesn’t reflect that whatsoever. They landed at No. 178 and are the No. 19 college football team, placed below teams like Minnesota and Baylor, which doesn’t make any sense.

Nebraska Cornhuskers fans continue to back their team through thick and thin.

In Frost’s first season coaching the Huskers, the team was 0-6 but when they hosted Minnesota and got their first win in their seventh game of the season, the stands at Memorial Stadium were jam-packed. The blurb on Nebraska on the FanSided 250 states,

“Nebraska owns the longest sellout streak in college football that dates back to 1962 and has topped more than 375 games.”

How does that make them just the No. 19 college football team? How are teams like Minnesota and Baylor ranked ahead of them? When people think of the Nebraska Cornhuskers, they think of Lincoln and how that city rallies behind their Huskers through even the darkest of times. Going on their fourth consecutive losing season is a tough pill to swallow for Lincoln natives who live and breath Nebraska football, but when push comes to shove, they’re there for their boys on the gridiron.

I haven’t gotten to the volleyball program that Nebraska has, which is easily the best fan base in the sport. Nebraska fans pack the Bob Devaney Center any time there’s a Husker volleyball game taking place and more often than not, there are fans who have to stand because the seats are all bought up. This has even happened during the team’s annual scrimmage!

I get that Nebraska football isn’t what it once was on the football field, but the fan base still backs them just like they back all of their sports at the university. Putting them at No. 178 on the FanSided 250 is a major slap in the face.